For Latin Dance Pro salsa dance instructor Sergio Leal, teaching dance comes down to one thing: the fundamentals.
“My philosophy is to really start them off at the very beginning,” Leal said, as salsa music pumped through the speakers of the dance hall of Stardancers Horizon on Wilson Avenue in Glendale.
These fundamentals to salsa, he said, make reaching the intermediate level a lot easier. He begins by teaching his students basic steps used in most forms of salsa, Leal said.
“What I do in the intermediate level is I use all those fundamentals to create new combinations — combinations that we choreograph — and every four weeks I teach them four combinations using all those fundamentals,” Leal said. “I repeat it every month in the Level 2 class. Next month, I teach a whole new set. But I always keep it at that level: the fundamentals, repetition, doing the loops. Visually, it looks like different moves, but they’re doing the same sets, every four weeks.”
Leal believes in being patient with his students, having them dance as much as possible, and having his students introduce themselves to one another.
“It makes me be myself. [I] feel confident in my abilities. That just translates to other areas — emotionally, physically, spiritually,” said dance student Lizeth Mejia of Los Angeles. “Dancing does that. Endorphins just kick in. It’s a great high.”
Most students take Leal’s classes as a sort of outlet, said his professional dance partner, Salud Leon.
“They kind of get away. They de-stress. It’s physical exercise, good endorphins, all the good stuff,” Leon, clad in her full dance ensemble, said of her students.
With a wink, she added: “It also helps a lot of people improve their social life. We make a lot of love connections. People meet new people.”
When it comes to teaching, Leon said, she likes to take an approach where the student will not feel intimidated, especially for those who may be taking dance for the first time. Leon has been dancing with Leal for 12 years, and teaching for 10 years.
“The guys, it’s fun for them, because they are learning all of these combinations, memorizing steps,” Leal said. “For the women, it’s having do all the turns gracefully, with style.”
Before founding Latin Dance Pro, Leal worked with kids at the elementary school level and in special education. He also did volunteer work for the Braille Institute. This, he said, helped shape his teaching style.
“There’s a number of people here who have been coming for a while,” said dance student Bob Brennan of La Crescenta.
Latin Dance Pro holds classes in Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena and Los Angeles.
