Olivia Avanzato, 28, has been dancing since she was 4 years old. She’s been teaching classes at Floor Polish for about a year, teaching styles like “bad-ass tap” and solo salsa.

When Marina Cornelius, the studio’s founder, suggested she teach a couple’s class, Avanzato was having a hard time getting psyched about it. Then she realized what the problem was.

“I’m not excited because I’m not excited about taking couples classes,” she said.

Avanzato lives in Tucson with her partner Nadia, and had never been enthralled by the traditional, very heterosexual nature of most partner classes.

“Anytime I’ve ever taken a couple’s class, I’ve gone by myself, without my partner and done the traditional follow part and danced with a male," she said. "Or I’ve gone to a traditional class and stood in for the lead part.”

So she decided to do something different, something more inclusive for everyone. And she came up with Rainbow Salsa: a monthly dance class for LGBTQ+ couples. The first class was in September, and Avanzato said the couples who attended enjoyed it.

“It was really sweet,” she said. “It was really intimate and loving.”

The classes aren’t limited to same-sex couples–Avanzato wants to make sure that that everyone on the LGBTQ+ spectrum is included.

“I wanted it to be a place where you can dance with your partner and it’s fine,” she said.

Rainbow Salsa classes will be offered once a month at Floor Polish, 215 N. Hoff Ave. #107, and cost $15. The next one is Saturday, Oct. 7 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.