Nope! During our classes we rotate partners frequently so it’s not necessary to bring one along. This means you get to meet more people and because everyone has their own flavour, you will become a better dancer through experiencing different styles. We also rotate through our teachers and assistants so you get extra personal feedback and can feel the movements with the pros.

Private lessons are a great way to learn at your own pace and get specific corrections and 1:1 feedback for a whole hour. Just remember though, 1 private lesson should equal at least 5 hours practice outside the class to really take advantage of what you learn. And private lessons are expensive due to the cost of the studio and your teachers time. I would highly recommend private classes are taken in addition to your usual courses, and that you allow sufficient time in between privates to do your practice. They are however a great way to avoid developing bad habits and to really progress quickly. Chat to your teacher if you are thinking about how privates can benefit you.

Anything you can move in is fine! Generally in the beginners levels students wear jeans, skirts, other pants and a t-shirt. As we get into level 3 and 4 it’s best to wear leggings or other active wear as we do get moving more and do some exercises on the floor. As for shoes, for the ladies ballet flats, or light weight street shoes can be good. Jazz shoes or latin heels are great if you have them! I would advise that if you like to dance in heels you also make sure you spend some time in flats, especially when first learning so you can articulate your feet, feel the floor and get the gliding feeling of zouk. For the guys, light weight street shoes (think converse volleys) are better than heavy duty runners, and shoes that are not too grippy can be good, or dancer runners if you have them. But anything will suffice in the beginning!

We usually have a bunch of absolute beginners starting each block, and there will certainly be other beginners who have done only a few weeks or months of zouk in the class with you. The best thing to remember is that every single dancers in that room were beginners once, even the teachers! So no need to apologise, that’s what we are there for!

We know coming to a new place can be intimidating, but don’t worry. Head upstairs to Latin Beats and you will be greeted by Izzy, Steve or some of the other regulars. There are toilets and a kitchenette, but its good to bring a water bottle. Once you’ve said hi and checked off your name we usually start with a solo warm up and exercises/drills before partnering up. We change partners during the class so you can meet and dance with everyone, even the teachers and assistants. There will usually be other new people like yourself mixed with people who have been coming for a while, and we are all there to have fun and have a good dance – you’ll feel welcome in no time.

The great thing is, if you can walk, you can learn to dance. If you feel like you have two left feet, that’s the perfect reason to get to class! Beginner classes are fun and friendly, and we start right at the beginning with lots of exercises to get you dancing straight away in your first class. Our highly experienced teachers have techniques developed over many years of teaching beginners. These will allow you to learn quickly and forget that you ever felt like you had two left feet! We often receive feedback that students learnt much more quickly than they ever thought possible for them.

If you really want to improve quickly, this is the worst thing to do! Skipping a level will mean you will miss essential components and skills that will allow you to progress. Just because you can keep up with a higher level doesn’t mean that you can skip the lower levels. What tends to happen is you can complete the moves but the feel, the energy and the lead and follow are off. This leads to development of bad habits which take longer to fix than if you learnt correctly in the first place! If you don’t develop those underlying skills it can be harder to move up further, and you may not be aware that you are not doing it correctly which can lead to injuries long term. Its great you want to improve quickly - home practice, attending socials, keeping a note book and private lessons are all great ways to learn faster!

Beginners (Level 1) is the best place to start, unless you’ve learnt Zouk before (then check our class descriptions to decide). It’s a good idea to chat to the teachers about your experience, and we sometimes suggest you try a level below what you may think, as each school differs slightly. After the class chat to your teacher if you feel you want to move to a different level. Even if you’ve done other dance styles before, it is still important to learn from the beginning so you don’t miss out on important components. Even advanced dancers should attend Level 1. You will find that with your past experience you can learn more quickly, but remember, it’s not salsa dancing with a different beat! It’s important to try to learn the style and feel of a new dance, rather than just steps.

There are two answers to this question – after one to three classes you should be able to social dance a whole song, but depending on where you want to get with your dancing, it will also take you a lifetime. Dance is a skill that can keep getting better, and all of us (including your teachers) still study and train to get even better in order to have even more amazing experiences on the dance floor. Usually after one course (6 weeks) our students are confident to social dance and after around 2-3 blocks (12-18 weeks) are ready to move up to level 2. But remember, it’s not a race. Enjoy the process!