Last night I went to a gym, le Moving, where they have salsa nights on Fridays and Saturdays. Classes started around 9h30 though I think they were slated to start at 9. The entrance fee was 12€ plus 2€ for the vestiare. Drinks and snacks were included in that price. Watery sports drinks or sugary water, crackers, candys, and nuts. Also, coffee and tea. The hall is also non smoking which is very refreshing if you’ve spent any time at concerts in Paris.
I took two classes, the first a Puerto Rican style beginner class, which, like the other classes of that style that I have taken, progressed more slowly, and with lots of attention to detail. It was taught by a woman, who focused on foot work, general tips for learning salsa, and a few basic turns.
- Listen to latin music at home and walk around doing the pas de bases (basic steps).
- If the man doesn’t push you hard enough to do something, don’t do it, you aren’t helping him by cheating if you know the combination.
- Keep firm arms, so that you can be guided, the elbow should never go behind the back.
- Keep your fingers in a U-shape, so that the man can take your hands to guide you whenever he would like.
- It you aren’t sure what to do, do the pas de bases in place and wait to be guided.
- Keep your hands above waist level, it will automatically make your dancing look better.
I’m sure there were many more tips, but these caught my attention.
The second class was a begining Cubano class taught by an incredibly tall man. We progressed very quickly through several spins, and variations on the “Dile que no !“. Cubano classes progress so quickly, you will never be bored, but only a couple of the guys in the class had understood leading enough in a basic way to make the dance work as it should. I have to admit I cheated a bit and did my steps without being guided. There was also a girl in the class learning to do the part of the man. This seems really useful, as, at this particular club, there were a lot more women than men. A fair bit of time was spent waiting to be asked to dance.
After the classes were finished they turned on the funky lighting and lit up the vegas style palm trees. A DJ played a mix of music, from normal salsa, to hip hop and classic french music with a salsa beat interposed. There was also two other kinds of music, which required two other ways of dancing, but I don’t remember what they were called. One required three quick steps in place and then a hip movement (more or less upward), then repeat in the other direction. The other seemed to be mainly steping back and forth from one foot to the other and doing salsa type moves in slow motion. It made me feel dizzy, oddly, since the spinning was so much slower.
Elvis and Marilyn are here, and larger than life.
Club MOVING de THIAIS Belle Epine
3, Rue des Alouettes
94320 THIAIS Belle Epine
Téléphone 01.45.60.54.00
Fax 01.45.60.97.89
Manager Daniel SOIRAT
RER C – stop Pont de Rungis – Aeroport d’Orly
It is a 15 minute walk from the RER station. I would be aware walking at night though as it is a very deserted area. I saw people living in trailers parked on the street, lots of broken glass, a smashed car, and young people driving like I used to drive when I was 16. Not a pretty sight. I didn’t feel unsafe, but I got a ride home, so it was still light out when I walked the route.
I believe it is every Friday and Saturday night classes starting at 9h, dancing starting at 11h. But call ahead because I believe last night was the last class until after a summer break of 1-2 months.