Sarah Haykel Love Is Real LLC, Welcoming God Podcast, Salsa for the Soul, Free to Be Life Coaching & Song Channel Music — Local services in Buffalo

I have had many interactions with Sarah over the years. Being an avid salsa dancer and a member of the local Latino community, I have been afforded the opportunity to watch her interact with many diverse groups. From these experiences, I had decided to ask Sarah to conduct a class at a recent event with the Rwandan community of Buffalo. She was friendly, pleasant and encouraged the group to participate. Her lesson was at the beginning of the event and most attendees were seated in their chairs. She motivated the crowd to join her in a comfortable and relaxed way. I knew the group had never been exposed to Latin dances before.

At the start of the lesson, she gave a brief overview of each dance. As a seasoned salsa dancer growing up immersed in the culture as well as aware of the history, I even learned a couple of facts!!! :) She had created such excitement talking about the dance that one of the participants became eager and excited and yelled "let's try it!". Even though it was apparent that she was very knowledgeable in the history and she has also traveled extensively to hone her craft, like any good teacher she followed the students lead.

She instantly went into teaching the steps. She taught each dance in a progressive manner. She started with the easiest, merengue, so that the crowd felt solidified and confident. While dancing with my partner, I saw the look of joy and pride on his face as he was able to grasp the steps. It was wonderful to see! I had forgotten what that looks like due to generally dancing with people who are knowledgeable. She then progressed to bachata and then salsa. Good teachers (of anything) understand the importance of building a foundation and prerequisite skills as well as instilling a feeling of success before adding more complicated skills. Sarah does this effortlessly in a way that makes others feel comfortable.

I know that many are self conscious to try dancing, especially partner dancing and Latin dancing. Sarah was upfront with the crowd that she is not of Latin descent, nor does she speak Spanish. But I think this statement of vulnerability is to her credit, especially when teaching audiences with this same background/similar experiences. Despite not being able to understand the lyrics (which in salsa music are generally romantic in nature) she allows the music to move and motivate her, as music is a universal language. She is great at her craft and I think saying this vulnerable statement allows others to know that although this might be something new to them. They too can do it!

Being heavily involved in the community as well as working in schools, I am often asked who I know that can provide a salsa lesson. I unequivocally recommend Sarah over and over again for her personality, craftsmanship, and passion! If you need an event performance, a group class, or would like a private lesson to improve your craft or learn something new and connect with your partner, Sarah will...

Thank you so much for coming out and instructing a lesson in Bachata with Jerome Williams, at our Western New York Chapter #3013 USA Dance, Monthly Chapter Dance. You gave a very detailed lesson, that was greatly enjoyed by our group of approximately 65 individuals. You easily engaged this mixed group of college age through senior aged individuals very well, and everyone genuinely seemed to be having a lot of fun! The lesson was quite upbeat with your enthusiasm! Later on, I heard dancers talking about the origins of the dance, that you had relayed as you and Jerome instructed. Thank you for being informative as well in your lesson. In your instruction, you were careful to review the basics and then each sequence as you added to it. Your instruction sequences were well chosen, as the dancer were able to easily pick up several beautiful and unique moves in this dance. Rotating the lines of dancers to visually access your instruction was helpful, as was rotting partners. Your instruction at our dance was truly enriching and highly enjoyed by all. I would strongly recommend your dance instruction to both novice and more advanced dancers. Thank you for supporting the activities of the Western New York Chapter of USA Dance! Andrea Drumm, President, USA Dance, Western New York...

My boyfriend and I took private salsa lessons from Sarah in the fall of 2014. It was a gift from my boyfriend to me, and I was pretty apprehensive going into the first lesson. It didn't take long before I realized that all of my anxiety was for nothing; Sarah is amazing! Every lesson with her was a fantastic learning experience and so much fun.

While we were taking the lessons, we were also in the middle of a cross-country move, we had to put a beloved pet to sleep, and in general my boyfriend and I were losing our minds. These lessons were better than relationship counseling and really allowed us to reconnect and relax with each other.

I'm not dramatic enough to say that without Sarah our relationship would have been in trouble, but I am positive that Sarah and her salsa lessons helped us during a difficult time. Plus we were totally able to impress the heck out of all of our friends at a recent wedding with our mad dance skills!

I recommend Salsa Sarah to everyone! Her lessons are fun and empowering, and Sarah herself is compassionate and supportive. Go experience her excellent teaching and vivacious personality...