I cannot say enough great things about this place! I was new to Jersey City and decided to make good on my longstanding dream to learn how to salsa in a structured fashion and not just haphazardly at dance events and street festivals. I searched nearby salsa schools with the plan to check out all 3, starting with this one. I'll be honest... I fell in love immediately and never made it to the other places. Oops haha.
The instructors at Caribbean Soul are skilled and accessible, clearly well-respected within the NJ/NYC (and wider) salsa community, with all the associated certifications and accolades you'd expect. Google some videos of the school's head, Ismael Otero, dancing-- wow!! The school has both performance teams (beginner and advanced) and weekly classes in salsa and bachata, along with periodic weekend workshops. They cover shines, partnering, timing, musicality, teach you choreography sequences, and run drills on the nitty-gritty of footwork, balance, and frame. In short, everything this lapsed ballerina/ballroom dancer was craving.
The vibe of the classes is relaxed and super friendly. The instructors and students joke and chat with each other, kiss hello, goof around between lessons, go out social dancing on weekends, etc. I was surprised by how quickly I felt comfortable there. Attire is casual with a mix of jeans, athletic wear, leggings, and occasional fanciness when someone is in the mood/came straight from work. Most people wear dance shoes but it's fine to show up in sneakers. Make sure the soles aren't too grippy, to protect your knees during spins. Keep your heels below 3 inches unless you know what you're doing. As of April 2018, prices are $20 per class or $100 for unlimited classes for the month - which is a fantastic deal!
Two idiosyncrasies:
1) Unlike many schools, classes here do not run in multi-week series. You can show up any week. That also means that there's no "beginner" class; you're jumping in with people significantly more advanced than you rather than other first-time dancers. Don't let that discourage you, as the "Foundations" level classes are structured to be useful to dancers of all levels. Just be emotionally prepared for it. One of the more advanced dancers will likely park themselves next to you to give you a little added guidance going through the drills, and you'll catch up quickly. If you're new to salsa (or at least salsa "on 2"), it's not a bad idea to come 10 minutes early and ask someone to show you the basic steps so you can follow along more easily. Thursdays are better for newbies than Wednesdays since that class is typically smaller.
2) The class schedule in the main picture flyer posted on their facebook page is no longer accurate. I've copied the actual class times below for your convenience. The best way to check that my schedule is still up-to-date is to message on their facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CaribbeanSoulDancers/. Someone from the school will get back to you, often within the hour.
Happy dancing!
Class schedule =
Monday 8:30pm-10pm: Bachata
Wednesdays 7-8:30pm: Salsa Foundations
Wednesdays 8:30-10pm: Intermediate/Advanced Salsa
Thursdays 7-8:30pm: Salsa foundations
Thursdays 8:30-10pm: Leading & Following read more