Frequently asked questions

Five options: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Styling (Ladystyling / Menstyling) and private lessons. Beginner: zero experience, zero worries, even if your only connection to salsa so far has been the sauce on your pasta. Intermediate: you no longer count your steps out loud. Advanced: you improvise without that panicked look in your eyes. Styling: to add your own signature. Private lessons: complete carte blanche (wedding, slightly crazy choreography, personal obsession), we've got it. And if you already have mileage from elsewhere, let Simon know: we won't make you redo the basics on principle.

At any age: there's no limit, neither minimum nor maximum. As long as you can stand up, and ideally move in rhythm, though we won't be too strict about that at first. We've seen teenagers dance better than adults, and the reverse is just as true.

No, and it's almost better that way: our classes rotate, so you regularly switch partners. Come on your own and you'll leave with a circle of friends and a bunch of new contacts; what happens next is none of our business.

No, and that's the whole point of Cuban salsa the way we teach it. The leader leads, the other person lets themselves be carried: you don't need to know the move in advance from both sides. Once the basics are in place (the basic step, the posture, the frame), it's the connection and the lead that carry you into the move, in real time: you react to what your partner offers rather than reciting a sequence learned by heart. That's exactly what lets you dance with anyone, even someone you met five minutes earlier, and improvise at a party without stress. And don't worry: the more you practice, the more your body “understands” the lead. At first we break everything down calmly, and very quickly it becomes a reflex.

Exactly 1 hour, on the dot. If you take several levels in a row, each class builds on the previous one: no repeats, promise.

170 CHF for a full cycle of 10 weeks of salsa classes in Biel, same price in La Chaux-de-Fonds. -10% if you combine it with bachata or kizomba, and the first hour is free so you can try before you decide.

BailaBien focuses on authentic Cuban salsa, with a teacher certified directly in Havana, not some salsa learned off YouTube and repackaged. Add to that classes all week across two studios, a first hour with no commitment, and a community that keeps dancing long after class (outings, parties, rueda): it's the full package, not just an hour of class.

At BailaBien, in two studios in Biel (Rue du Canal 36-38 and Rue de Morat 7), depending on the slot you pick (the exact times for each studio are on the Classes in Biel page). Outside of class, BailaBien parties and outings are other great chances to dance.

At the Eden Club, Rue de la Serre 83, 2300 La Chaux-de-Fonds: that's where BailaBien gives its Cuban salsa and bachata classes in the Neuchâtel mountains, a clean, spacious studio right in the town center. The exact times are on the Classes in La Chaux-de-Fonds page.

It all happens online on the site: you create an account, choose your slot and pay by bank card or Twint, instant and secure. Paying in cash on the spot is still an option if you prefer. The very first hour is free, so you can also just come and try before booking a cycle.

Absolutely. The first hour comes with no commitment: come see, try it, sweat a little, and then decide whether you want to jump in for a full cycle.

Ideally shoes with a soft sole (leather or suede) that slide and pivot easily. To avoid: sneakers with rubber soles, unless the idea of staying glued to the floor mid-turn particularly appeals to you.

Comfortable, neither too baggy nor too tight: the idea is to move freely without ending up tangled in your own trousers. We'll leave the style to you, we'll handle the rest.

Good news: nobody's watching you. Everyone's far too busy counting their own steps to judge yours. Come, mess up your moves with a smile, breathe, and remember that we all started exactly like you: clumsy, and that's perfectly fine.

Pretty much everything: the heart, the legs, the posture, the mood (thanks, endorphins) and your address book. In short, a cardio workout that doesn't feel like cardio, and therapy that doesn't call itself that.

Warm-up, basic step, moves and combinations, a bit of technique, then putting it into practice as a couple, often in a rueda. All in an atmosphere where there's as much laughing as sweating.

A circle of dancers where a caller announces the moves out loud (or with gestures) and everyone performs them at the same time, switching partners on every call. It's Cuban salsa at its most festive and social: clearly our favorite moment of the week.