Check the new Salsa Amsterdam site for up to date information

Here is a list of dance schools. The on column indicates on which count in the music the first 'quick' step is taken (one aspect of the dance style). See the SalsaFreak's pages for an explanation.

Ari Garcia is originally from the Dominican Republic. He also lived in the Salsa capitol New York for 25 years. He uses live percussion in his lessons to teach students the basics of Latin rhythms. Ari is quite active on the message board and also has a website.

Rafael is a Cuban who was a professional dancer in Cuba for over ten years. He currently teaches Salsa and Son.

Dance school Caribbean has been teaching over 15 year in Amsterdam and various towns north of the city (Alkmaar, Hoorn, Nieuw Vennep and Zaandam). More info on the website.

Dos Bailadores is the dance school of Leo Martina and Monique Struch, who have been teaching for over ten years in Leiden. The school has expanded over the years and is now represented in 4 cities. In Amsterdam, they took over the school of Claudio Gomes in 1999. They have Salsa and Brazilian dance lessons. Check the website for details.

Claudio is a Brazilian dance teacher with a very distinctive Samba and Zouk-influenced style. Claudio's style has had quit some impact on the Dutch Salsa scene: several teachers in other cities have adopted it. A typical aspect of the style is the women's neck movements, samba style foot work and right foot in front. The last few years, Claudio has focussed on Brazilian dances, and his Salsa style is unfortunately not taught anymore in Amsterdam. Check out Claudio's website if you are interested in learning Brazilian dance.

Crema Latina is not teaching courses at the moment, but they are available for Salsa Worksops for bachelor parties, company events, birthday parties, weddings, anniversaries and more. Apart from Salsa they teach different other latin dances, such as merengue, bacháta, chachacha. They also give private classes. Check out their website.

Dance Explosion is probably the first dance school to teach in Amsterdam Noord. In a relatively short time, Dance Explosian has established itself as one one of the major schools for LA style. Dance teacher Richard Agatha has been teaching before in Utrecht. There is also a ladies styling class.

Read 10 questions for Dance Explosion

Angel Ford Mesa from Guantanamo has started his own dance school, focusing on Cuban Salsa, Rumba, and Casino.

Extremos was one of the first schools in Amsterdam to teach the LA Style. It is now one of the biggest schools in town. The teachers are active in the Salsa congress scene around the world. In fact, Ivan and Jennifer (who is originally from Texas) met each other at the Salsa Congress in LA some years ago. Extremos has regularly organizes big Salsa parties in various locations. More info on the website.

Fiera Salsa Club is based in Haarlem. They now teach Salsa L.A. Style on Mondays in Jerry’s Café (with live music) and Sunday in Cafe Puente. On Sunday there is a special class for seniors.

Ben Bron was one of the first salsa teachers in Amsterdam, together with the now deceased Beyo Barton. He runs El Centro, but also has a very nice studio in the van Doestraat. A typical aspect of Ben Bron's style is the mixing of left-foot forward and right foot forward as a basis (usually it is one or the other). More info on the El Centro website.

Marret, who started La Cuna in 2004, is studying to become a professional dancer/teacher. La Cuna teaches Cuban style, Rueda, LA Style, and Mambo on 2. Group size is around 15-20 students per class. La Cuna also organies excursions and montly parties in de Aker.

Liroy and Sanne have started their own school after teaching for Salsa Caliente for some time. They teach a mix between LA and Cuban style, in an attempt to combine the good aspects of both styles.

Mambo Magic is the only school in Amsterdam that teaches exclusively in the NY Style on 2, and they have been doing it for many years. Check out the website.

Raoul Papavoine has given Salsa and Tango courses for many years. He has stopped with complete courses and is now specialized in workshops and other fun - check out the website for details.

Franz is very active in the Salsa scene, as a teacher, percussion & guitar player and as a party organizer. Franz has a Cuban style background, but he has now also incorporated LA and NY styles in his lessons. Sabroso also has some classes in New York Style (on 2) taught by Nora.

Marian & Salsa Jay's motto is that they do not just want to teach you how to dance Salsa, but they also want you to have a good time while doing so. Their approach has made Salsa4Fun one of the largest schools in a remarkably short time. While the main focus of their classes is on LA Style, they also pay attention to Cuban Style, and there are separate courses Ladies Styling and Miami style Rueda de Casino.

Freddy is a Dutch guy who has been giving lessons for over 14 years, starting after a long visit to Cuba. Freddy's specialty is complex Casino style two-handed figures. Freddy has also been teaching Cuban style Rueda de Casino for many years.

Arty Cairo's dance school, orginally from Den Haag and also teaching in Rotterdam, is starting with classes in Amsterdam in September. Besides Cuban Style, Arty also teaches the New York (Pallladium) on 2 style.

Chi teaches in small groups and gives a lot of personal attention to his students. He has been teaching in Carel's for many years. SalsaMante has a website.

Salsiando is a Cuban style dance school. It is based in Leiden, but there are also classes in Amsterdam. More info on the website.

Soy Cuba is specialized in Casino (Cuban Salsa), Afro-Cuban, Son and Rueda de Casino. Margarita is a professional dancer from Cuba who has been teaching for many years in Amsterdam. Soy Cuba also teaches in the city of Nijmegen. Recommended if you want to learn Salsa Cuban style.

Swing Latingo is the new name of La Pachanga, one of the biggest dance schools in town. Jorge Suarez is a dance teacher from Colombia who is influenced by both Jazz dance and African dance. Jorge has a very energetic and expressive style.

TropiCuba is a new school by Tropicana dancer Naudesmil from and Santiago de Cuba and his wife Nathalie. After working for Soy Cuba, they now have their own school with lessons in Reggaeton, Men's styling, Rueda de Casino, and Afro Cubano.

Vanessa ('V) and Patrick ('P') have started with a new dance school. The 'i' stands for ' in antilliaans'.

Additions, comments & questions to: ehautus@xs4all.nl
Edwin Hautus (DJ Eetu)