Palma is, surprisingly, home to a thriving dance community. It’s something that I stumbled into when I first moved here and I’m happy I did because it’s been a formative part of my experience. I’ve made so many friends from all over the world through dance classes and have seen my Spanish significantly improve.
There’s nothing better for improving your listening skills than making small talk while you’re moving around on a crowded dance floor with music playing, bumping and spinning into people. There are so many benefits to this activity and so many opportunities in Palma to dip your dance shoes in, from classes to socials to clubs that love to play Latin music.
Already convinced? Check out our recommendations for the best classes, socials, and clubs to dance salsa and bachata in Palma. Still have some doubts or questions… well, keep on reading!
Contents
Benefits
You’ll improve your Spanish.
Most, if not all, of the dance classes offered in Palma are taught in Spanish. Is that intimidating? Perhaps. However, there are language learning benefits for all levels. If you are a beginner, you’ll start to pick up some words and phrases that repeat, like directions (left, right, forward, backwards, etc). You’ll know your izquierda from your derecha in no time. And don’t worry if you don’t know Spanish yet, dancing is largely visual learning.
If you have some Spanish knowledge, taking a class in Spanish that isn’t a “Spanish class” where you have to follow directions will help your listening skills. And, of course, let’s not forget the art of small talk, something we take for granted in our home country but that seems so much more complicated in another language. “Hola, ¿qué tal? ¿Cómo te llamas? ¿De dónde eres?” You might be thinking those are basic questions, but remember that this small talk will be happening on a dance floor with music playing and lots and lots of background noise. Believe me, it’s an extra challenge. You’ll also meet people from Mallorca, other parts of Spain, and Latin America, so it’s also great exposure to different types of accents. And hey, you might make some Spanish-speaking friends – who better to continue practicing with?
You’ll make friends and meet people from all walks of life!
Whether you’ve recently moved to Mallorca and are looking for friends and community, or whether you’re here on vacation and you just really like to meet people, going to a dance class or dance social is a great thing to do. It’s a very social hobby that brings together people of all backgrounds and from a variety of places. You know that you already have something in common: you like dancing. While I’m more dance community adjacent than a committed member, one thing I’ve noticed is that people who are committed are really committed and you’ll start to recognize people at different events and classes. Bonus? It’s a setting where going up to people you don’t know is encouraged.
It boosts your confidence.
If you’re new to social dancing, new to Mallorca, and new to Spanish, it’s a given that bachata and/or salsa is probably outside of your comfort zone. I can attest to how social dancing has increased my confidence levels. There’s something about doing something that scares you. Are you self-conscious that you might be a bit stiff dancing for the first time? Are you nervous about going to a class in your second language, or a language you don’t know? Does the idea of asking someone to dance or waiting for someone to ask you stress you out? Sure, maybe. But if you go anyway and realize it really isn’t that bad, you’ll begin to feel more and more confident with all the things that used to scare you over time, from your dancing to your Spanish skills to meeting a variety of people. Learning to dance is very process-based. Unless you’re a prodigy, you’re not going to go to one class and be ready for Dancing With the Stars. You try, you fail, you learn more, and little by little you get better.
It’s honestly a very healthy night out.
Okay, if it’s your first dance social, you might be tempted to head straight to the bar for something to calm down your nerves. Fair enough. But you’ll notice that, unlike a club, a dance social is a pretty sober environment. People might have a drink, but hardly anyone is drunk. After all, it’s more difficult to dance well if you’re drunk. You want to have full motor skills and a clear mind to remember choreography, to be responsive to your partner, to follow the rhythm, and so on. And you still are having a night out because you’re dancing and there’s fun music! It feels like a party but there isn’t an excessive amount of alcohol. You’ll feel great the next day. Side effects may include tired feet.
It improves coordination, posture, flexibility, and balance.
Dancing bachata or salsa is a full-body activity and doing it well means that your movements flow together. It’s a practice in coordination because you do sequences of movements from footwork to turns to arm styling quickly and with rhythm. You practice moves that you wouldn’t normally do other times like moving your hips and doing body rolls, both of which help with flexibility (and give you some options to kill it on any dance floor). Also, I’m naturally a pretty clumsy person, but I feel like my coordination and balance have improved since I began dancing regularly over a year ago. Before you know it, you’ll start to have a dancer’s posture.
Relieves stress and boosts your mood.
As Elle Woods once said, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t.” Moving to music just makes you happier. It’s why people dance alone in their rooms, isn’t it? And in social dance, you get out of your head and are more centered in your body, responding to the music and the rhythm. It pushes your stressors out of your mind for a little while and kicks the endorphins up a notch. If your thoughts run away from you, you’ve probably messed up. You need to be in the moment, feeling the music, and focused on your connection with your partner. It encourages mindfulness which is always a beneficial thing. It was a great stress reliever when I first moved here and was dealing with Spanish bureaucracy, appointments, and paperwork, as well as adapting to a new job.
It helps you overcome social anxiety.
I’m not going to lie to you. If you’re an introvert and/or have a bit of social anxiety, social dancing can be a stressful environment. But just as you learn to dance little by little, you get more comfortable putting yourself out there, little by little. I was pretty anxious and overwhelmed at my first dance social. There’s a lot going on. But every time I go, I feel more comfortable. You start making more friends, you get more used to the environment, and it isn’t as overwhelming. Still, I recommend going with friends. You can work up to going alone if that’s something you want to do.
It’s a workout.
Zumba isn’t the only dance workout there is. Social dancing is very much a workout. It gets your heart pumping. If you go to a dance social and are there for a few hours, you’ll have been most likely actively dancing and moving for a few hours. And I don’t know about you, but I think that dancing for three hours sounds much better than running for three hours. But it’s still cardio and it’s still good for your heart. You’ll work up a sweat.
It’s a way to practice self-expression.
Dancing is an amazing creative outlet. Once you’ve learned the building blocks and basics, you can keep building and over time you learn to move how the music moves you. It’s like when you learn a language. You learn vocabulary, then grammar. Then, you begin to put basic sentences together and communicate and, eventually, you can start to write poetry and stories. It’s the same with dancing. First, you learn the basic steps, then how to add a bit of variety. And you keep adding different steps and moves to your dance vocabulary. Over time you’ll stop thinking about what you’re doing and just go. Adding your own style is when you feel like you’ve really made it.
It’s good for your brain.
Dancing isn’t just good for your heart and body, it’s great for your brain. It encourages a mind-body connection, it’s good for your memory, and it promotes mental agility. Whether you’re a leader or a follower, you need to remember different movements. Also, you’re not just remembering movements, you have to get creative with them. You won’t always be doing the same steps in the same way with the same partner to the same song. That’s boring. There’ll be different sequences, different transitions, and different things happening in the music that you want to add your own little flair to. Your brain is getting as much of a workout as your body.
Bonus: It’s a fun party trick!
Let’s be real. One of the biggest reasons to get into bachata and salsa is so you can show off if and when a song comes on.
FAQ
Do I need a partner?
No partner, no problem! Double-check before you go, but you don’t need a partner for most classes. Typically, the structure is that partners rotate anyway so you’ll never be with the same person for very long. You also don’t need a partner to go to socials because everyone dances with different partners for different songs. I’ve gone with groups of girls and we just found dance partners there. But if you’re nervous and aren’t going with a partner per se, going with a mixed group so you have your friends to dance with is also very fun. If you just go to a club that plays salsa and bachata but isn’t a dance social, maybe it is best to have someone you can dance with and go with a partner or a group of friends. Or it can just be a great exercise in confidence to find a dance partner in that setting
Do I need to buy dance shoes?
If you don’t have “dance shoes,” don’t worry about it. They’re a fun way to feel like you’re levelling up if you’re really committed to the hobby (or lifestyle), but they’re not necessary. Sneakers are perfectly fine, for men or women. Just choose something that doesn’t have much tread and is more slick on the bottom. This is the time for your worn-out sneakers to shine. Less tread = more spinning.
What should I wear?
Whatever you’re comfortable in! And can move in. Make sure whatever you wear moves with you. If you’re tugging on something the whole time, it’s not super fun. Also, if you’re prone to sweating, maybe choose something with darker colors that won’t show it as much because you’re basically doing cardio in a crowded room and it can get hot.
I like my personal space. Is this for me?
Listen, I like my personal space. It’s been a slow process to get more comfortable with certain
kinds of dance moves in bachata and there are some I don’t think I’ll ever love. And there are some dances that I just don’t think are for me. For instance, I feel too American to dance kizomba. It’s too close, too slow, and too intimate. But if you’re uncomfortable being very close to a stranger and are nervous to try bachata, I recommend trying salsa first. It’s fun, it’s fast, and there’s a bit more space.
Happy dancing!