Salsa~York

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Salsa~York Is Mary & Tony Piper. We have been serious Salsa anoraks for over three years, dancing four times a week and gobbling-up clubs, workshops, and ‘weekenders’ as fast as we can! We know just about everybody on the Regional scene, and many on the National scene.

Mary teaches Spanish at All Saints School and on the LFA Programme at York University. Before Salsa, Tony ran a small minibus company in York with which he still has tenuous links. He also has teaching in his background.

We live in South Bank with three of our four children, the eldest daughter having flown the nest to Newcastle. We are a serious embarrassment to our three teenagers since becoming born-again teenagers ourselves. Our eldest son is our doorman on weekly club nights.

Salsa~York started at Easter 2001 because we were fed up with having to travel at least as far as Leeds to find a decent Salsa club.

Our aim, for York’s first club is to create a true party atmosphere, which is welcoming to all, and where the emphasis is on fun and enjoyment. We want our evenings to be a totally stress-free zone where members can briefly step out of life’s shituation and receive nourishment for mind, body, and soul. We encourage our better dancers to help newcomers progress but there is absolutely no pressure on improving since we are not remotely interested in medals, competitions, or Come Dancing. Everyone can develop in their own time and the only reasons for doing so are to increase enjoyment, confidence, and personal satisfaction.

Find out about our regular Activities

Levels of Dancing -- A Brief Guide

In conclusion :

Much of the above is actually irrelevant to good dancing!?! When I first started going out on the Salsa scene, I felt very intimidated by the standard of dancing I was seeing. I was happy to do a class, but I didn’t want to get up on the floor afterwards, and have a dance! Even now, I see a lot of dancers with a much greater range of moves, and more fluent style, than I will ever have : but I am now happy to dance with anybody.

One of the best teachers in our region, and one of the few ‘genuine articles’, is Tanya Cusan Espinoza, from Leeds and Colombia. She has been dancing all her life and performs shows, which she designs and choreographs. You never see Tanya doing anything ‘flash’ on a dance floor, and she is openly contemptuous of ‘cross body leaders’ who throw their partners around! Dancing, for Tanya, is all about a relationship with your partner, choreographed through music.

In short, you can dance very nicely, enjoying the company of your partner, without a lot of flash moves. And Guys, good leaders make any partner look good, and keep within their capabilities!