Elks Lodge address for this salsa night is 6398 E Oak St, Scottsdale, Arizona.
Salsa venue overview
Dancing takes place at Elks Lodge, a private social club. Salsa dancers use the left wing of the building, which works like a dance studio. There is no age minimum to get in, and the dance crowd includes dancers of all ages.
The cost for the two-hour group salsa lesson is $10. It is free to come just for the social dancing. There is a large parking lot in front of the building, and there is usually no problem finding a parking space. This is a great place in Scottsdale to go salsa dancing on a Tuesday night.
Salsa lesson
Before social dancing starts at 9:30pm, there is a group salsa lesson at 7:30pm. The salsa class taught here is “on two.” It consists of one hour of shines (individual footwork), followed by another hour of partner work.
The shines are beginner/intermediate level. During the shine part of the lesson, both beginner and intermediate dancers learn the same pattern. The shines are easy enough for a beginner to follow, but challenging enough for an intermediate dancer to take the class. Usually the same shine pattern is practiced for two consecutive Tuesdays, which gives beginners more time to learn the same footwork.
Shines usually start as very basic steps and get a little more complicated toward the middle or end of the pattern. After a five-minute break, the lesson is split into beginner and intermediate groups for the partner-work part of the class. Depending on your dancing skills and level of confidence, you can join either group. The partner-work part of the salsa lesson has a new pattern each week.
Social dancing
At 9:30pm, after the two-hour salsa lesson is over, the social dancing starts. After class, most people stay for the social part to dance and practice the new pattern. There are also many experienced dancers who do not take the class and show up just for the social dancing.
The music played during social dancing is mostly salsa, with bachata songs in between. The evening ends at 12am.
About the organizers of this salsa venue
Larry Garcia and his wife Claudia started teaching salsa (mambo, or salsa on two) in Avondale about a year and a half ago. The official name of their dance company is Mambo Exquisite. Even though the class was held on the outskirts of town, it was attracting many people.
After the lease for the building they used for classes increased, they moved to a location where they could get a better deal. That location happened to be Elks Lodge in Scottsdale. After moving their class closer to the center of Phoenix, their following increased even more. Tuesday at Elks Lodge now has a very popular salsa lesson and social night that continues to grow.
Usually Larry and Claudia teach the intermediate class, with Kevin and Shali teaching the beginner class. Kevin and Shali are two very experienced dancers and awesome salsa instructors. Kevin also teaches a beginner class at Paragon Dance Center on Sundays.
Reasons I like this salsa lesson
Larry Garcia, who teaches the intermediate class, is not just a good dancer. He is also a very skilled instructor. He always comes prepared for the salsa lesson. Before the lesson, he thinks through the pattern he is planning to teach and practices it before teaching it to the group.
During class, you can see that the pattern is not just something he came up with on the fly. It is something he practiced before teaching it to others. Some instructors talk for half a class about their dancing philosophy or make jokes that are not funny. Next thing you know, the class is over and you have not learned anything.
Larry’s class is well structured: a short explanation of one pattern segment, practice, a short explanation of the next few moves, and more practice. By the end of the lesson, you learn something new. No matter how complex the pattern is, he breaks down every move. You do not have to guess where the foot or arm goes; he shows the positioning for every count of the beat.
It is a two-hour class, and after practicing something for two hours, you have no choice but to get better at it.
Why I like the social dancing here
The hardwood floor has enough space for the dancers. The music has a good mix of songs, and there is a nice group of people who come on a regular basis.
Practice of a new pattern during salsa lesson on Tuesday at Elks Lodge in Scottsdale.
Girls practice their part of the pattern during the salsa lesson on Tuesday in Scottsdale.
Salsa shine practice at Elks Lodge on Tuesday in Scottsdale.
Tuesday salsa class practicing the group part of the intermediate pattern.
More high definition videos with Mambo Exquisite.
Why did you decide to take a class here? How was your experience? Did you enjoy the social dancing after the class? Would you recommend this salsa night to a friend?
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Larry is a skilled dancer and an excellent instructor.
I am an On1 dancer which has had a tough time learning On2. Larry has ben patient and inspirational in my O2 development. I highly recommend anyone seeking to learn salsa to learn salsa On2 from Larry and then maybe later learn salsa On1, not the other way around!!!
This weekly salsa night at the Elk’s Lodge has changed to be a Saturday monthly occurrence and is no longer a hosted on Tuesdays.