SalsaCrazy Mondays

This place is extremely welcoming and I would recommend it to anyone looking to take salsa classes.
If you don’t have a partner, don’t worry. The instructor has you practice a couple of minutes with each woman. There is no awkwardness of being alone or pressure about having to ask someone to dance.
The class is super basic, maybe a little too basic. I feel like more could have been crammed into the class.
There is an intermediate class following this class and then open dance from 930 — 2am. Will definitely be back.

Great place to learn salsa. Probably better for beginners than those with experience. It tends to get very crowded and a lot of people who are taking the class just for fun, but not too serious about actually learning or getting the steps right.

It’s not in a ballroom I fact it’s in a nasty bar. The staff suck big time. Worst experience EVER. AVOID.

Sorry. The dance instruction is FUN, but the GUYS seem to regularly grope the girls, so it’s NOT FUN. SalsaCrazy could do more to abate this situation by announcing before the go-​round dance lessons, that anyone who feels that someone is touching them (like grazing your nipples with the back of their hand) should speak-​up immediately. As it is, the creeps just shrink back and pretend they’re completely unaware of what they just (twice) did. CREEPS.

This is a great place to go dancing. It’s not too crowded — I never felt like I couldn’t break it down because of the crowd. The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because the floor feels a little slanted on one side, which can be a challenge. Not a hangout spot — there is limited seating and only on one side. If you want to dance or watch dancing, this is a great casual place.

I bought a Groupon deal for one month’s worth of beginner salsa classes. My roommate and I went together. We went to the November classes on Mondays at Neck of the Woods. Below is a breakdown of my review:
— venue: 2^nd floor is spacious and has a good sound system. First floor is cramped and not ideal for classes (but more for personal lessons). It’s also easily accessible via MUNI.
— instructors: my roommate and I did not like the instructors. At the first class, we liked them, but afterwards, we felt like they were wasting too much time talking and making cheesy (not funny) jokes. They really wasted our time, which is why we decided to skip out on the last class.
— attendees: there were more men than women in our class, surprisingly. Many of them were a bit odd and seemed to only join the class to be able to touch a woman (not joking)… At least they were nice, I guess.
Did I learn anything? Sure, I did. I learned the most basic steps of salsa, but steps I could’ve easily learned from a friend or from going to The Cigar Bar.

By far, the best beginner Salsa lessons in SF. I’ve gone to all of ‘em, and if you’re just starting out, Evan is the best teacher for beginners. He’s a sweet, techie type, more than a little socially awkward (omg, the website makes me cringe, but it’s worth checking out for discounts and coupon codes), but I think his goofiness helps the class feel low-​pressure and totally low-​key.
Evan 1) plays music right away, and teaches you how to identify the beat and 2) gets his class moving right away. Many other beginner classes are spent watching the instructors repeat the pattern, but not Evan– he gets you moving.
Classes are $ 20 to drop-​in, but you can score deals for a month’s worth of classes. I think the beginner class is scheduled to start at 7pm, but it’s actually closer to 7:30pm a la «salsa time»). It’s $ 5 to drop-​in for the «free dance» after the class (9:30ish). Totally casual dress. The venue is no longer the Rockit Room; it was re-​named Neck of the Woods a few months ago. Same address.
I felt completely comfortable showing up without a partner, and my girlfriends and I have all commented that it’s one of the few places that doesn’t feel sketch to drop in alone. You’ll rotate dance partners throughout the lesson, and it’s a lot of fun. Folks in the classes trend toward nerdy and sweet. You don’t get that meat market vibe.
The crowd does shift after the classes, and you will run into some folks who cop attitude and won’t dance with beginners. On the flip side, there have been some really gracious, good-​natured guys who just smiled while I stumbled through the steps and spins. Some seriously good dancers drift in around 10:30pm, and are a lot of fun to watch.
If you want to learn Salsa, come out on Monday nights to the Inner Richmond.

It gets crowded on Mondays, but still you can dance and not step on others. I had a lot of fun!

Finally a salsa class that has a younger crowd!
I also love the fact that i can get the deal for 40 buck a month!
First off, that is a good deal for just one hour a week.
Second, add the fact that you can attend both beginner and intermediate classes on the same night — back to back — if you are skilled enough for the intermediate class!
Third the two classes are a total of 2 and a half hours long.
Finally, the instructor is ridiculously upbeat, in a good way, and keeps things moving fast. Repetition is the key to mastery, not endless talk.
This place also has a great crowd and a packed room! Yeah all the other reviewers are right: it is packed and there is no spare room. That is what is good about it. It is popular and people can’t get enough.
I drive an hour from Oakland just for this.

The best thing about this is the teacher. I’ve been dancing for over 6 years but I always go with new learners and his by far the best teacher. The crowd at the Rockit Room is awesome as well.

Good crowd, forgiving feet and lots of time to practice those sexy salsa moves. My salsa moves are SOOOOOOOO rusty. I learned some basic salsa steps when I was studying abroad in college, but you can hardly tell it when you see me on the floor. I’m extremely intimidated by those polished amateurs, who look like professionals.
Yet, SalsaCrazy Mondays is a good way to return. Plus, back in August, I purchased a pretty good deal with them. I’m currently on a strict budget, so no more spending for a while, but if you are looking for a good place to hang out, meet people and learn some salsa… well, this is the place (plus, the Unilocal deal is pretty snazzy)

This was a lot of fun. The only problem was the significant gap in skill-​level between the beginner class and intermediate. Also, the teaching area for the intermediate class was in a cramped area near the bar (Rockit Room), making it difficult to see demonstrations/​instructions.

Yes! Dance!
Right here on Clement you can learn salsa! It’s as easy as 1−2 – 3…5−6 – 7…
There are all kinds of deals, too, from groupons to insider discounts, to cruises in the Caribbean.
Spicy dance is good for the relationship, and teaches new skills and new social behavior. My Lady and I are having the time of our lives.
Doo eet!

Too many people! Very little space!
The Rockit Room appears to be too small to fit the Monday night classes. I’ve previously been to Evan’s classes at Roccapulco in the Mission and I had liked those classes. The Rockit Room is way too small for the number of people taking the class. I barely had any space to move without bumping into another person. Horrible dance class.

Alls I gots ta say: Pooh Bear heating it up with some salsa!
This place has a fairly huge dance floor. The crowd was cool — seemed like lots of guys here, so the ladies have their pick of the litter here. I went here for Halloween with a friend. The highlight of the night was definitely the salsa dancing Pooh Bear!
Toward the end of the night, we all had to move down stairs to the smaller dance floor below.

Mondays don’t get any better than this. You’ll also be hard pressed to find any other night of the week that has salsa classes followed by social dancing with the same fun and energy that has been created here.
Beginner’s class is broken down into easily digestible pieces and the ratio of men to women is typically and magically pretty much 1:1. The intermediate class has the elements I mention above with more advanced patterns that are not only fun to do but are also manageable on a crowded dance floor.
The social dancing at 9:30 is great with an incredibly diverse crowd and music so good you won’t want to sit down… ever! If upstairs gets too crowded, you can always head downstairs and dance to more great salsa music there as well.
If salsa is your thing or if you suspect it might be and want to give it a try, this is the place to be!

The Rocket Room venue is small, but loaded with people eager to meet and dance. The instructor, Evan Margolin, is simply the best Salsa instructor in the San Francisco Bay Area. No one else even comes close.
The instructor is so well liked that the class is always packed (75 – 100 dancers). This means that even if there are too many leaders or too many followers on a given night, you will get to dance a lot.
The Monday night class moves at pace that most people can follow with lots of practice and encouragement from the instructor. He is funny, easy going and helpful for both the beginning and the intermediate classes.
As a bonus, there is free open dancing from 9:30PM to 2AM every dance night for members of the class.
This class is the best part of my week.

1, 2, 3 (pause) 5, 6, 7 (pause)
repeat!
1, 2, 3 (pause) 5, 6, 7 (pause)
If you take this class, you’ll find yourself repeating the number sequence over and over again to yourself and to your partner. Counting outloud is encouraged! If you say a number, it means your feet are in motion. No number = no motion. Pretty simple, huh?
This class is great for beginners because you will repeat every step that you learn multiple times until you get it. After a you practice the sequence a couple of times, the leaders rotate to the next partner so you get to dance with almost everybody in the room. This class is not intimidating in the least and the instructor keeps the cheesy lines flowing to keep everybody having fun. The guy/​girl ratio is pretty spot on and you definitely don’t need a partner to check out the class. Drop ins are totally fine; if you find yourself in the neighborhood– definitely check it out!

This review is for the Monday night salsa at Rokkit Room.
Friendliness: ⁵⁄₅
Skill level: ³⁄₅ (lower is not bad, just means there’s more beginner/​intermediates).
Floor space: ¹⁄₅ — ugh, c’mon man, the floor is frikkin’ slanted and there are pillars in the middle of the dance space. I know they can’t do much about it but it really imposes a constraint as this place became popular and is now overcrowded.
The crowd is a mix of college kids, young professionals, and dancer regulars, so you have people of all skill levels intermingling. Whether you’re here for dancing or for meeting new people there’s a bit o’ everything for everyone. The lesson is rather basic but well taught by Evan (we need more salsa evangelists to grow the hobby).
Sigh, if it isn’t for the space itself I’d rate it higher. Still go, though, especially now that it won over most of the Monday Cocomos crowd. :-)

I agree with the last review — the instructor is fun and full of energy and the classes are never boring. I’m going tonight and will continue to go. I do however think the beginner class is far too crowded, and for several months running there have been significantly more men (leaders) than women (followers). The end result is there’s a lot of sloppy dancing happening, and being reinforced in beginners, because the instructors simply cannot watch and help everyone in the large class. The space is very crowded and if you’re a guy you’ll end up standing around for a good part of the class without a partner.
Salsa Crazy has the right idea — it’s a fun class and the instructors are great. If they would limit class size, or at least break up the beginner class into two smaller classes, spend more time correcting beginner technique, and attempt to find more follows, it would be that much better.