Ladies ...

A successful salsa strategy toward dancing all night, apart from knowing how to dance, is to be seen dancing. Guys are generally a shy lot, but if they know you can and will dance, you'll be dancing all night.

Wear something sexy,comfortable and not too revealing - just be sure, whatever it is, it's noticeable! Dance places can be dim as dusk, so make sure you don't blend into the shadows. Arrive early and position yourself as close to the dance floor as possible. Sit or stand near the dance floor, preferably where guys coming off the floor will see you first. And, oh yeh, don't congregate with a group of women. No guy is going to walk up to several women hanging together and risk that kind of rejection.

Smile till it hurts! If you don't look like you're enjoying yourself, you probably won't be! Don't be afraid to make eye contact. Say, "Yes!" to the first dance offer, no matter who it is, and keep on saying it. This is the most important rule! Being picky is counter-productive, so lose the attitude! If you're seen saying no, you'll be left with only the blind and the bold - a small, and not necessarily cute, minority. The point of saying yes every time is to increase your chances of meeting talented, interesting dance partners. If you do this right, good dancers will soon monopolize your time anyway. Ask good dancers to teach you something new! They'll usually be happy to oblige and will seek you out in the future.

Oh, and don't chew gum - or if you have to, do it with your mouth closed.

Guys ...

Some of the above and then...

Find a smiling gal who's near the dance floor and ask her to dance. But for godsake, learn how to, first, and remember - smooth is as good or better than fancy! A couple of basic steps done correctly and on tempo is more fun for your partner than a dozen pretzel turns done badly with the timing all screwed up.

Avoid dancing roughly - like pulling your partner's arm out of its socket. It's bad form. Remember, you want to look good, and you can look really good if you make your partner look good. Make eye contact - dancing is about communication.

Dance with all sorts of partners, it'll make you a better dancer, not to mention, it'll make you seem like a nice guy.

ALSO, if you haven't showered, shaved, or brushed your teeth for a while, it might be a good idea to do that first! You don't want women to be pointing you out for the wrong reasons!

Ladies and Guys.. one last point to re-iterate becuase it is very important to us all. Partner dancing involves close contact with another individual, so lets make sure we have that personal hygiene thing working for us and not against us otherwise we wont be asked for a second dance :-)

The 5 deadly sins of salsa:

1. Disrespecting the dancer's Space: Keep socialicing off the Dance floor and give dancers some space

2. Disrespecting the Dance Floor : Keep drinks and Cigarettes away from the dance floor so others can enjoy a safe and clean dance environment.

3. Disrespecting Others : Dont be standoffish. If you want to dance, smile and appear approachable. Accept all dance offers. Others will see that you're here to have fun and you'll be asked more often

4. Disrespecting other dancers when dancing: If the floor is crowded, please dont do a neck drop or any fancy move that requires tons of space. Be kind to others and your partner by being aware of other dancers around you.

5. Disrespecting the Nose: Be Hygenic at all times. Smelly dancers hardly get asked for a second go-round.

Lead with your brain, not your butt, and make the effort to be more aware and considerate of your dance environment. Otherwise, some of us will need to sign up for karate classes to go with our salsa classes.