I have been planning to write a review on Quickstep since last few weeks , but have been on a impromptu vacation, so haven’t been able to find time. Again like all instructors of Salsa , I consider “Anand Majumdar” a good friend and a decent human being , but since I have anointed myself as the unofficial “salsa critic” for salsa dance schools in Mumbai.I will try my best to do justice to the same without thinking of our mutual friendship.
Something about the founder :
I didn’t speak to Anand directly about his credentials as a salsa dancer/teacher. I believe, almost all instructors bluff about their credentials. They will tell you they have actually travelled to Puerto Rico and learnt Salsa, or Argentina to learn tango. Please ask for their Passports in such cases 
.Also i avoid asking directly, as i don’t want to get influenced while writing a review, by meeting the person himself.
As far as i know Anand is a Sandip Soparrkar Student , who learnt the tricks of dance and business early from his Guru , and immediately started his own school , besides that he might have participated in some international congresses which I am not aware of.
Branding :
One thing I like about Anand Majumdar is he takes his work very seriously, I think Quickstep has a website , long before anyone could think of one. “Anand Majumdar” I believe is a brand in itself , not a premium brand like Sandip Soparrkar , but nevertheless a brand of some repute.
The Marketing Strategy is generally word of mouth by his diehard supporters( ex-students, friends) , and through his excellent website which is nothing much but a “data grabber”.
The typical student is “blissfully ignorant” about salsa and the options available, who duly signs on the dotted line, because of the brand presence of “Anand Majumdar”.
Also he has been target of some viscious campaining on the internet and otherwise, which i would say that Anand himself is responsible.
Classes :
He runs his classes at 4 locations, which is I think quite a bit , since I know he has twice the number of students , than any other instructors. I have attended only a trial class when i was visiting him, and found him too dictatorial about his teaching , the fun elements was not there, and I have met some of his young students who are actually scared of him. I personally don’t like instructors who take the fun out of the learning. Dancing is fun , otherwise one can always take up martial arts.
Here is a testimonial I received from one of his ex-students.
“
He took much pain in memorizing people’s names but the dancing wasn’t all that great. There isn’t much smoothness or following a particular style. Its a pretty commercial venture and largely self learnt or so I hear from his students. Even his classes don”t have absolutely professional instructors. Its also senior students teaching the juniors.
I never recommend him 
Just my opinion formed.
Anon ”
Quality of Instructors :
The website or the forums which run don’t promote any instructor besides himself, its again a “one man show” business, and such business have limited potentials , and students who learn are often compromised cause they are learning from a businessman and not a teacher.
Community Building :
I have found Anand very closed about “sharing, learning and growing” when i met him , here is a example , Meetup and Anand had organised a Salsa Party at “Play” at lower parel. Somehow only 4 meetup members turned up , and the next thing I hear Anand telling me he doesn’t want to extend his invitation for the salsa social to Meetup members.
Mumbai Salsa Meetup has Organised Salsa Party at “bohemia” for years, without turning back or refusing entry to anyone.
But I guess he has changed and looking at things in new perspective, since he has recently started Salsa Party at Rio for his students and has a forum on salsa for salsa enthusiasts.I just hope its not another marketing gimmick and he keeps the “business” away from the “Salsa”.
Rating : 4.5/10
Foot Note:
I write this reviews because I feel it brings positive changes to the people who run dance schools, as they feel they are going be held accountable and they cant bully ignorant students who look up to them to give them the best education and worth to all the hard earned money.
I would request you contribute you own 2 cents by commenting or if you are interested in featuring your own review on this blog, do send me a email at manoj@mumbaisalsameetup.info , and I will be glad to post it on this blog and forum.
Related posts:
Hey
While there are things I don’t like about Anand this review seems more like a personal vendetta just bent on vilfying him.
There are many good things you have forgotten to highlight here.
His classes are not very structured but that is one of the biggest advantages. It doesnt matter even if you miss a few classes you know you will be taught all da steps. Not like other places where it is no of hours based.
Its true his students teach other students but as a student that helps you master the move and also learn both sides of the dance – da guy and da gurl part. And since people from all levels are learning at da same time you get to dance with people at all levels and not just yours.
The class is not just an hour. It is as long as you want as many times a week as you want. Don’t know any other classes that offer you that flexibility. Even if you don’t join up for the next level you can just go and dance.
Yes I agree a lot of his female students/ instructors have a problem with him but then its upto you how you handle it and keep it just professional. Ive never really had a prob.
Being commercial ?? Well who isnt. Everyones got to make a living at da end of da day. But I kno one thing. He is very passionate about dancing which sometimes leads to him being extremely rude and scare students (of course theres not justification for it)
So in short just trying to say that his classes aren’t as bad as they are made out to be. Of course there is no smoke without fire.
well to just clarify on priya..its not a personal vendetta as u see tht there is a testimonial posted there from someone…and at the end of the page it also says that if people have opinions they can post it..as far what i think (knowing anand personally and profesionally) he is a perfect blend of hypocricy and insecurity..his instructors can never grow…as rightly mentioned its just business and not a passion for teaching..yes ur right everyones commercial but not at the cost of teaching…even his advanced dancers look like basic dancers around the world..as far u dancing in class with people of different levels and being there for as many hrs..this is nothing but CHAOS..i would really want to know how long have u been dancing..compared to the hours that ur putting in you should be a really professional dancer…somehow i dont seem to recollect yr name among the dancers recognized in bombay for salsa..his extreme rude behavior is not because of his intention to improve dancers its getting his personal problems into class..if a zillion females have a problem in class..there must be really something…and not just that everyones gone mad..senior students teaching junior students doesnt make anyone of them any good as a dancer or a teacer…whats the whole point of havin an instructor..u have paid yr money to learn from skilled professionals or just abt anyone..then u wud rather to go to some salsa parties..there will be a lot of wannabes that will teach u the same thing may be better…and u r talking about knowing both sides of the dance..i’d rather suggest u focus on one at time..u would be nowhere otherwise..and if most professional classes dont allow that option of not coming anytime u like is termed as noting but discipline..his classes r not structered as u say..then what r u looking at..summing it up..i really think u r freaking dumb…and u need to do some research into what u learn and where are the better places to train…and about anand..u have the money to blow..spend year being nothing but a just about average dancer…and to be trained by everyone else other then instructors..and if u think thats a f*****g good idea…go to anand…priya..its pathetic that u dont see what the truth is..anand sux
priya,
The problem with anand is that he doesnt have a good enough knowledge of dancing to be a teacher and thus what he teaches is not properly based on proper experience and training.
Agree with the other Anon and Manoj.. Anand has serious flaws in his dancing techniques.. has very very poor footwork and styling.. if he dances in NY/Paris on the dance floor then he would be considered a beginner intermediate..
Dear All,
Thank you for the feedback/review.
Some things mentioned about the logistics/history our our dance school are factually incorrect
Nevertheless i truly appreciate everyones honest answers. helps me improve and teaches me, again, that its not important to be something. its probably more important that OTHER people percieve you that way
thank you guys.. i will try to improve.
regards
anand
nice article nd anand i thnk u shud keep improving….
Manoj — kudos for starting this string of articles… good show!
Anand — appreciate your humble response.. hope that you will go and learn the basic techniques correctly..
You put one bad testimonial in your blog and hence proved that Anand is bad. As Priya correctly said, this sounds more like personal vendetta, not a review on Anand Majumdar/Quickstep (please learn to spell things correctly before you even think about writing on them. Its QUICKSTEP not Qucikstep).
As far as i am concerned …
i cant ask for a better teacher than anand majumdar .. among all the salsa instructors i may have heard of i think he is one of the few who takes class himself ..
the remaining ‘well known’ institutes have ex-students cum instructors who take class .. n the students barely get a glimpse of the person running the institue..
Anand has his set of instructors who are qualified enough to take class..
and the senior students ‘help’ the junior students with their basics and whatever else they seem to falter in ..
No other institute gives their students the kind of flexibilty quickstep does..
majority of the students at quickstep are happy with the way things are going .. When there is a problem .. we make it a point to let him know through the website and ‘forum’ which is a means of interaction for all his students among themselves and with him.
for a critic ur article is good .. but a little more crude than required..
Wow…reading this review made me laugh. What shocked me the MOST was the comment about Anand not being a good enough dancer and if he dances internationally then he will be considered a basic/intermediate dancer…pardon my language but that is the most RIDICULOUS comment!! I travel a lot and have danced salsa in many countries…trust me, Anand is as good as the best dancers out there. He has trained me and made me capable to dance with other people internationally…isn’t that proof enough of his skill??
As far as his classes go…I don’t think any other salsa institute in India provides the flexibility that he does…and seeing that these days people hardly get time outside of their work and home…what more can one ask for??
And if he really was a ‘business’ man and not a teacher…then he wouldn’t allow for the flexibility that he so kindly gives to his students.
And I think it is great that Anand gives his students an opportunity to teach…that only allows for the students to grow more and understand the art better.
In short…I am stunned by the review which I think is nowhere near the truth and I am sure there are many people who will agree with me. Quickstep is a GREAT institute to learn salsa.
I give it a 10/10!
Are u sure these people sangeeta, sheetal and alisha actually exist..anand is very capable of writing it himself with these names…considering tha girls are a problem..we see girls defending him seriously…you guys really need to open yr eyes…anand international standard.? u must be joking..even people internationally have basic dancers or newbies..so just coz you were able to dance with them OR U THOUGHT U WERE DANCING doesnt mean that u r international standard. you guys have no sense of dancing i guess..TRAINED INSTRUCTORS SOMEONE MENTIONED ANAND has..i really wanna know who.? and how qualifies and what basis are u judging the qualification for a 1st standard student a 5th standard is always advanced and qualified doesnt mean he or she is a teacher..u guys really need to go out and see..i went to zenzi the other day and realised there are students who dance better than anand…u guys must be seriously joking…for people who havent taken any lessons other then anand or outside india would obviously think anand is the best..his knowledge on dancing sucks..U guys need to wake up..!
Manoj,
i thnk u need 2 do more inspection nd thn post ur reviews.
i m a student of anand’s dance academy nd i don thnk he teaches us lyk a businessman. but i thnk he teaches us lyk a frnd nd also lyk a teacher.
if he wud b a business man thn he wont keep d management as flexible as it is. if we miss a class, we don hav ny tension dat v missed it coz he teaches us tad move again nd also v cn cum 2 class whneve v wan 2 practice without patin extra charges even if our cource is done.
and dude its obvious tad if u r a owner of a website u wont be promoting othrs whu cn take ove ur business bt anand hav also promoted sum instructors who teaches difrnt typs of dances. so plz thnk b4 u conclude nythng.
nd while learnin 4m Anand d main fun cums whn he givs us wierd examples nd makes us understnd many thngs. we njy dance wid anand coz while teachin also he is friendly nd he never acts lyk a DICTATOR. dude use your common sence dat if he would teach ppl bein a DICTATOR thn no1 wud hav been thr in his class nd he wont had more students thn ny othr instructors.
and the thng u mentioned abt students teaching students. I thnk its d bst strategy coz thru ths he cn teach othr students nd d student teachin cn also fnd out tad wat he does nd wat all mistakes he makes.
1 cn nly fnd hs own mistakes while he teaches d same 2 othrs.
so plz don tak out ur personal grudge ove here.
i need 2 say dat u r really a BAD…. sory WORSE CRITIC…
PLEASE INVESTIGATE AND POST. SOMETIMES EVEN A SMALL MISTAKE CAN CREATE BIG PROBLEMS. AND OVER HERE ITS Some One’s REPUTATION AT STAKE.
Hello all,
)
I am quite an avid reader of the blog, and Manoj also being a good friend makes it easier for me to relate to his writing. I’d like to say that the endeavour here, is to have a fair ground for all(instructors) and to for the readers to get a fair drift of the classes.And it would so rightly promote learning bothways, for the instructors and the students. If so, I am totally against the ANONYMOUS comments being posted in favour or against the Instructors. If one is certain, of his judgement, why be anon, one must rather be bold enough to voice their opinions and leave their name and email id’s for more reference…I dont think it would hold as much of credibility hiding behind the scene and commenting…
Manoj, I do acknowledge ur effort and the amount of time u invest here, its truly commendable. Also, Anand… I m glad u did take the opinions in ur stide inspite of them being anaon…I wouldn’t.:)..Commendable again! Manoj, why dont u have us vote, and let majority decide, if u should give ant credit to the anonymous comments. I m sure there must be others who agree with me? Nevertheless, keep the blog going
Dearest Anon,
infact i have learnt from another instructor in the US…he was one of the best instructors there. I learnt from him for a month…Anand is still the best.
Go get yourself checked Anon…and stop accusing people when you don’t know anything.
Anon ,
if u so staunchly believe Anand sucks . noone is asking u to learn from him.. n we’d rather not have someone like u around.. there are many others who think he is among the best teachers around.
that is the reason he has a large no. of students who would defend him and dont give a flying F**K about wht u have to say !!
Anand is not a loser like you Anon who needs to hide his identity to put across his thoughts.
You want to see who Sangeeta, Sheetal etc are, come to Quickstep one day and you shall know..
Hi Anon, Manoj,
And I presume that you have used the abbreviate for being “anon”ymous. However I do appreciate the fact that you have had to use an abbreviate to identify; or should I say, un-identify yourself. It would have been very difficult to face up to the reality; since your writing has been most without research and victorianly malicious. And to brand one’s ownself as a critic, you have to well read, have been on site and provide towards betterment. As far as your prose is concerned, neither the feedback that you have provided nor your writing style exhibits any of the above.
If Anand is your friend, I am sure that you would know what Anand stands for… well read, well educated, widely traveled and can hold his own ground on a number of topics of discussion, both academic and otherwise… not just dance.
Coming to his dance; what Anand – The Salsa Teacher and Quickstep stands for:
Accommodating, very welcoming, and extremely flexible.
Extremely sound on basics.
Students are encouraged to dance with different people – a student is able to understand the temperament and the comfort level of different dancers; the student is able to build his own confidence level to be able to dance with different dancers in a club scenario.
Again, being perfect on basics are disciplined – not just the 1,2,3, 5,6,7 but also attire, etiquette, shoes, etc. I am telling you this because I have been at the receiving end of his discourse, but have never been able to refute what says.. I would respect a man, who says the same thing everytime rather than change his tune to suit up to the situation or pocket.
You claim that you have spoken to a few students. However I do think that you really need to profile the students that you have interviewed, if at all. Quickstep has probably the most diversified set of people as students I have ever seen under a single roof. All of them are a class in whatever they do outside class and beyond dance. So, my request to you and your friend is, do not insult anyone else’s intelligence by trying to impress personal judgment upon educated and experienced opinion. In the trail so far, all I have seen is you and your friend (if at all there are two of you) having to defend your writing…clearly there have been no takers. Be assured that all those who have joined Anand’s class, and are around; are around because they are able to enact better judgment and follow it.
Every teacher has his style. Anand has his style. Every teacher has his nuances – you would know this if you have been through the academic system. Anand may have a few. But people that you have interviewed – did they have the humility as a student to accept what Anand has to offer in teaching. If your response is he has nothing offer, please get rid of your ignorant cloak and open your eyes – you don’t know what you are missing. If you are already a good dancer but have not trained at Quickstep, I am sad for you – you do not know what you have missed.
Also, the opinions that your interviewees had to offer is pretty is pretty one sided – goes to show that your article is not researched; or should I say – biased research.
Anand’s instructors are senior students who have once been students – your information is correct – but sadly, incomplete. Anand’s instructors have to go through a regime of becoming better than perfect, be able to dance the step of both sexes and be able to teach other students. Student turned teachers are in a better position to identify the problems of beginners, empathize better with the difficulties of first-timers, and hence able to relate to students better. Trust me – Anand’s one down line of reporting instructors is very well chosen.
Anand’s class is not business driven. It is driven upon discipline, perfectionism and the willingness to give – he has kept it flexible to suit all – students and working professionals; without thinking much about his own pocket.
Finally, a critic is able to compare one point of fulfillment with another. You have only written about only one institution, one person and quoted your number of sting operations at a couple of other teachers. Regretfully, I must say that you have failed in your self-proclaimed role as a critic and a student; 4 years at level 1 ! bro – what have you been doing ! If anything, I must say that you have succeeded in giving Quickstep some publicity, I am sure all of us at Quickstep, thank you for that. Not that we needed it, but hey, what’s the harm in getting some free publicity! What say, Anand!
Cheerio !
P.s. – Please put in some work on the site, dude….the scrolling down with a white screen on the right, sucks. After a point it seems like,
dancing down the journey of life
with white emptiness by your side.
Put in some colours,
Make some friends
Join Quickstep for Salsa
Win at the game.
And, Anand – you have responded well…Only goes to show that a good teacher is also a humble teacher. My respects.
hi anon, manoj,
i thnk u both hav 2 go 2 a REHAB nd cure urslf 4m ths drug called JEALOUSY. i thnk u wer realy green while postin ths. plz if u don knw nythng thn don even say nythng don 4gt dat half doc kills d patient. nd so ur half brain cn kill anand’s institute.
i thnk u bth f**kin all guys shld keep ur f**kin all mouth shut nd don tlk rubish abt ny1 u don knw.
YOU BOTH F**KIN ALL GUYS SHOULD TRY TO CHANGE YOUR DIRTY MINDS.
For all the anons and others, all the ppl who posted here supporting anand are real…sangeeta, sheetal,aisha,kingshuk,aman…..
)
now from my experience of hving attended his classes n some others too…i can easily say that…no. of ppl disliking his / her instructor is the highest for anand..
So who r these ppl who write good abt anand??
Guys:
————-
1) very good dancer, humble, friendly and helpful..who can only think of good in the world..
2) not a good dancer, no self-respect, so accepts all the s**t thrown at you in class and follows him like god…who said only dogs can be trained
3) one of his close group of friends (doc,byk..ring a bill?)…the less i talk abt them, the better..
4) forgiv jiggy, u r not in the above point 3…u r awesome…trust me…if u start ur own skool…u’ll be the best..
Girls:
————-
1) she has to be a babe (who is treated well
2) she is not a babe….but is a very avid learner, keen in dancing…n hence promoted as an instructor….n hence better treatment in class..
3) she is part of his other interests… photography etc..
And who said he is not business oriented??…he has QUEST(.NET) for glory
Am sure many of friends guys / gals vouch for it….this is getting too long…n i’ll tell u how he can be better in a later post
As per my opinion anand is a very very very very good salsa guru.. his teaching technique is really nice.. His attention to detail is super and i think thats one of his best aspects of teachin..
The amount of GOOD posts/comments here for Anand says it all..
For those people who have assumed that I, Sangeeta, do not exist or think that Anand is posing under my name…you can check out my profile:
http://chweetstuff.spaces.live.com/default.aspx?mkt=en-US&partner=Live.Spaces
And if you are still crazy enough to accuse that this is a ‘fake’ profile…i’ll have you know that my full name is Sangeeta Mehta…and I am an actress…you probably have seen me in several tv shows such as ‘remote control’ and ‘shhh…phir koi hai’
(I can’t believe I actually have to do this..but what else can one do when some idiots assume that one does not exist??)
ok so apparently the link was not posted correctly. so i’m trying again. I hope it works this time.
http://chweetstuff.spaces.
live.com/default.aspx?mkt=en
-US&partner=Live.Spaces
the writer here has outrightly misused d meaning of the word “critic”. While constructive criticism is good for anyone’s growth, this article seems more like a desperate attempt to demean anand majumdar and his institute. I had been to 3 other dance schools( reputed ones) befor joining quickstep and i must say that quickstep is one of the most professional dance schools in the city. No one else provides the kind of flexibility and resources that anand has to offer. The very fact that anand has twice the no. of students than any other institute(as is clearly mentioned in the article) shows that ppl enjoy dancing at his cls. And it is not only the beginner’s level which has a good amount of students but also the advanced levels.As far as his dancing skills are concerned, the “critic” here really needs to do a reality check coz anand is by far one of the most smoothest leaders and explains the nitty-grittys of the dance with gr8 precision. And about his styling- styling is a very individualistic thing and shouldnt be compared with anyone else. AND YES I AM A GIRL AND I ENJOY DANCING WITH HIM!
Manoj should have done a lil more research b4 writing this article.
I see a lot of anon comments here written against anand and his institute. If you have something so strong to say about someone atleast have the courage to reveal your true identity!
adarsh,
i thnk u r d dog. nd 4 ur kind info. v luv anand coz he is a good teacher nd if he wudnt hav been a gud teacher thn v all r nt as STUPID as YOU tad will follow wateve sum1 says. its our own personal experience of watchin Anand as a gr8 dance teacher.
nd u better mind ur language f**ker. don eve call us dogs. u r wud b a dog.
v hav our self respect nd also v respect othrs. bt if sum1 crosses hs limits thn v also 4gt tad v respect others.
u go nd sleep in ur mom’s lap dude. i thnk u r nt mentally grown up till nw.
if u wan v cn arrage 4 a babysitter 2 clean nd chng ur diapers baby.
nd if u wan 2 c all d posters ove here dancin thn u shud cum 2 our class bt plz don eve tell ur f**kin name 2 ny1. if u say it thn every1 in d class will kick ur ass lyk a football.
oops
bt v don hit gals or babies…
THINK AND POST OTHERWISE DONT FORGET THAT WE ARE MORE THAN 100 AND YOU ARE ONLY 3….
aman, stop it. let it go. You have to be the bigger person here.
I think Kingshuk has worded perfectly what the Quickstep students would have to say. Though, Kingshuk I might add, I think you’re wasting your breath on people who probably themselves do not understand the art well enough to really be able to comment on it or genuinely critique someone teaching it. So they smugly hit below the belt just to have Something to critique and think they’ve been really smart.
Again…Grrrreat effort Manoj and all the conveniently nameless ones! Really commendable!!! Please post more and keep the comedy going!!! 
Kudos to these nameless guys; you guys have managed to prove your mettle to us all! Further reaction to anything you guys have said would just demean what the Brand “Anand Majumdar” stands for, which is much above nonsense of this kind. Its so stupid that you cannot prove yourself to the world in what you’re trying to do (1st level for 4 yrs….Sheesh! I mean geez man! how many left foot-ed art thou!), so lets all put our heads together and find someone who actually can and bitch! hehehe!
Its quite laughable that you had to resort to calling a a whole bunch of educated, smart, well-placed people “pathetic losers, idiots, no self-respect, dogs, etc etc” in your desperation to make Anand look bad. No points for guessing who’s popularity ratings have actually gone down. And I say popularity ratings cuz that’s what you seem to really be debating here “how Popular Anand should be or is”.
Please do your homework before maligning anyone this way. You’re not being smart or cool by doing so, just making a huge laughing stock of yourself. And most importantly, atleast do your own job thoroughly before you think you’ve been graced with the position to Cackle like hyenas at someone else. Know the art, know the school (and one ‘review-visit’ cant do that), be fair and unbiased. You have a personal problem with someone, dont cry about it publicly and try to skew other people’s views by being aggressive and abusive in your words.
And yes, I am a girl who’s from Anand’s classes, and proud to be so. Lets see what more you’ve got to hurl and how much lower you can go.
Dear all,
..
.. i dunno what it is but you guys must have caught me at a bad time or phase .. im human 
.. grant me that.. sorry again 
This is Anand Majumdar, the person in the line of fire here
I was out When i first saw the review and hence couldnt respond in detail. I just wrote my initial top-of-the-mind reaction and went off. Now i have the time and leisure at my hand to properly comment on everything.. And so i will..
Firstly, i want to Thank my students for standing up for me ..aman, farhang, sheetal, sangeeta, kingshuk, aisha, anons, grishma, all of you.. i appreciate it
And anons, adarsh, and all others that i may have upset in the course of the last 9 years – i wish to apologize if me, doc, jiggy, “byk” or anyone or anything has upset u about anything.. im truly sorry
Am amused at many things said here
This has become a “personal attack/defend” scenario about me and has drifted from the review of Quickstep as a dance institute.
so i wish to end it here
I STRONGLY demand that no one will defend me should there be any more PERSONAL attacks.. this is for the “defending” team
For the “attacking” team, i cant stop you, but all i can say is just let it go guys
HOWEVER, i strongly oppose to many factual errors in the review. i have listed them in my next post
anand
I think many things said in the review are factually incorrect and i would like to correct them in the order i see it appearing
, who as you said is your good friend.
1. “As far as i know Anand is a Sandip Soparrkar Student , who learnt the tricks of dance and business early from his Guru , and immediately started his own school”
This is incorrect. Though i do agree that I had attended a 1 month 20 day class with Sandip around 8 years ago. In fact i have even attended lessons and workshops taken by ashwin, kaytee, vivek, mirabelle, Lourd vijay, richard and even raunaq. And at least 50-100 international instructors. I have attended many workshops and lessons even after being a teacher. i have this urge to attend lessons from different teachers, research, have fun and learn from the experience.
But i dont think doing a 1 and half month course under anyone could give anyone the knowledge and skill and “tricks” to run a large commercially successful venture, the kind that Quickstep is.
Secondly Sandips content is primarily Ballroom and he is good at his trade. And thats what i attended when i did for 1 and half month. His style of salsa is very ballroom-derived. I primarily teach LA style cross-body salsa, Ny style on 2 mambo and casino rueda. We do diametrically different content. He doesnt teach what i do, i dont teach what he does. A visit to his school and mine would tell u this in a matter of minutes.
Somewhere later the review says that i am largely self-learnt. I totally agree. I have no one but myself to thank for whatever little i have achieved today.
I am my own GURU
2. MY WEBSITE ADDRESS IS INCORRECT.
At places where my name and quickstep can be highlighted and clicked, the website URL is not really our Official corporate presence.
Our official sites are
http://www.quickstepsalsa.com
http://www.anandmajumdar.com
http://www.thesalsaguru.com
the link that highlights there is one of our re-seller campaigns, and only ONE of our marketing tools. Ppl have facebooks groups to promote themselves, but
that doesnt mean its their official corporate site. For someone who reads the review, i need them to land on the sites i have mentioned above and not the one
which has been given. If someone is writing about me, the least one can do is to ask me what my official site is ??
3. The Marketing Strategy is generally word of mouth by his diehard supporters( ex-students, friends) , and through his excellent website which is nothing much but a “data grabber”.
Again, you got the wrong site. pls check the forum to see how much content is there … Plus marketing strategy is much more than just word of mouth. Internet and Print media are just to name a few others.
4. “Meetup and Anand had organised a Salsa Party at “Play” at lower parel.”
The nights at play were organised solely by Quickstep. Meetup had no role to play in the organising. It was a private party organised by quickstep for quickstep students. Dont see anything wrong with a group of people organising a private party for a private group ..
Quickstep has never ever organised any event together with meetup. Though we dont mind doing it if the opportunity exists. We are open to the idea.
5. DVD line
Manoj would be aware that we have a comprehensive instructional DVD range which is one of the products offered. IN fact a link is also on meetup and meetup members have even been offered a discount on them.. I dunno why this would be omitted.. i feel a review should be comprehensive in everything that the school offers towards teaching salsa
6. Business and Salsa
Salsa is “entertainment” for the recievers and a “business” for the people who deliver. and am not ashamed of it. just dunno why “business” is being used as a bad word in relation to us, considering we give the maximum flexibility that no one else does – and which is very non-business like.
7. Manoj, you have attended just ONE class with me 2 and half years ago.. which you yourself mentioned.. I dont know if that is sufficient/coherent data to write a review on someone.. that too to a group which has a customer base as large as yours..
i plead towards mature, moderated and well-informed usage of the media which may not be much for u , but could impact a persons career..
8. As far as my dancing skill goes, many ppl have commented that im not good at all. sigh. what else can i say except that i try to be better everyday.
love and regards
anand
You can write reviews if you have the credentials,
What are your’s?
And how can a single person judge about people having fun in the class or not, can you come with figures?
Sweet heart, Nobody is complete, everybody has drawbacks and also their strengths and Style. Well personally I like his style hence joined his class.
To be honest, I have wasted my time replying.
ESM
I dont think we(who actually know what quickstep is all about) should even dignify the review with any comments on it…and aman, sangeeta, sheetal, grishma i dont think u need to prove ur id to anyone…its Manoj who should actually prove that he knows what he is talking about
..cheers…
Hi,
I am not sure if this is right for me to say, But i think I will just suggest a few things..I am Vineet Bangera, Operations Manager with Salsa India..although i hold no business in this conversation, i just landed up on this looking for a review on Salsa India and realised that there is some heated discussion happening here..
I am a part of the salsa fraternity is all possible way..of being on the receiving end, delivering end, managing end or teaching end, however you would like to take it; Each institute has its pros and cons, None is perfect..simple reason its run by humans and each one makes mistakes and learns from there surely, Thats the only way to sustain..
What i really think is people should be entitled to their own opinion with their own experience
for some the experience works for some it doesnt. I suggest we leave that to the people themselves.
This platform here is to expose people to Salsa so that they can MEETUP. Each one of us is a salsa addict and the aim is to keep it growing.
Information on Institutes is Ideal then a Review on it. I think you can let people comment themselves for the review. One person cannot decide the foundation of any institute
I am not trying to support or defend anyone. I am just another Salsa addict who feels that its better to go out there and dance rather then to sit here waste time on this.
Each institute has different setups, structures, way of dealing etc etc. Like i said for some it works for some it doesnt. We are no one to comment on that. ALL we should bother about is to spread dancing and get people addicted. Its not necessary who does it whether salsa india or the quickstep or sandip soparrkar.
My Friend Manoj, make this a peaceful place and not a battle ground.
Guys, keep yourself busy..incase u dont know how let me just give u an idea…
salsa nights at zenzi on sundays..
salsa night at redlight on tuesdays..
salsa night alternate wednesdays at dragonfly..
salsa nights at banana bar on thursdays…
and may be more..if any one wanna add in..
PS: dont bother or ask who organizes these nights. Just go dance. I am sure the dance floor is open to all.
Cheers
Viva La Salsa.
Vineet Bangera
Operations Manager
Salsa India Producitons Pvt Ltd.
hahhahahahhahaha.. i am glad to see this.. this is what salsa is in india..
everyone claims to be a teacher in the country, at least in Mumbai.. I guess we have long way to go and mature enough to handle comments like these.. i did notice some crossing-line comments, not very happy though!
i was further shocked reading this chain of comments that Anand is internationally trained and has salsa skills to dance on the international forum….i thought, is that all you could do when you are internationally trained and has capabilities of dancing on international floors.. a bit disappointing!! i may think that comments like ‘internationally trained’ are a bit immature or may be lack of awareness of salsa scene around the places like Cuba, NYC, London, Costa Rica, Columbia etc..
I dont know Anand much but have seen him on the floor close to 2 years. I was a bit surprised when i came to know that he is a teacher…cause whenever i saw him dancing on the floor, i thought this guy is trying his best, has potential as well but has long way to go, as far as it comes to dancing salsa… he looks very stressed, robotic and feeling less on the dance floor… he doesnt really radiate any sort of energy of grace like other teachers or dancers like kaytee.. so i was a bit shocked to learn that he is a teacher..
In my opinion, i guess Manoj has some substance in his post otherwise you wont have such a storm of extreme comments.. i must say some reactions the post are equally valid..
If i would be anand, i would take this as an opportunity to improve, which i think he did..
I must say manoj has done a great job..and i am with him on this!
PS: please dont send any ‘dada’ or ‘bhai’ to kick me like a football or baseball, basketball, cricket, table tennis etc.. cause i dont like those games.. also it would be an expensive affair to send them 10,000 miles away…
PS 2: feel free to drop a line if you would like to take this off-line!
Arun
I have realised that Manoj’s review…which was NOT based on facts at all…has only led to a baseless discussion. Hence I’m no longer going to waste my time on this site. This will be my last post.
Before I leave, I’d just like to say that I trust Anand’s teaching, am a fan of his dancing and style, and I am thankful to be learning from him.
Goodbye and Goodluck to all.
Hi Manoj
I am a student of Anand – and i believe a “slow learner” – the pains Anand has taken to see give me the extra bit – of training – and dollops of confidence – speaks volumes of his commitment – if he was purely commercial – he would have signed out when the clock stopped ticking – he did not – he continues to motivate and provide good feedback and encouragement – all hallmarks of atecher who has his heart and soul in the right place. Your views may not be personal, but they dont appear very balanced. Adios !
hahah hahaha haha… nice try Manoj,Anon and Adarsh!!
from what i could make out of your so called ‘review’ is that you really need to learn salsa.. hehe.. admit it.
(PS: come to quickstep at 4pm Versova branch.. i’ll teach you some basics for free!!.. after which you would be elligible to join level 1 at Quickstep)
It is by now pretty obvious that this review is based on mis-information and a personal vendetta. What is worse is the vilification and personal attacks on his supporters .
My support of Anand and Quickstep can be justified by MY credentials .. as a teacher (medical) for over 10 years , as a highly placed professional(in my field) , as a person with essential ‘people’ skills (due to my profession),my maturity (age) and as one with absolutely no emotional interests one way or the other.
I state my credentials , as the most obvious flaw in the whole review has been the absence of any credentials supplied by the reviewer. I hope this may make him produce some.
I can honestly say that Anand is passionate about teaching and dancing , and his classes present best value in terms of content and cost. When compared across classes (and I dont only mean dance) Quickstep scores very high. And it IS his business and profession , but he is definately non-commercial as his format proves.
My plea is to the moderators , if any, of this forum : such biased and unsubstantiable reviews would seriously affect the credibility of this website , and all information on the same would be suspect.
And finally , I strongly advise anyone against any personal attacks or threats , as there are laws in this country which are created to deal with such issues .. and being Anon doesnt really protect you.
Good God! you call yourself a critic…?? This missive is nothing more than flummery. Even worse it actually comes across as the work of a very malcontent being who’s torpid personality is quite evident all throughout the post. For eg: your spurious attack at Anand of being too “dictatorial” thereby inducing fear in and sucking out the fun for students.
Anyways this just seems like one big crafty scheme devised by your devious mind to vitiate and impunge Anand’s & Quickstep’s credibility. Because at the end of it all the fact still remains that you have absolutely no credentials to critically evalaute salsa dance schools anywhere on the planet or for that matter anywhere in the universe.
P.S : and don’t for once think that by calling someone a “good friend and a decent human being” that you can rid yourself the compunction caused by trying to malign someone’s reputation.
Alfreda, i was sitting with a dictionary reading yr comment..and Manoj go get a Life
A good dancer is not necessarily a good teacher and a good teacher need not necessarily be a good dancer.
As a student I don’t care how good Anand dances as long as he teaches well. The fact that he has soo many students just proves this point.
I have been to many classes before finally deciding on Quickstep and his repetoire of moves and what you learn even in level 1 is far more than anywhere else.
hey all, honestly why this uproar over a review. Manoj as the heart and soul of the salsa meetup, would in his years of being one, have interacted with a lot of people in the fraternity/ industry and other fraternities and therefore had the guts to start this chain of reviews/ set of prose to do with the basic (dancing schools).How many of us would have that kind of time, interest/ passion, courage to put down something like this. People like Kingshuk who seem to write well can put down a review or 2 about whichever instructors they’ve come across and so can Arun. The thing with having two left feet is, also that you would tend to appreciate people who don’t have two left feet.
Alternately all those people who have taken out the time and interest to write in stuff here should also be interested in meetups/ posting/ sending links and videos of some use to the members and hopeful learners.
Looking forward to more articles/ posts on this space(not jut on thi review lol).
Lets not swear and threaten legalities and otherwise folks. This is in no way a life and death matter. Would Manoj/ Anand have spent time on this as much as the rest have?
the review was nice. and i’m surprised to see so many people defending anand. he’s ok when it comes to teaching. he tends to get angry if his students don’t get the combination soon. he only teaches classes when an instructor is not present. his fees are absurdly high for what he teaches. i can confidently say that i did not get my money’s worth here at quickstep. it has been long since he has taught basics.his classes are flexible, but then you find yourself getting stuck with the same combinations. many of his students are afraid of him. i did make quite a lot of friends there but i’m not happy with what i learnt. bottomline, quickstep is definitely not the best. and i can tell you this from my experience. when it comes to salsa parties n stuff his students can’t dance for nuts, atleast most of them are not confident enough to.
< < View From The TOP>>
About 3 years back when I first came to mumbai, Anand was my first teacher for Salsa among many others… so I did get the opportunity to learn about him & the way he intelligently, dedicatedly and passionately – has been conducting his salsa business.
Until a “business” reaches some good turnover and/or stability … it can never really give good offers & flexibilities to its customers.
You need an excellent leader at the top of all business affairs… A leader who’s constantly re-inventing the business-life cycle… or the 4 P’s… while leveraging the most cutting edge tools and resources… for SUPER growth and success!
I think ANAND is one of those excellent leaders on top of all the QUICK STEPS – business affairs.
The product(s), the offers, the flexibility that “Quick Step” offers is pretty amazing when compared to many of its competition.
And I’m not even getting ANY commission to right this ‘oh so sweet & positive’ short review about him. But then, Anand, I swear I never mind some – {grin}
You know, in the world of DATING & ATTRACTION… it’s often said that there are just two types of men out there. One, the winner – who GET’S IT… and the other, the looser – who DOESN’T.
Anand is clearly a winner guys. So shut the f*** up and focus on learning a thing or two… while having a blast, of course
I have danced with Anand at many occasions at Bohemia at the various salsa parties that MEETUP offered in the last few years. Even though I have danced enough times with Anand, I have not been keen to go to Anand’s “Quickstep” because I was frankly not impressed with his style. It looks very robotic. Come on.. he dances with his eyes closed! It feels like he’s concentrating so hard to GET IT! if that’s how one GETS IT… trust me… a dance partner DOES NOT enjoy it!
Yes, this is not a review of Anand Majumdar. Unfortuantely, QUICKSTEP promotes just him as the “salsaguru” which effectively means that one ends up reviewing the “guru”
If you cannot show your mettle on the dance floor, what do you have to offer in your class?
Salsa is so much more than just being able to get a combination right! Its so much more than having a left and right foot!
Bottomline: There’s a LOT of room for improvement for QUICKSTEP and hence for ANAND MAJUMDAR.
The rating of 4.5/10 is quite generous.
Well, continuing from where I left in my last post…
You can see ‘Doc’s’ response to see why I don’t wanna talk abt him / or his other chelas 
1) Salsa learning is supposed to be fun, like Suman rightly pointed out, and not some boring exercise….
2) I had been to some other dance schools, and dancing there is much more fun…I feel like going there to not just learn, but meet with friends..
3) Quickstep is the first place I’ve seen where the instructor has ego problems with the student…
4) There is definite bias shown in the class to ‘those’ mentioned in my first post to ‘others’ like a) Not allowing the ‘others’ to dance in multiple classes b) humiliating in front of everybody c) favors for ‘those’ who do a** licking, like you see in all the ‘supporters’ here
5) And, if you are wondering how come there r so many supporters…I’ve been told that there had been a post on his forum by Anand himself to ‘respond’ to the review…
6) It is definitely true that he has insecurity / inferiority complex (which is totally unwarranted, given that he is doing quite well for himself) and is very emotional…which gets reflected in the class too..
7) I still haven’t seen any response to his ‘photography’ or ‘the quest’…well, i guess they r still being run hush hush as usual….
Frankly speaking, I hate myself for having said all this…but I see this going on forever…and some1 should come out and keep it in the open for the public to see…
For all ya ‘supporters’…go check out other salsa parties and see the difference for urself..
I got a notification that this thread will be locked. So my final words. I will present this from two sides for all
To my supporters :
One side is that you are happy with what i deliver and are fiercely loyal to me for that. Thank you for that from the bottom of my heart
The other side is that, its true, i am not the final verdict on salsa. I am just a small speck. There is much more out there in all the countries of the world
To those angry with me :
One side is that many remarks are non-relevant/abusive/stray. I will ignore these that doesnt apply to me or to “quicksteps” review.
The other side is that i will separate he “content” from the “emotion” and ACTUALLY see what applies to me. And for all those things i will try to change. Its important for ME personally that i dont hurt people as much as possible
It is most important for me that i am first a better person, then a good teacher and lastly a good dancer. In that order.
And lastly whoever you are..
friend/foe/anonymous/unknown/beginner/advanced/teacher/student/ex-student/critic/reader.., do come for my salsa night
on sunday.. Last week was the first time as an experiment. It worked well.. so am confident to invite everyone this week.
Whether u are adarsh or anonymous, you may not consider me qualified to teach you salsa..but do let me buy you a drink if you come on sunday!
cheers!!!
Anand Majumdar
Founder
QuickstepSALSA
Anand is a *really* poor instructor, and a strangely shifty dancer. Compared to any other decent salsa school in the world (or even compared to Kaytee, Sandip teachers, and the leading Bangalore teachers) he barely qualifies as an intermediate student. Add to that his funny faces that he makes (ahh… I’m so cool wannabe.. actually makes him look like a commensurate moron, slightly retarded in the brain when he half closes his eyes and does that funny thing with his cheek). He wears a funny pink dhoti, which has made him infamous as the “Dhoti school of salsa”. In his dhoti like pank (oh so wannabe cool again), his overweight body reminds me of a baby elephant dancing to Baa Baa Black Sheep. Don’t get me wrong, he has a small following of students. but if you really explore the reality, his students are absolutely green and beginners that know nothing about salsa and got roped in by his mass internet advertising. IF you don’t know he advertises heavily on Google AdWords and on JustDial, and ensnares new unsuspecting students into his classes. He has hired a tall thin secretary to talk the callers into joining his classes. Now if you have not done your homework and are new to salsa, you know not Kaytee, you know not Sandip Soparkar, you know not Rahul, Nilay, Vivek, and tonnes of other 1st and 2nd tier instructors, so naturally you sign up for the CHAOS that Anand’s class is. My prediction is that he will only be able to fool some of the students some of the time. His baby elephant style just can’t match up to all the experts coming out of Kaytee’s school, and all the advanced students of Soparkar’s studio. Lots of competition will eat up his baby phatt in the near future. Shitty attitude Anand-boy. You really do not look cool with those silly expressions on your face when you dance, so drop it and be natural.
Wish a bright happy future for salsa in Mumbai, and may everyone spend their hard earned money on a real salsa school and get good. See you all at Zenzi!
Manoj’s assessment is very unbiased and very fair. LOTS of people feel the same way that Manoj does. In fact, if anything, Manoj was just graceful and polite, since the reality of Anand’s skills is quite abyssmal. BAD BAD BAD. But Manoj just gave fair comments fairly and politely so other people do not fall into this trap. Not a real instructor. I would love to see him at my dance class at Kaytee’s Salsa India, or at any dance club as a participant. But this, as an instructor? Nah….