Benny and Ashley: Kanye, Salsa Ultra-Instinct, and How We See Social Dancing

Benny and Ashley, founders of Baila District in Seattle, have built a name on creative performances and a real focus on growing the community. On the Sauceros podcast they sat down to talk about everything from why salsa isn't always taken as seriously as ballet or contemporary to how they keep innovating, what they take from Kanye, and why social dancing and stage dancing need to be understood differently. Here's the repurposed take—so you can read the ideas first, then dive into the full conversation on YouTube.

Social dancing vs stage: two different disciplines

One of the clearest points they make is the split between what was built for the stage (classical, theater, auditoriums) and what was built for the street—salsa, bachata, social dancing. Once you mix in other styles and put social dances on stage, they evolve into something else: often a fusion with classical or other influences. So the first thing we have to do, over and over, is understand what is social dancing and what is for the stage. When that line gets blurred in teaching—when someone takes something meant for a show and does it on the social floor—you get people getting hurt or not enjoying the dance as much. Raising the standard means being clear about the context: this is for social, this is for performance.

"We have to really understand and say over and over again what is social dancing and when you're doing something for a stage. If you don't say that, someone will take something meant for a stage and do it in social dancing."

Why salsa feels "less strict"—and why that's not a bad thing

Salsa isn't less respected because it's easy; there are plenty of people who support it and that's why we have festivals and a global community. But it is meant to be fun, and the rules are more bendable: you can dance on one, two, or three; you have flexibility. It's still a discipline with technique—if you want to look more Caribbean or Cuban you study afro; if you want a more classical Palladium feel you study that. So it's not that salsa has no structure; it's that as dancers we sometimes focus only on the fun and forget how many components and eras it has. Benny and Ashley stress being well-rounded across styles so the standard rises and people know when they're training for social vs for stage.

The benefits of social dancing: reading and leading bodies

At their school they label classes clearly: this is for social dancing, this is not a technique class for performing. The reason it matters is that salsa and bachata are improvisational. What you're really training is how to read signals, follow signals, lead signals, and lead bodies—and that's a big task. A lot of the time we don't spell that out; we just teach moves. But the value of social dancing is in that live exchange: reading your partner, adapting, and staying in the moment. Performance training is different—choreography, spectacle, camera. Both are valid; the key is not to confuse one with the other so that social dancers try to do stage material on a crowded floor or performers forget how to just dance with someone without a routine.

Evolving without losing your roots

Ashley talks about learning with Benny after coming from a background that was all about tricks and spectacle (Grizzly Dance Company, TV, stage). With Benny she started focusing on the social side—loosening the body, feeling the leader, connecting, stepping through the steps—the kind of dancing you associate with New York or Puerto Rican style. He didn't ask her to drop her technique; he said take what you learned and put it on stage, evolve it, make it yours. So she kept her roots and her spectacle but added a real social foundation. For their newest show they brought in bachata elements—body waves, undulations—and even some zouk, not to become "bachata sensual" dancers but to understand the why and how so they could use it in their choreography. The lesson: keep changing and learning; don't assume "if it's not broke don't fix it"—evolve so you don't repeat the same thing over and over.

Key takeaways

• Define clearly what is for social vs for stage—in teaching and in your own head.
• Salsa has structure and technique; "fun" doesn't mean no discipline.
• Social dancing trains reading and leading bodies in the moment; that's a different skill from performing.
• You can evolve and add new styles without dropping what you already do well.
• The impact a pro can have on a city is huge—building community and raising the bar.

Listen to the full episode

They go deeper on Kanye as inspiration, salsa ultra-instinct mode, simplifying choreography, teaching sacred Cuban dance, and wise words for the community. We had some audio issues on this one, but subtitles are there so you don't miss a thing.