I can’t dance and gave it up 10 years ago. Then I made my salsa-driven comeback.

I’ve never been much of a dancer. Five years ago, I came to my senses and traded my ballet shoes in for cleats. 

While I was flipping through channels recently, I came across an episode of Dancing with the Stars and saw ex-White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s attempt at a salsa, and I was infatuated not only by the intricate costumes, but also the intensity of the dance. Salsa is easy to learn but difficult to master, that much I knew. But after watching that episode, the ballerina in me knew I should give it a shot. 

I called Viva Social Dance Studio — KC’s Premier Salsa/Latin Dance School — and learned they had an available two-and-a-half hour class every Wednesday night. I signed up with every intention of learning more about the catchy, sensual dance and its fusion with deep Caribbean and African musical styles. The class was only $20, which is a steal for the amount of teaching you receive. 

As I crept inside the studio, anxious to put on my “dancing shoes” again, I was met by my first instructor, Sherree Watson. Talking with Watson for 10 minutes took all my negativity away — her soothing voice brought a sense of security with it, extinguishing the nervous thoughts of a dance class with complete strangers that might judge my lack of ability. 

Watson started us out with a few “easy” steps to get us warmed up. She had me and six other beginners stand in front of the mirror-flanked room, so we could get the full learning experience and mimic her steps and movements. She took time to make sure every beginner had it down before moving on without judgement. I expected the class to be like the quick paced ones I saw on TV, but I was wrong. 

We started with the “basic step” by counting 1-2-3 forward, foot taps on 4, then 5-6-7, foot taps on 8. We repeated this step for awhile until the class had the 8-count down. The instruction and patience at Viva made it easy, even with my own lack of dancing skills. 

Next we learned left and right turns. You first step across your body to open up and then turn 180 degrees back and step again so you’re facing the front. We also mixed in steps like the Suzi Q, Hook Spin, Flares and Chase Turn. After mastering “one step,” we were immediately thrown into another. Although in the end, after I got ahold of things, I almost felt like a natural when she began to call out the different steps and combine them all together into one dance. 

After 30 minutes, the rest of the instructors walked in, something I didn’t know about. It made me a little anxious to know that I wouldn’t be staying with Watson. The group was then divided into beginners, mediocre and mastered — I definitely knew what group I was in. So I followed the rest of the beginners next door to a different studio to do some partner work. There I met my second instructor, Josh Hernandez.

Hernandez has been teaching in Kansas City for 17 years, since 2002 and in 2011 moved to Viva, teaching there since. 

After the informal introduction, Hernandez seemed thrilled to give me the complete salsa learning experience. I learned to keep my hands cupped, to stand up straight with my shoulders back and never duck when being turned — because the man should raise his hand as needed. These adjustments made the couples dancing less awkward, because it looked like I had a better idea of what I was doing. 

Viva Social Dance Studio suits every dance style and skill level, from prima ballerinas to the bare-minimum amateurs. I came in expecting to make an absolute fool of myself but walked out knowing I could crack salsa’s code in a single lesson — at least with the specialty and patience seen at Viva. Visit their website online and book a class if the thought of salsa dancing interests you. You won’t regret it, and trust me — this is coming from someone who has two left feet.