If you’ve always wanted to learn salsa but had no idea where to begin — this course was made for you. Intro to Salsa Dancing by Edwin Aybar is one of the most comprehensive beginner salsa courses available online today. No studio fees, no partner required to get started, and no prior dance experience needed.
Whether your goal is to feel confident on a social dance floor, impress a partner, get fit through dance, or simply pick up a new skill — this course walks you through everything from your very first basic step all the way to intermediate-level moves, with bachata and merengue included as a bonus.
Instructor: Edwin Aybar — Latin dance teacher & performer with 20+ years of experience and a Doctorate in Music
Platform: Udemy
Level: Complete Beginner (zero experience needed)
Total Length: 6+ hours of on-demand video
Lectures: 81 lessons across multiple structured sections
Rating: ⭐ 4.8 out of 5.0
Price: €14.99 at time of writing — check current price on Udemy
Certificate of Completion: Yes ✅
Access: Lifetime, on mobile and desktop
Language: English with auto-generated captions
Bonus Content: Full beginner Bachata section + Merengue overview
💡 Price note: Udemy courses are frequently on sale. The price shown (€14.99) was valid at the time of writing — click the link to see the current price.
Edwin Aybar is not just a Udemy course creator — he is a professional Latin dancer, performer, and teacher with over two decades of experience. He holds a Doctorate in Music, which gives his teaching a depth and precision that goes beyond simply showing you steps.
His teaching style is clear, structured and encouraging — exactly what a complete beginner needs. He doesn’t just show you the moves; he explains the musical structure behind them, helping you understand the rhythm and feel of salsa, not just the footwork. This musical foundation is what separates this course from most others at this level.
The course is divided into well-structured sections, progressing logically from the very basics through to confident social dancing:
A clear overview of what to expect, how to approach practice, and the musical structure of salsa. Edwin immediately puts beginners at ease and explains the On1 timing system used throughout the course.
Before touching the pole, you'll build the foundational strength and flexibility you need:
Basic step On1 (the foundation of everything)
Side steps and walking patterns
Body movement and hip action
Posture and frame — critical for partnering
This section alone is worth the price — correct basics prevent bad habits and make everything that follows much easier.
The heart of the course. You’ll learn to execute clean turns as both leader and follower:
Right turns and left turns
Cross-body lead — the signature move of On1 salsa
Inside and outside turns
Spin technique and spotting
Combining turns into sequences
Moving from solo practice to actual social dancing:
Connection and frame in partnerwork
Leading and following techniques
Hand holds and transitions
Reading your partner on the dance floor
Putting it all together into fluid, musical movement:
Chaining moves into combinations
Body styling for leaders and followers
Musicality — how to listen and respond to the music
Social dance etiquette
A complete beginner bachata course included as a bonus — rare at this price point:
Bachata basic step and timing
Hip movement specific to bachata
Turns and combinations
Partner connection in bachata
A quick introduction to merengue to round out your Latin dance toolkit and prepare you for any social dance night.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
Dance salsa On1 confidently with a partner
Execute clean right and left turns with proper technique
Lead or follow the cross-body lead — the essential salsa move
Dance to the music, not just count steps
Start dancing bachata at a beginner social level
Walk into a salsa social night and feel prepared
Understand salsa timing, structure and terminology
Taught by a professional with 20+ years of experience and a Doctorate in Music
Extremely well structured — progresses logically from zero to confident social dancer
Covers musicality and etiquette, not just the steps — rare at beginner level
Includes full beginner Bachata AND a Merengue overview — three courses in one
Very affordable at €14.99 with lifetime access
Available on mobile — practice anywhere, pause and rewind anytime
Certificate of completion included
On1 style only — if you specifically want Cuban salsa, see Course 2 in our comparison
Long runtime — 6+ hours requires genuine commitment over several weeks
You will need a partner eventually — the lead/follow sections require someone to practice with
No subtitles in other languages (auto-captions available in English)
This course is perfect for you if:
You are a complete beginner with zero salsa experience
You want to learn at home at your own pace
You want a structured, musically-grounded approach rather than random YouTube tutorials
You’re interested in both salsa and bachata — two courses for the price of one
You want to be ready for real social dancing, not just choreography
You might want a different course if you already have some salsa experience and are looking for intermediate material, or if you specifically want Cuban-style salsa — in that case, see Master Salsa Basic in 5 Days (Course 2 in our comparison), which focuses exclusively on Cuban salsa.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.8 / 5
Intro to Salsa Dancing by Edwin Aybar is the best all-around beginner salsa course on Udemy. For €14.99, you get 6+ hours of high-quality instruction from a professional with 20+ years of experience — covering not just the moves, but the musical foundation, social dance etiquette, and a full bachata bonus section.
If you are serious about learning salsa from home and want one course that genuinely prepares you for the real dance floor, this is the one to get.
We highly recommend it.
💡 Price note: Udemy courses are frequently on sale. The price shown (€14.99) was valid at the time of writing — click the link to see the current price.
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