Best Salsa Dance Classes in Los Angeles
Believe it or not, salsa dancing is an American invention. It was developed in New York in the 1970s. Influenced heavily by Latin dance styles, it's a popular social dance that's relatively simple and can be found within various nightclubs in Los Angeles. We've scoured this great city to find the best fantastic salsa dancing studios in the City of Angels. Bring a friend or go solo. There are plenty of partners to go around. Just remember comfortable dance shoes.
3rd Street Dance Studio
8558 W. 3rd St.
Los Angeles CA 90048
(310) 275-4683
www.sexysalsaballroom.com
3rd Street Dance has been a Los Angeles staple for over two decades and salsa classes are divided into four levels. The pricing structure is $99 for eight classes and if you're adamant on getting your moves ironed out as soon as possible, the studio has a three hour salsa boot camp priced at $35 per person when you pay in advance.
Sexy Salsa Ballroom
14622 Ventura Blvd #102,
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
(949) 267-8751
www.sexysalsaballroom.com
Owned and taught by Marisa Hamamoto, Sexy Salsa's group classes are divided by level and average to be about an hour long. Working hard to maintain an equal ratio of men and women participants, classes here are also intimate (20 or so participants per session). Hamamoto, who has published papers in the fields of Dance Science and Dance Education, is fantastic at breaking down the steps and techniques, and structures each class on rotating topics. Private classes are available. Payment can be done per class or by the month.
Latin Dance Pro
1626 S Central Ave
Glendale, CA 91204
(866) 585-9992
www.latindancepro.com
Divided up into five different levels of difficulty, salsa classes start at $10 a pop and offer a fun way to learn this great dance. Latin Dance Pro offers an experienced staff of about ten instructors, all with diverse Latin dance backgrounds, and classes run an hour each at their Glendale, Pasadena, or Altadena locations. They also offer drop-in classes at local nightclubs, where you can party the night away with friends.
By Your Side Dance Studio
12613 W Washington Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90066
(310) 391-0400
www.byyoursidedancestudio.com
A ballroom specialist in Culver City, By Your Side Dance Studio offers salsa classes which clock in at 45 minutes each and $15 per class. Instructors here are known for their ability to contextualize each session with the history of salsa, different styles, and club etiquette. First-timers – your first group class is free. Prepaid cards are available and lessons are divided up into three levels.
Soho Dance
Hacienda Hotel
525 N Sepulveda Blvd
El Segundo, CA 90245
(310) 945-7224
www.sohodancela.com
Located within the Hacienda Hotel in El Segundo, classes are extremely affordable per session and on the evenings starting at 9 p.m., there's an in-house party where students are free to try out their moves on the floor. Salsa lessons are sectioned off into two levels to divide it up by difficulty. The owner, Raul Santiago, is an award-winning dancer, who has been well-decorated and winning awards since 1995. Private lessons with Santiago are available as well.