This is Salsa tool #3... I've been lucky, I've had some good instructors. Your favorite instructors should be people that you feel a connection with... you enjoy their style of teaching. If you make Salsa dancing a kind of permanent hobby, you will have several different instructors. Over a six month period, you may have taken lessons from 6 different instructors. That is a good thing as long as you are able to communicate well with your instructor. Dance teachers come in all colors, shapes, ages, and sizes. Dancing is a social experience... so look for the instructor who is patient and seems to have plenty of confidence. For starters, look for an informal instructor... just to get you dancing... you know, like your cousin, or favorite relative...
Don't forget about your favorite aunt or uncle... (or somebody else's favorite uncle) The point is YOU NEED TO FIND A PERSON WHO CAN TEACH YOU A FEW STEPS, and get you to relax with the dance... at the same time, you will be catching on to the rhythm of Salsa!
NOTE TO SELF: If by chance the new teacher you encounter, has a not-so-nice personality, take my advice and go find something fun to do... do not return to that teacher... find a better one.
Meditate on the following: Who will be my new Salsa instructor?
Let's kick it up a notch... Whenever you decide to take lessons that you pay-for, you should select the teacher according to the previous criteria. You would probably do well to take lessons from a non-profit Arts Center, as usually the owners and managers are teaching because they love Dance as an art form. That way you will not waste your time or money. Be careful of Big Named Ballroom studios that want to sell you an overpriced contract. If you live in a big city and it is within your budget, try a dance studio with an attractive, intelligent instructor like Erika Occhipinti. Erika has a dance studio in Tampa, Florida. http://www.tampasalsa.com/home.php
She also has published instructional videos on the Web. http://www.ehow.com/video_2376878_hold-salsa-dance-partner.html
