I wanted to learn Salsa dancing, so I purchased one of the most famous Salsa dancing videos, Eddie…read moreTorres Teaches Salsa, Nightclub Style. It's a classic Salsa video that teaches the popular "On2", or New York, style of Salsa. From the video I mostly learned you can't learn dancing from a video. However, one dancer in particular on the video was amazing. I decided that if I ever became good at dancing, he was the person I wanted to emulate. His name was Delille.
I Googled Delille, not knowing what to expect (after all the video was 15 years old!). Lo and Behold, Delille owned a dance studio right here in New York City. I went.
And I've been coming ever since.
I used to go to another dance studio here in NY where the teacher's teaching method was very harsh. He was critical and impatient. Not Delille! In fact, Delille is the very opposite -- he is a spectacular teacher, and has the patience of a saint.
From a leader's perspective, he focuses on teaching you how to communicate your dancing ideas and intentions to a partner who may not have had formal Salsa training, which is also crucial for dancing with people you've just met.
From a follower's perspective, he focuses (among many other things) on how to take queues from people with weak leads or people you're not used to dancing with.
I really can't say enough good things about Delille. I am a nerd to the max. I have a PhD in physics, use Linux, and would rather curl up to a good math book than almost anything else in the world. Painfully introverted. However, somehow... Delille has turned me into a confident dancer. I have no idea how. He's a phenomenal teacher.
The prices for both group lessons and private lessons are *extremely* reasonable. Considering he's one of the really important On2 dancers in the city, it's amazing that his group lessons cost the same as most other studios (and if you buy in packages of 10, even cheaper than most studios). He is one of the only Salsa dance teachers in New York City that charges the same for private lessons whether you're a couple or a single person. If you buy 10 privates, it's $70/hr. I double-dog dare you to find cheaper private lessons.
Just as spectacular as Delille are his students. I've been to many Salsa dance studios in the city, and I can authoritatively say that Delille's students are just as much of an incentive to dance here as Delille is. They are generally a slightly older crowd than most studios, maybe averaging in the 30's. They tend to be more experienced dancers -- people at Mambo D tend to stick with Mambo D for the long haul. They are all serious about having lots of fun while becoming the best Salsa dancers they can be. My wife and I have now had 21 lessons with Delille, and we are the newest / most newbie dancers at the studio. The students here tend to be mature and professional. One striking thing about EVERYONE at this studio is that there are no egos. No divas. No show-offs. No scowls and frowns. Everyone loves to dance and there are smiles and good vibes everywhere. The best dancers here (and I'll refrain from using their names to spare them embarrassment) are the most humble, self-deprecating people I've ever met. They wouldn't think twice about stopping whatever they're doing to teach or demonstrate something to you.
For me, the magic of Mambo D is both Delille *and* his students.
As for his socials (called "practicas") I will make a serious promise to you: You will NOT, not anywhere, never ever ever, find a more friendly, supportive, good natured, down-to-earth, good vibed social. The students know manners and new-comers are always welcomed into the fold with open arms. People will come right up to you, introduce themselves, and ask you to dance. The experience is magical.
Another comment. Delille has a whole host of workshops which he faithfully runs, every week, come rain or shine. It seems like other studios have workshops as almost an after-thought. Many have dropped their workshops because they don't bring in money like the group classes. Delille's workshops are weekly, there's lots of them, and they are almost *never* cancelled.
Speaking of which, one of the main benefits of Delille's classes is the class size. If a class has 15 people, that's huge. The classes that I've gone to seem to average around 5-7 people, so Delille will walk around the classroom, looking at each and every student and make personalized, individual comments and suggestions to everyone in class. It's *almost* like having a private lesson.
