The Salsa Club’s goal is very simple: providing its members with dedicated instruction, space, and ample time to become the best dancers they can be. To achieve this the Club deviates from the popular convention of classifying dancers as “beginner, advanced beginner, intermediate, or advanced.” Instead, The Salsa Club follows a Namibian route: it provides tailor-made classes that group members according to the duration they have been dancing.

There are three class groups:

1. Cuban Fury¹—for members with less than one year of dancing experience;
2. Africando²—for members who have been dancing at the The Salsa Club for more than one year; and,
3. Buena Vista Social Club³—for members who have been dancing at the studio for more than two years.

Despite having commenced their dancing journeys at different times, each group steers towards the same destination: dancing with confidence, rhythm, style, and grace. Each group is guided through The Salsa Club’s curriculum on a separate day; every class provides detailed instruction, reinforces the importance of technique, and provides plenty of practice time. The Salsa Club’s classes are imbued with the following principles:

• Dancers are made, not born—with patient instruction, everyone can learn how to dance.
• Technique and fun are inseparable aspects of movement-based learning.
• Dancing, like life, is all about participation and inclusion—no one is left behind on the dance floor; “where we go, we go together.”

All classes are offered in the evening from 18h00 to 20h00.

Membership

The Salsa Club has 50 memberships provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Older, dedicated members are given the chance to sign-up first. Each membership is a year-long. Members pay an all-inclusive fee of N$700 per month.

Each membership provides:

• Two hours of classes per week (with salsa and bachata courses on offer);
• An optional one-hour open class (which includes salsa shines, cha-cha, and rueda de casino); and,
• Access to an exclusive monthly social.

Memberships are strictly open to adults (no under-18s). New members can only join if and when slots are available (when a membership has been vacated).

Signing up for classes

The Salsa Club will commence taking in new members in July 2021. All prospective members must book a demonstration class slot. Each slot will provide a free one-hour beginner-level salsa class and an opportunity to sign-up and purchase a membership. Each demonstration class can only accommodate 15 people.

Please note: attendants must have received their COVID-19 vaccination and must present a vaccination card showing they have received both doses of the available vaccines currently available in Namibia (either Sinopharm and Covi-Shield Astra-Zeneca).

Demonstration class dates:

• Monday, 05 July 2021: 18h30-19h30
• Tuesday, 06 July 2021: 18h30-19h30
• Wednesday, 07 July 2021: 18h30-19h30

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¹Cuban Fury, 2014—a British romantic comedy starring Nick Frost, Rashida Jones, Chris O’ Dowd, Olivia Coleman, and Ian McShane which inspired the opening of The Salsa Club.
²Africando is a musical project formed in 1992. It united New York-based salsa musicians with Senegalese vocalists. Africando’s music is a staple on The Salsa Club’s dance floor.
³Buena Vista Social Club is an ensemble of Cuban musicians formed in 1996. Its name comes from the members’ club in the Buenavista neighbourhood of Havana, Cuba. Its past members included legendary musicians such as Ry Cooder, Ibrahim Ferrer, Rubén Gonzalez, Omara Portuondo and Compay Segundo (who composed Chan Chan, The Salsa Club’s unofficial anthem).

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