Sara Cheshire

After several years in the swing dance scene in Atlanta, a fellow swing dancer named Mark introduced me to salsa. While initially hard to loose the "rock step", I persisted through a few salsa classes at The Sanctuary, the oldest Latin nightclub in Atlanta. When I agreed to help one of my friends teach a dance class that included salsa, I thought I better start getting on the ball and figuring out what I was doing if I was going to be demonstrating the dance to others! I continued taking club classes with the amazing Jorge Morales, then after more practice with friends, I took formal classes at a studio. I had always loved the Latin music, and learning how to dance to the music was exhilarating.

What took me to the next level was participating in a salsa dance competition. My partner was more experienced and was able to teach me much of the technique and style I had skipped over. It was so hard to undo bad technique, so I definitely say get it right at the begninng! However, I loved learning choreography and footwork, and I used to practice on the streets in Atlanta when waiting for the bus or the train, which a friend still teases me about! Unfortunately we weren't able to compete due to an injury, but I learned so much from the process. Soon after a performance class was offered, so I took that class and the one following to keep up with my skills. I found that preparing for a performance was the best way to improve and develop styling technique. Plus, I just love dancing in front of others.

I went on to learn more salsa leads and began teaching beginning salsa classes and providing private lessons. It was rewarding to teach others and see them experience the joy of dancing. I moved to Indiana last fall, and have continued with some teaching and took my third performance class at the Into Salsa Studio and met some great people there. I also still swing dance, and love to hustle, chacha, and know enough about most other ballroom dances to follow along. So, don't be shy in asking me to dance, in whatever style!