All About Strictly Salsa
Strictly Salsa philosophy | Trisha | Deej | Luca
Strictly Salsa: our philosophy
Salsa's a friendly, vivacious, exciting world of rhythm and passion and we want to share it with you. Whether you're a complete novice who's never danced a step before, a seasoned professional looking for some relaxed dancing or whether you're somewhere in between you'll be made very welcome by Deej and Trisha at Strictly Salsa. We have classes and dancing every Monday in York and Wednesday in Wetherby and we look forward to meeting you sometime soon. If you're looking for salsa lessons or dancing in Yorkshire, you need to get Strictly Salsa!
We want to teach you to be the best dancers you can be, dancers that we'd want to dance with. We're very aware salsa is at its best when you're actually dancing, so our aim is to give you a knowledge of the basics to get you dancing as soon as possible, with light-hearted but nevertheless comprehensive teaching, before taking you on and helping you become the dancer within you that's kicking to get out. We therefore focus our classes very much on technique, building a solid foundation for your dancing as a beginner. We will add to your understanding as we build on that foundation through our improver and intermediate levels. We don't just teach turn patterns,although leaders (and followers) will get plenty of material to use on the dance floor.
We encourage our dancers to just get out and dance, at clubs, social events and other classes. There are loads of places for you to practice your freestyle dancing and it is there, outside the classroom, that you really hone your skills as a dancer. If you want to know the best places nearby, just ask.
We believe that there's a lot more to dancing than simply walking through moves you did in class: we aim to show our dancers how to lead and follow clearly and comfortably, how to express their own personalities when dancing, how to use and feel the music and how to connect with your dance partner. Basically, we want to be proud to watch when you're burning up the dance floor.
We try to make our class nights are much more than just lessons. We work hard with our hosts at both venues to create a warm friendly atmosphere where you can easily make new friends before, after or between classes and we make sure there's always lots of free dance time between the classes to put your new found skills into practice.
Surprisingly to some, our hope is that eventually Strictly Salsa won't be enough for you. The world of salsa is MUCH bigger than just us and we want to introduce you to it. We'll encourage you to go to other events and classes in the area to get the most out of your dancing though this is by no means compulsory if you prefer to keep it low key.
Trisha Lee
Trish had been missing something and in early 2003, was amazed to find it in a Salsa club, literally just around the corner from home.
With a teenage history steeped Strictly in ballroom and a great deal of her twenties steeped Strictly in London's night clubs, Trisha Lee took to salsa like a kitten to a bowl of milk. She has a style that is unquestionably her own, blended from ballroom, salsa and endless nightclub forays, and the result is precise yet sensual with uncompromised flair.
Fast yet flowing, stylish yet precise, Trisha has a thorough understanding of follower technique and combines this with clear explanations to make an excellent teacher.
On top of the above Trish can often be heard shouting "I'm a man" when looking for a partner as she can lead with a confidence and clarity few other ladies (and not too many men) can match.
Andrew (Deej) De-Giorgio
Deej went along to a local salsa lesson one evening and found he enjoyed it, so he went again. Two months later he saw his teacher free-styling after a lesson and was amazed at what looked like an immaculately choreographed four minute routine.
Over the next month came the realization that the ladies like a chap that can lead well and from that moment he was hooked, seeking out all the salsa he could find and soaking it up with a vengeance.
His style on the dance floor is smooth and unmistakably sensual, while maintaining that all important sense of fun.
A background in teaching assorted disciplines, from advanced motorcycling to computing skills, has helped Deej develop an understanding of the learning process which greatly enhances his teaching of salsa. His classes are fun and informal, but always focussed on ensuring everyone in the class absorbs what is being taught.
Luciano (Luca) De-Giorgio
Actually, Luca doesn't get along to club nights very often, preferring to be tucked up in bed by the time we kick off. He's a true salsa baby though, and has already been to Spain for a week on his first salsa holiday.