Beto Rojas Salsa Classes

As a dancer I went to this class thinking how hard could dancing salsa on 2 be… then I learned it’s very difficult because I have been dancing on 1! I love this class because eventhough I have years of experience dancing West African, Samba, Afro-​Cuban Orisha, etc. this class is still a challenge for me. Each week I get better and better and my confidence grows but if you have absolutley never danced this may not be the class for you. You have to have some sort of dance/​movement foundation even if it is salsa on 1! Beto and Frances have that soul that so many LA dancers lack while trying to execute elaborate tricks.

This is one of the best darn salsa classes I’ve ever taken. I say that with 4 years of experience under my belt and classes on the east & west coasts, workshops at salsa congressos, etc.
Beto is strictly an On2, New York style salsa dancer/​instructor, which means that he’s a gem in Los Angeles. That’s not a dig on the On1 folks, I’m just saying that it’s very hard to find an On2 class here because of this region’s affinity for LA style On1 salsa.
Beto and his co-​instructor Frances Nieves (partner of Jhesus Aponte for those who are in the know) teach a class that is so authentically Nuyorican On2, I can’t stand it in the best way. I LOVE this class. Here’s the breakdown of what you can expect:
The class costs $ 12 for one, or $ 15 to take both.
Beginner class starts at 7:30, followed by the intermediate class at 8:45. The floor in the space is very large and nice. However, the room is separated by a floating wall and sometimes dancers from other teams practice on the other side of the studio. The noise competes sometimes and can be annoying. But, it isn’t that big of a deal. The studio is hot as heck, and the instructors keep you moving, so be prepared for a workout in a sweatbox.
Both classes usually start off with shine/​footwork followed by partner work. This isn’t the class to learn tricks or complicated moves. Beto keeps it simple, but that’s not a bad thing. His focus is on making people better dancers by getting the fundamentals really solid. There are so many nuances of dance that separate the great dancers from the average, that I think this class is essential.
Frances teaches movements that have so much flavor that it doesn’t matter that the girls’ partnerwork moves are relatively simple because you need that simplicity of the steps in order to keep up with the way Frances styles within her steps. The girl has got soul.
One thing that I like a lot is that Beto and Frances make sure to dance with everyone in the room each week and spend as much time as needed to correct flaws in technique. They are also big on frequently switching partners and encouraging more advanced dancers to help those less experienced. Also, specifically for the girls, Frances started adding on new steps to the same shines each week. This really works for the way I learn because I need that weekly repetition to build muscle memory and make the moves part of my rote memory so I don’t blank out when I go social dancing and wind up doing a series of just Suzy Q’s.
I look forward to each class and feel like I’ve become a much better dancer since starting with Beto and Frances. I really can’t say enough and I encourage you to check it out.