I have been to Colombia quite a few times and recently thought it might be interesting to share with you what a nightout dancing salsa in Colombia is like.
The main difference is the attitude to what constitutes a good night out. In Australia we go out to drink and dance, normally in that order (in some peoples cases the second does not come without the first!). In Colombia the primary focus of the night is dancing, maybe with a small dash of Bacardi and lemon here or there, but the main thing is to enjoy the dancing. You dance until dawn and have to shield your eyes from the piercing sun light when you leave the club at 6:00am. You then have a quick caldo con carne y arepas before catching the bus home.
The second main difference you will find is that even though to an uneducated western mind salsa dancing can seem quite a sexual dance, in Latin America it is simply a sensual dance. Yep, it is all about having a good time with your friends and enjoying the music.
One interesting thing a saw when I was at a club in Australia with a bunch of Colombians was when a Colombian guy asked an Australian girl to dance. After one song he came back looking very confused. He said he woman had told him he did not know how to dance because he was not pinning her round often enough. When he tried to explain that that as not actually the way to dance to this particularly slow Cuban salsa song, she disregarded it by replying: “I have been to lessons you know”
Do yourself a favour, if you want to dance salsa as a native one day do not ignore South American advice!