Dance Classes

Cuban Salsa

Well, we're not talking about the delicious dip you eat with your tortilla chips. Salsa is a Latin dance and a musical style with a mix of Caribbean and African roots. Cuban son and Afro-Cuban rumba, are the two main styles, used to create the basis of a rhythm that would later become known as Salsa. With the Cuban revolution, many musicians and dancers relocated to New York and Miami, and Salsa grew in popularity.

Cuban Casino style is our specialty here at Salsa Therapy. Originating from Cuba, Rueda de Casino is a group dance where pairs of dancers form a circle and dance moves are called out by one person - The Caller. The dance moves combined with cheerful Salsa music are great therapy for the body and mind. The advantage of learning Rueda de Casino is that all moves learned in the Rueda circle can be danced one on one with a partner, adding to a dancer's repertoire of moves.

Salsa Timetable

Term 2 24th March - 19th May 2025

21st April is Easter Monday - No lessons public holiday

We run our classes in 5 terms (8 weeks per term). Classes build on each other as we gradually introduce different elements of the dance, helping you to develop movement, musicality and coordination. As you progress through each week you will gain more confidence on the dance floor. We look forward to seeing you at one of our classes!

MONDAY

6PM

SALSA INTERMEDIATE LEVEL 5

LILIA & CORINA
Partnerwork, Musicality
LEVEL 5

7PM

SALSA INTERMEDIATE LEVEL 1

JAY & LILIA
Partnerwork & Rueda de Casino
LEVEL 1

8PM

SALSA BEGINNERS LEVEL 2

LILIA & ANDRIJA
Fundamentals and Basic Rueda
LEVEL 2

Bachata

Bachata is a style of dance that originated in the Dominican Republic. It actually started in the early 1960s, evolving from Bolero and Merengue. Today, it is wildly popular and danced across the globe. Like all dances, Bachata has evolved, and there are four main styles: Traditional (also called Dominican), Moderna (which features more turn patterns influenced by Salsa), Sensual (featuring flowing movements and isolations adopted from Zouk) and Fusion (which takes inspiration from hip-hip and remixes).

As the longest running dance school in Wellington teaching bachata, we love to explore all its variations, but our main focus is on Moderna and Sensual. In the past 7 years, we have been training with some of the best, such as Daniel and Desiree, Ataca and Alemana, Korke and Judith, and Sara and Marco.

Bachata Timetable

Term 2 26th March - 14th May 2025

We run our classes in 5 terms (8 weeks per term). Classes build on each other as we gradually introduce different elements of the dance, helping you to develop movement, musicality and coordination. As you progress through each week you will gain more confidence on the dance floor. We look forward to seeing you at one of our classes!

WEDNESDAY

6PM

DOMINICAN BACHATA OPEN LEVEL

LILIA, FIONA and ANDRIJA
OPEN LEVEL (NOT SUITABLE FOR COMPLETE BEGINNERS)

7PM

BACHATA BEGINNERS LEVEL 2

LILIA AND ANDRIJA
Fundamentals of Bachata Moderna
LEVEL 2

8PM

SENSUAL BACHATA ZOUK INFLUENCE

ADAM AND LILIA

Techniques, drills and Zouk flow into Sensual Bachata

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL

 

What level am I?

 

Beginner

Our Beginner’s level will introduce you to the basic steps and moves. We are passionate about teaching all the techniques for leading and following so you can build a strong foundation as a dancer. These classes are suitable for complete beginners or students with limited experience in a particular dance style. The beginner course consists of two terms of Beginner 1 and two terms of Beginner 2 before you can progress to Improvers.

Improvers

At the Improver level, we start to explore more complicated movements and discuss technique in more depth. We emphasise the importance of a good frame and connection with your partner. We will start introducing faster music and footwork to develop better coordination. The turn patterns are longer and at this level you will become more confident when social dancing.

Intermediate/Advanced

Our Intermediate level starts after completing at least two levels of Improvers and is for students with a minimum of eight month’s dance experience. At this level we expand your repertoire with more complex moves and focus more on musicality, body movement, styling and secrets of social dancing. On average, it takes at least two years to cover the entire curriculum.

 

Why should you join our Beginners class?

Salsa Therapy Dance Classes are:

  • Perfect for people with or without any dance experience

  • Fun and easy to learn

  • A great way to exercise

  • A place for making new friends

  • No partner required (but bring them anyway if you have one!)

  • Inclusive and welcoming

  • Teaching you dance skills that you can use worldwide.

We have limited spots to ensure an amazing dance experience. It’s important to us that you can see and hear your instructor and have a wonderful time meeting new friends. 

Start on the next available date!

Private Lessons

Our experienced teachers are available for one on one private lessons and small group lesson. We can also entertain your guest with a fun SALSA LATIN LESSON at your event.

Private lessons are a great way to fast-track your learning journey. In one private lesson, we can give you a material equivalent of three regular group lessons.

Contact us for more details and pricing

  • What our private students say

    I wanted to accelerate my learning with private lessons, and I'm so glad I did.
    Lilia's personalized feedback made it possible for me to drastically improve my skills in a matter of days. I was able to learn several terms worth of dance curriculum in just a few short weeks, which greatly boosted my confidence. It is obvious that Lilia cares about her students' progress and their ability to dance socially.

    She has vast experience in leading and following, which has been extremely helpful in teaching me to be a good follower. Not only is she professional and versatile, but she also makes learning very fun. Whether you are learning how to lead or follow, Lilia can help you level up your skills. Her love of dance shines through her teaching, which has made me fall in love with dance as well.

    -Annie

  • What our private students say

    “When I started classes with Salsa Therapy, I found my extended family and friends. The teachers are friendly and professional. The school practices equality and diversity. Neither posey nor pretentious. The students are also very supportive of each other. Apparently ST is the most technical Latin dance school in Welly.

    If you haven’t experienced Salsa and Bachata, then you must try it. It is fun to learn with ST:).”
    -Clarence

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