@Djung121

Of course you can practice by yourself - it is highly recommended. If you are a beginner, the simplest way is to continue to listen closely to music to make sure you can find the rhythm and beat to any song. Training the ear is probably one of the first steps to dancing properly to salsa.

Second, naturalize your footwork. By this I mean, try to force your upper body to do some action, while you lower body (feet) is doing simple footwork (suzy cues, footwork for a cross body lead). This will help you doing footwork during combinations easier. Do all this while you have a favorite song playing. When I first started learning to dance salsa, I used to fold laundry while listening to my favorite song. Folding laundry in the air with your hands while dancing salsa with your feet really helped my initial dancing.

One of the best ways to develop personal style is to play your favorite song (I mean a song that really gets you moving) and dance in front of a mirror. Play around with your footwork, body movement and isolations, and simple spins to the song you are listening to. Try to experiment with moves you have obtained from other sources: other dances, martial arts, physical training. Anything goes - do what you think looks good in the mirror. This also builds dance confidence. If you can’t do salsa shines (footwork) in front of yourself without feeling adequate, it will be harder in front of a stranger.

Hope this gets you started, but there is definitely a lot of things you can do to improve your salsa without a partner.

Also, I receive a lot of emails from soldiers in the military dancing salsa. You might want to see who else in your area is interested as well. Maybe start a small salsa club group in your free time.

On a personal note, I’d like to thank you for your service overseas. It is highly appreciated! Thanks.