Homework (Dailies)
The subtle difference between technique and movement is that a technique is something you have to think about before executing. For example, when you are a toddler and you are learning how to walk; walking is a technique at that time. You learn that technique through numerous repetitions until muscle memory has been ingrained. Now, walking becomes a movement as it no longer requires thought; you just WALK.
Movement in dance is also known as feeling the music, as the dancer no longer has to think, rather he/she just relies purely on muscle memory and instinct. However, telling a beginner to “feel” the music is disastrous; it would be same as telling a toddler to start running.
Class practice once a week is generally not enough to ingrain muscle memories to convert technique into movement; daily practice (dailies) is required in order to improve. Of course, Salsa is not as hard as say, working out, so you do not need to spend 30 mins sessions; about 5 mins (1 song) per day is suffice.
Note that you do not need a partner for the daily practice as you are training strictly on syncing to the beat and footwork. Put on 2 to 3 of your favorite songs and away you go! Below are examples of previous armband's dailies, notice the improvements over time.
Filming yourself is important since what you do in your mind can be very different from what you are doing in real life. Make sure you film your entire body from a side view angle so you can see your form as a whole. Here are more detailed examples:
What to Flim?
warm up: basic steps, cross body lead, right/left hand turn, open break, side step, spot turn, suzy-Q.
follow specific: inside turn, outside turn, check step, titanic into pow, lasso, pepsi and coca-cola.
lead specific: same as above, however, you are just visualizing your partner while doing the hand motions.