Michael Pottinger is the the founder of "Smooth Salsa" & has been teaching  people how to dance Salsa for around 14 years now in the Midlands with his dance partner Maxine Stephens.  Since the first day he was introduced to this captivating  dance he was mesmerized.

Michael & Maxine have had the pleasure of teaching nationally & Internationally throughout the Salsa career.

Many moons ago, a friend of mine was doing a  Teacher Training course, which involved him teaching foreign students English.  He thought it would be a good idea to get his students together & take them out for a night on the town.   He called me & asked if I would like to tag along with him & I agreed asking where he intended to take them,  he replied "Salsa!". 
My first thought  was "What is Salsa?" , he explained that it was some kind of Spanish dance & it was supposed to be fun.   I have always loved listening to music & dancing too so I thought I would give it a go & find out about this so called dance.  Mauricio Reyes was the instructor at the time & I must admit I absolutely loved every minute of the night even though I did just 1 or 2 basic steps all night.

I had been dancing salsa for about 2 years before I started teaching.  From the first class I  participated in as a student ,I could not stop myself from helping people after the classes with dance moves  (turn patterns) they had struggled with during the class & I would always take time out to help beginners on the dance floor.  I received numerous compliments on how I broke things down & about my patience whilst helping others & so someone suggested I should start teaching.  I just laughed it off , thinking "Your having a laugh mate!",this was  until the day I was thrown in at the deep end without my arm bands.

Rueda De Casino was the massive salsa craze that was taking Birmingham by storm during the early years of my salsa.  Henry Vina & Val Kirk  of  Salsa Kings had started a Sunday Salsa night in Birmingham which was very popular & on occasion they would hire a guest teacher.  Our guest Rueda teacher at that time was Cuban born, Homero Gonzalez, a Salsa Instructor based down in London who specialized in Rueda De Casino.   Everyone really enjoyed the Rueda classes Homero taught in Birmingham on Sunday evenings & we were always practicing after class during the night.

Anyway, one Sunday, Mr Homero Gonzalez decided he wasn't going to turn up so Henry & Val  were left with a problem, so they turned to me & asked if I could teach the beginners Rueda Class & Henry would teach the Intermediates.  I was flattered but I was also scared to death, I had never really taught before but as they were in awkward position I said I would try my best & help them out.  So there I was,  22 years old, standing in the centre of 30 other adults thinking "What the hell am I going to do?!"  Butterflies were eating away at me insides & I 'm sure I broke into a mad sweat!  In my head I kept saying to myself "Potty, it's too late, your now in the situation so just deal with it", & so I did.  Kicked all the butterflies out, wrung the sweat out from my t-shirt, composed myself & got on with it.

At the end I was so paranoid thinking that I had done a bad job that I went around to a few people & apologized, explaining it was the first time I had ever taught.  To my surprise everyone really enjoyed it   & couldn't believe that it was my first class.  In-fact  because people enjoyed themselves so much that  they told Henry & Val how much they had liked the class. That same night, Henry & Val  offered me a teaching position in their team.

To be honest , I must admit that everyone in Salsa is an inspiration to me regardless of whether they teach or not but I have listed those that influenced me during my first few years of dancing.

Nelson Batiste
Robert Charlemagne
Elder Sanchez
Homero Gonzalez
Ramiro
Special Tee & Ruké
Leon Rose & Suzanne   
Eddie Torres
Santo Rico
Francisco Vasquez
Frankie Martinez

I would also like to say a special thanks to Special Tee & his sister Ruké as they have played a major role in Maxine & my development within salsa for a number of years.  Keep doing the good work guys!

Special Tee receiving an award at " THE 4TH ANNUAL WEST COAST SALSA CONGRESS 2002"

What the Award says:

Special Tee
In appreciation of your Lifetime Contributions in the world of
LATIN MUSIC AND DANCE
May 24 - 26, 2002

What the Certificate says:

City of Los Angeles
City of Los Angeles Founded 1781
Congratulations
Special Tee