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Read on to Discover What makes
'SALSA SOS' Different
from the Rest!
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Stuart Thomas:
The Creator/Founder of 'Salsa SOS', Team Leader & Head Instructor.
Stuart's background is in Engineering, spending 8 years in the RAF as a Technician on Flight Simulators
and 20 years in the Automotive industry working in R & D. Along the way Stuart realised he was not living the life he
wanted and started looking for something that would give him more fulfillment.
It was then that he came across Anthony Robbins, and Stuart was one of the first people from the UK to complete his
'Mastery University' (year long) program which ended with a celebratory 'Fire Walk'. He later discovered
the power of 'Positive Thinking', when he completed the New York Marathon despite an injured knee &
having never run more than 5 miles until the day itself, and in the process raising £1700 for the charity 'Whiz
Kidz'.
Despite always wanting to learn to dance, Stuart didn't start learning Salsa until he was 35 years old, going
along to his first salsa class after seeing an ad in his local paper. In spite of not having any
kind of dance background, and the handicap of being English, Stuart took to Salsa Dancing like
a duck to water, and was soon a very popular dancer at his regular club (the Townhouse) in Enfield. He very quickly became recognised for having one of the best leads in the club, and a great sense of Fun.
For Stuart salsa has been a life changing experience, fulfilling his life-long ambition to be
able to teach something he loves doing.
It was also through Salsa Dancing that Stuart (a confirmed Bachelor!) met the Lovely Ilknur,
who at the time they met on a dance floor in Central London was only a novice... yet for Stuart, his first dance with
Ilknur was the one he had enjoyed most so far that night. he enjoyed dancing with Ilknur so much that
he continued to dance with noone else but her for the rest of the night.
When asked by her friend at the end of the night, if she was going to go out with him (Stuart) Ilknur
replied confidently "Oh NO, he's not my type!"
6 months later they were married!
When Stuart started teaching, he took the plunge and started his own club,
calling it 'Salsa SOS', with the intention of developing his own teaching style. He immediately
developed his 12 week Beginner Program, which at
the time was head & shoulders above anything else taught in the area. Following the success of his Beginner Program
Stuart then went on to develop similar Programs for Improvers & Intermediates. Stuart has spent
the last 8 Years training his own dedicated team of teachers, most of whom started as Beginners with 'Salsa SOS',
and perfecting his Teaching Programs for both New York & Cuban
salsa styles. His methods are aimed mainly at developing his students leading & following techniques,
and they have proven extremely effective. Many of his top level students are regularly complimented on their
leading/following skills and very popular to dance with wherever they go. In 2006 Stuart met Joe Davids of 'the Latin Collective'. They hit it off immediately, realising they had a very similar approach to teaching, etc, and teamed up to run Masterclass
Workshops and Events together in Essex. Stuart has also regularly taught Cuban Style Salsa &
La Rueda at Scala events in Central London and has been a Guest Teacher at
various other Salsa Weekend events around the UK run by other organisations such as 'Club Cubana' and 'Afro Cuban',
where he has taught everything from Cuban Rueda to New York style 'On 2'. Wherever he guest teaches his unique mix
of 'tongue in cheek' humour and attention to detail, is always well received.
What others have to say about Stuart & Salsa SOS...
"The Best Program for Beginners I have ever seen!"
"The Standard of Teaching at 'Salsa SoS' clubs is Excellent with the best
Learning Program for Beginners I have ever seen, and Stuart is by far the best 'Cuban Style' Salsa
teacher in Essex."
Alastair Lea, Basildon
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Ilknur Thomas
Senior Teacher & Club Administrator
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Kim Turner (aka 'Kimmy')
Senior Teacher & Club Administrator
Kimmy
has always loved to dance, and was looking for something else to replace nightclub "dancing" which was becoming less enjoyable,
when a friend dragged her along to her first Salsa Club. Much to her surprise she loved it immediately, and she was an absolute
natural.
6
months later Kimmy met Stuart at a Pontins Salsa Weekender, who at the time was struggling to find someone suitable to
train up as a teacher. Although Kimmy had only been dancing 6 months he saw a lot of potential in her, and before the weekend
was over he asked her if she would like to be trained by him as a teacher. Although Kimmy hadn’t thought about
teaching till then, she didn’t hesitate in saying yes.
When
Kimmy went along to one of Stuart’s Beginner classes for the first time she was very impressed by the quality of the
teaching and how much the students were able to learn & progress in a very short time. Being Stuart’s first Trainee
teacher, Kimmy had the longest & toughest journey of all, as there were no other team members for support. After 6 months
of hard work, training & assisting Stuart, she was finally given her own Beginnner class in January 2003.
As
Kimmy had some experience outside of his own training, Stuart encouraged Kimmy to provide input to the future development
of his teacher training program, and she has assisted in the training of the trainee teachers that followed her. Also, being
Stuart’s most senior teacher, Kimmy shares some of the responsibilities for running the club nights and takes the leading
role when he takes a rare holiday, etc. Kimmy has also partnered Stuart at a Pontins Salsa Weekender, and taught Ladies footwork
& styling.
Kimmy
has a special knack of spotting precisely why students are not ‘getting it’ and explaining it in a way anyone
can easily understand. Kimmy also tends to ‘say it as it is’ and reminds her students that “it’s ok
if we don’t all look like champions… we can all look good just looking like us!”
There
is also nobody who believes in ‘Salsa SOS’ and what the club stands for more than Kimmy, and she feels privileged
to be part of such a special team.
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Nik Thompson
Teacher
Nik (as he prefers to be called), who comes from Adelaide in Australia, has always wanted to learn to dance, and in
April 2003, after seeing an advert for “Fun Salsa Classes for Beginners”,
he nervously went along to his first salsa class. By the end of the lesson, whether it was due solely to the high standard
of Kimmy’s teaching or whether ‘her smile’ had something to do with it, Nik was completely hooked!
After his first few months Nik
plucked up the courage to try other Salsa Clubs in the Essex area, and it was then that he realised how unique ‘Salsa
SOS’ was. He was shocked, and rather disappointed to find that nowhere else he went to offered any kind of structured
teaching program with little or no control of the class levels, and he felt he never really learned anything. Some clubs were
better than others, but none ever came close to ‘Salsa SOS’ in his eyes.
Approximately 1 year after Nik started with us, and following the
advice of Kimmy, who had been his Beginner Level teacher and someone he really looked up to, I approached Nik about becoming
a trainee teacher. After six months of training Nik was let loose on his first group of Beginner Level students, and very
quickly became a very popular teacher in the club. Now, 4 years later, Nik teaches both New York & Cuban
styles of Salsa at Improver level plus Merengue, and is every bit as popular with his students as he has
always been.
When asked what he enjoyed most about teaching Salsa, Nik admitted
to getting a real BUZZ from seeing students he has taught dancing so well, and having a great time doing it. He also admitted
to feeling a bit like a parent when their child ‘flies the nest’ every time one of his students leaves his class
to progress up to the next level – proud of what they have achieved, but at the same time, sad to see them go…
The big Softy!
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Angela Black (Angie)
Teacher & Club Administrator
‘Angie’
started learning Salsa as a Beginner with ‘Salsa SOS’ approximately 5 years ago and loved it right from the start.
In fact, Angie enjoyed it so much that after only a few months she approached Stuart about the possibility of being trained
to teach, and seeing the potential in Angie, he agreed to do so.
Angie
quickly discovered that it was no accident that the teachers who had taught he, and had grown to respect were as
good as they were. She found the 'Salsa SOS' training program to be very challenging, and hard going at times, but the help
& support of the other team members made a big difference and she mostly found it very enjoyable.
When
Angie started teaching her own group of Beginners all the hard work paid off, and she quickly settled into her new role, and
was soon another popular team member. 2 years down the road, Angie has progressed to running a daytime Salsa Club for
‘Salsa SOS’ at the Labour Club on Canvey Island, and has a dedicated following of very enthusiastic students.
Angie
feels that Salsa has changed her life in many ways, and when asked how, she explained “I have met some very nice people
through teaching classes and attending parties, many of whom are now very good friends. I would recommend salsa to anyone
looking for a Fun way to keep fit, and in search of a better social life.”
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Kerry Barker
Teacher
Kerry, one of only a couple
of ‘Salsa SOS’ team members with a dance background prior to Salsa, started dancing when she was only 6 years
old - studying jazz, ballet & tap, and took ‘I.S.T.D.’ exams in all three. Sadly she didn’t continue
on to teaching, which she very much regretted later.
Kerry then moved into musical
theatre, studying for a BTEC Diploma in Performing Arts at Barking College,
and later worked as a dance captain for various different holiday companies. Kerry also spent several years choreographing
stage shows for local theatre companies and most recently she choreographed 2 touring pantomimes, “Babes in the Wood”
& “Aladin”, for the ‘Rock and Ruby’ event Management Company.
Her first introduction to salsa was with ‘Salsa SOS’ in Grays during 2006 and loved it from
her very first Beginner Class. With her dance background, she found Salsa easy to pick up, but found the leading & following
a little bit harder as it was alien to her. When Stuart (with his keen eye for talent!) invited Kerry to join his Teacher
Training program she accepted enthusiastically, seeing it as a second chance to teach dancing.
Kerry was an absolute natural,
and when she was eventually given her first Beginner Group to teach she had an immediate impact on the club, becoming one
of the most popular Beginner Teachers ‘Salsa SOS’ has ever had. As Kerry wasn’t working, Stuart then encouraged
her to take an ‘Exercise to Music’ teacher training course, which she did, and now Kerry works during the day
for ‘Impulse Leisure’ in various fitness centres & schools teaching dance exercise to music & salsa.
Realising Kerry was still
hungry to learn more, Stuart then encouraged Kerry to join the ‘Latin Collective’ teacher training program run by Joe Davids to get a greater understanding of New York Style Salsa, and now she teaches regularly
for both ‘Salsa SOS’ and ‘The Latin Collective’ at various club nights and Workshop Events in Essex & London.
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Kristie Matthews
Teacher
Kris started dancing when she was just 9 years old, after being taken along to her first dance class by her mum
(who felt Kris needed a hobby!) at the Latin and Ballroom school ’ DC Dance’. During the 10 years she spent
on the Latin and ballroom scene, Kris represented Essex across the country and competed five times at the British National
Open Formation Championships, in 2001 achieving 4th place. At the age of 14 Kris also began assisting in adult classes and
teaching classes for children aged 3-16. Whilst at ‘DC Dance‘ Kris achieved Gold Bar Level 2 in both Ballroom
and Latin with the IDTA and NDTA.
After splitting with her long term boyfriend & dance partner in 2007 Kris decided to look around for alternative
ways to fulfill her need to dance as much as possible - Kris enjoyed teaching, but found it wasn’t
enough on it's own, as dancing was was what she loved doing most!
Whilst looking for something to satisfy her dancing needs Kris stumbled across the ‘Salsa SOS’ website and
emailed Stuart to try to get a feel of what to expect. After a very heated discussion regarding the differences between
ballroom and salsa dancers, Kris decided she simply had to go – if only to meet ‘that man’ (Stuart) who
was sending her those emails!
Kris started her beginners classes with Kerry and, despite her dance background, did her obligatory minimum
of 4 weeks before progressing very quickly through Nik‘s Improver and Kimmy’s Intermediate level classes to reach
Stuart’s advanced level classes in less than 10 months. Stuart, who had been keeping a keen eye on her progress, then
approached Kris to ask her if she would like train to teach with ‘Salsa SOS‘.
Since Jan 08 Kris has taught on 5 different club nights at 4 different venues for ‘Salsa SOS’
and has rapidly become a very popular and respected teacher and valued team member. Kris has also now trained with Joe Davids
of The Latin Collective and is now also a valued member of the Latin Collective Team. Kris appreciates and enjoys all styles
of salsa as well as merengue, bachata, cha cha cha and many other Latin dances – She just can’t get enough!
To Kris dancing is extremely important, and couldn‘t imagine her life without it… it’s a
great way to keep fit, build self confidence and make new friends. If she had her way dancing would be compulsory in the work
place!
“Dance like no one is watching!” Kris x
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Stacy Whitney
Teaching Assistant/Trainee Teacher
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