Salsa Cubana Düsseldorf
About the studio
Salsa Cubana Düsseldorf is a long-running Cuban-style dance school founded by Torsten Zapka and his partner Mary, dedicated exclusively to Cuban salsa, Rueda de Casino and Dominican-style bachata. Operating for over 15 years, the school began with weekly Sunday classes at a single Düsseldorf venue and has since grown to teach multiple weeknights and weekends, with the team also performing as guest instructors at festivals, university sports programmes, other schools and dance clubs. Their teaching philosophy is rooted in 100% Cuban feeling, working closely with instructors from the Instituto Superior del Arte de Cuba (ISA) and emphasising musicality, body movement and rhythmic playfulness over technical perfection. Courses run as 8-week blocks structured across eight progressive levels (A1 beginner through F3 advanced), making them ideal both for absolute beginners and dancers transferring from linear/LA-style salsa. They offer regular Sunday workshops, private lessons for individuals or groups, kids and teens classes, choreographed wedding dances, bachelor/bachelorette party packages and corporate events with full DJ and PA support. Classes take place at the Charanga de Cuba bar at Mühlenstrasse 12 in central Düsseldorf, giving lessons an authentic Cuban atmosphere. The school is welcoming, beginner-friendly and accepts solo dancers without a partner.
Founded around 2010-2011, Salsa Cubana Düsseldorf has been operating for 15+ years (as of 2026). The school started with weekly Sunday-only classes at a single Düsseldorf venue and gradually expanded to multiple weekly teaching sessions, plus guest-teaching engagements at festivals, university sports clubs, other dance schools and Tanzsportvereine. The team also runs Cuban-themed salsa parties with professional DJ equipment and books out for corporate events and city festivals. The teachers regularly upskill through trips to Cuba and ongoing collaboration with instructors from the Instituto Superior del Arte de Cuba (ISA).
Styles & levels
Weekly schedule 3 classes
Pricing
All prices per person, incl. VAT. EUR 10 discount for students up to age 27, returning A1/A2 students booking follow-up courses, and active enrolled Salsa Cubana Düsseldorf students.
Instructors
Founder and lead instructor. Discovered salsa around the year 2000 and quickly gravitated towards Cuban-style dancing. He spent extended periods training in Cuba and was certified at the ISA/ENA arts academies. With a prior background in teaching across other sports and professional fields, he transitioned into instructing dancers of all ages, from children to seniors.
Latina dancer who has been moving since childhood. Her dance journey began with classical ballet, followed by Gardetanz and bellydance. She discovered her love of Cuban-style salsa in 2005 and has been teaching bellydance, salsa, bachata and reggaeton across Cologne, Bonn and Düsseldorf for many years. Her strongest passion is teaching children Latin styles, bellydance, dancehall and Afrohouse.
What dancers say 4.8 on Google
"The best Salsa school in Düsseldorf! The teacher is great. He explains sometimes in English during the lesson so international friendly. We learn the basic steps so no worries for beginners!"
"My girlfriend and I participated in the beginner salsa workshop in December and then took a private double lesson with Mary and Torsten. It certainly won't be the last! :) They're both incredibly friendly and competent. It's fun, the instruction is tailored to each student, and i"
"We took a 2.5-hour salsa workshop for beginners. It was a lot of fun, and you learn some basics in that time that you can quickly put into practice with a partner. Highly recommended!"
The studio
