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Brazilian Zouk’s Development: an Interview with Larissa Thayane

Rachel Cassandra
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Brazilian Zouk’s Development: an Interview with Larissa Thayane

Brazilian Zouk is a social dance that is relatively young and has been developing very rapidly. I have only recently entered the scene and find it fascinating to see the parallels between its trajectory and those of other partner dance communities I know well.

Larissa Thayane is the founder of the Brazilian Zouk Dance Council, so she was obviously an excellent person to interview on the topic of the scene’s development. Larissa is the social dance world’s version of a triple threat: impressively skilled in organization, instruction, and performance.

Larissa graciously agreed to an interview when I last saw her in Los Angeles, her new home base. What follows is an adaptation of our interview, edited and abridged for a clearer reading experience. My questions are in bold and Larissa’s responses follow in her own words. The term “Zouk” is used to refer to the styles of Brazilian Zouk that was developed after Lambazouk. Any errors are my own.

Brazilian Zouk seems to have changed a lot in the past 20 years. How do you define it today? How have you seen it change?

When Kadu and I started dancing together 13 years ago, there was that transition of the music happening. Mafie and other DJs were getting more popular with their mixes. I think that impacts a lot on how we danced. It had an impact on me because until then I didn’t have an interest in dancing Zouk. The French Caribbean music wasn’t very attractive to me.

When the music started changing and the dance start getting slower and getting more influence from contemporary especially, that was more interesting to me. I have a ballet and contemporary dancing background, so I saw the opportunity to bring some of the technique and influence from those dances to it.

Today the music has changed even more; we are also seeing the possibility to dance not to remixes but original songs. That gives the opportunity to bring influence from dances like hip hop, jazz and West Coast Swing.

Right, I went to a crossover event you organized with West Coast Swing. Can you talk more about how these outside influences are affecting musicality in the Zouk scene?

We started learning West Coast Swing with Jordan Frisbee and Tatiana Mollman back in 2009 when we met them. We stopped learning for three years after that, but got back to it in 2012, after seeing how Jordan and Tatiana were adding some Zouk elements to their WCS routines we decided to use the same idea for Zouk. At first we added WCS elements to our Zouk routine “A Nossa Música”. After that we started adding the elasticity feeling and try to use the songs in a different way to focus on being more musical.

Nowadays there is a better understanding about music and an effort to be more music from most zouk dancers. I think it’s very important progress.

I’m interested in how gender roles have changed in Brazilian Zouk. What is your perspective?

In the past our dance was very male-dominated. Most of the Brazilian dances are.

In West Coast Swing there’s a “communication” between leader and follower. This doesn’t mean that the girls are leading – they are still the followers. But the girls are able to suggest and inspire the leaders when the leaders create space.

In Zouk it will never be 50-50 communication like in West Coast Swing for example, but for the last two years we have been working on the idea that the followers can communicate more.

You can see today with a lot of the pros, the followers can suggest and use more of the musicality for their styling: suggest pauses, suggest slowing down. Normally we teach that the followers can suggest a change when they feel that there is an opportunity given by the leader and they don’t feel like they are going to interrupt the lead.

That does make a difference in how the dance is today and allows us to be a lot more musical, because we have two heads thinking!

How did you come to found the Brazilian Zouk Dance Council? What were (or are) your goals?

It all happened when I had the opportunity to join a novice Jack & Jill competition for West Coast Swing. I really enjoyed it. All you need to do to get points and move levels is to have great technique, timing, great connection with your partner and have a good dance.

I thought this would be so good for our Brazilian Zouk community. Some students stop learning in classes: they just want to attend parties.

So then I thought: “How are we going to do this? Hold on, we don’t have any organizational group! To organize this competition We first need to have a council, I probably need to talk to some of the other pros, and see what else this council can do, not only host competitions.”

I then started focusing on creating the council, and together we built up the board of directors. Of course it’s hard because we already have our jobs with our dance schools, traveling and partners, but slowly we are getting ideas and putting stuff together. We are trying to promote the Brazilian Zouk community around the world. Having this organizational group gives a different view to the other dance communities and I think it’s a good progress.

Let’s talk more about the competitions. What’s your goal for the competitions, and do you think they are important for everyone to participate in? What about people who just don’t like to compete?

Well if some people don’t want to compete, they don’t have to join. It’s not compulsory.

But it’s a great opportunity for people to improve. We have already noticed a big difference in how people start appreciating weekly classes and private classes more. People want to improve their dance a lot more because they want to compete, get points, and move up levels.

And I think it’s good to have different levels, to classify a little bit how people are in their dance and their skills. Then people are right in their levels, because sometimes people aren’t patient and want to move up to more advanced classes before they are ready.

Can you explain a bit more about the judging criteria? How are they weighted?

The most important are timing, technique, and teamwork.

In more detail: 25% timing; 50% technique; 15% teamwork; 10% musicality, appearance, and difficulty. But for novices we give more importance to timing, technique, and teamwork than musicality or difficulty.

Learn more about the points system here.

Speaking of musicality, do you think competitions will make Zouk more codified as people try to dance in a way that pleases judges? Or will Zouk continue to evolve?

I think it will inspire more creativity, especially in the advanced category.

For novice level competitors, you need to focus on dancing your foundation movements on time and have a good connection with your partner.

But the idea of competition isn’t just to be basic. When we met with the new intermediate dancers, people who have been teaching weekly for at least two years (promoted so they didn’t have to compete with their students), we reminded them “musicality and creativity is what counts most. Show off.”

That pushes them to go to the next level creatively. That’s also why we do spotlight dances at this level.

Why is wearing shoes one of the judging criteria? No barefoot Zouk?

Reasons of hygiene, safety, and technique. You can’t pivot or do turns properly.

Why did you decide to define the role of follower as female and leader as male? Or to be more precise, why did you decide to allow women to gain points only as followers and men to gain points only as leaders?

At first we just wanted to try to slowly build up the competitions.

For now girls follow and guys lead, but we have already been talking about the change of roles. We are studying all options and getting many different feedback on this topic. Possibly in the future we will add this option on a separate Jack and Jill division.

Our worry is due to Brazilian Zouk having closer embrace, closer dance movements. There are dancers who want girls to be able to lead and guys to follow, but there are a bunch of others who hope we won’t allow it as some dancers won’t feel comfortable dancing with the same sex, which will impact their competition.

Last question! I’m sure you’re aware many people from the Caribbean resent the word “Zouk” being associated with something completely foreign to their culture. What connection do you still see to the Caribbean origins? What responsibility do you think instructors have in regards to explaining this name?

Well, it’s too late to change the name. Many times we thought they should have called it something else, but now we can’t start over with a new name. But we should call it “Brazilian Zouk” to differentiate from Zouk.

It’s important to be part of the history, we cannot ignore that. Still, the dance progressed; it was influenced by different dance and music styles.

I respect their culture, so in my opinion it’s important to call it Brazilian Zouk.

What do you think about the development of Brazilian Zouk? How do you feel about the new competitions? Let us know in the comments!

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How to Balance Your Dance Life With the Rest of Your Life

Brielle Friedman
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How to Balance Your Dance Life With the Rest of Your Life

In my early 20s I lived in San Francisco and worked in an office with a lot of other young, recent grads. It was a small, social office and on the weekends a lot of coworkers would hang out together. They’d get together in Dolores Park on Saturday afternoons to picnic and people watch, they’d bar hop Friday and Saturday nights, or take weekend trips to a nearby beach town and go hiking and surfing.

At first they invited me to come along.

“I can’t,” I told them over and over again. “I have dance.”

When they went to a Shakey Graves concert, I went to a salsa social where the New Swing Sextet was playing. They bought tickets to Coachella; I bought new dance shoes. They saved for a trip to New Orleans to celebrate New Year’s Eve; I saved for a trip to New York to take more dance classes.

Eventually I stopped getting invites.

At the time I was dancing on two teams, working on a pro-am routine, preparing to compete with an amateur partner, and trying to social dance as much as possible. Working full time meant my weekends were all about dance. Most weeknights were too.

It was both a very happy and very lonely period of my life, made stranger because the majority of my time was spent with other people. I wanted to dance more than anything else in the world, and I loved dancing, but there were still times when I felt left out of other things. On Monday mornings I’d listen to my co-workers recount their weekend adventures, see the way their friendships had deepened after months of spending time together, and wonder if maybe I was missing out on an important part of my twenties.

I found it increasingly challenging to relate to other people in my life too, not just my colleagues. Here I was immersing myself in an entirely different world, one that my family, my roommates, and my close friends from college and high school didn’t understand and had never experienced. It was difficult to explain to them the way salsa lit up my heart and set my soul on fire, and why I’d rather pursue this thing I wasn’t actually good at yet, than join them for the activities they found entertaining and enjoyable. Our lifestyles––and the things we chose to spend our money on––no longer looked similar, and it felt like the foundations on which we’d built our relationships were slowly, silently crumbling.

At the same time, I was still too new to the dance scene to have made real friends. Despite how much I wanted to be part of it, the salsa scene seemed dramatic through my new-girl eyes, and I felt compelled to keep my dance-world separate from my personal world of friends and romantic relationships. I didn’t want to mix one with the other, fearful that doing so would taint them both.

During that time, the travel company I worked for launched a new internal program, and I found myself traveling through Fiji with two of my coworkers and a group of teenagers for two weeks.

“You light up when you just talk about dance,” my coworker told me as we walked along the beach one evening. I smiled because I knew it was true. Dance saturated me in a way nothing else ever had. While I often felt uncertain about pursuing a different path, I could also feel somewhere deep inside my gut that I couldn’t not do this.  

Soon after I got home from the trip I talked to my boss about the possibility of working remotely from New York the following summer. He said we could work it out, so I spent the next June, July, and August living in Chinatown, in an apartment that definitely had mice, taking dance classes every evening and social dancing every weekend.

I returned to San Francisco in the fall, but a few months later I sold my car and moved across the country permanently. I found a cheap apartment and didn’t buy new clothes for a year so that I could focus on dance more seriously.

It’s been almost three years since I moved to Brooklyn and my weekends still aren’t filled with bar hopping or boozy brunches in parks. I rarely eat out, I don’t live in a super nice apartment, and I’ve never made it to Coachella. But I have found a way to bring together my two worlds and build a life filled with the people, things, and experiences that make me happiest.

I’ve pursued a career in marketing, but I’ve been able to work remotely from New York, which has given me more flexibility when it comes to rehearsing and traveling to different dance events. I’ve brought a boyfriend who didn’t dance to a salsa social, and one that did to a party with all of my coworkers. This year I celebrated a friend’s wedding in Costa Rica, hiked through Mongolia for two weeks, and placed first with my solo at the Calgary Salsa Congress. And when I taught my first dance class in Manhattan, two of my best friends from college, my roommate, and my coworker and his wife were all there to support me in the front row.

Sometimes I still daydream about moving into my own place, especially when I scroll across a beautiful, sun-drenched apartment on Instagram. But each time it comes down to taking the next step on a possible apartment, I realize that being able to attend and compete at several dance events each year has made me happier than living in my own, newly renovated place ever would.

I’m open to those two desires switching places on my priority list in the future. Maybe there will even be a period in my life when I can have that picture perfect one bedroom and dance as much as I want to. But even if there is, I’ve learned (primarily during those five months last year when I was injured and couldn’t dance at all) that there will still be things I’ll have to say “no” to so that I can say “yes” to others. It’s not just because I dance…it’s because making compromises is part of life.

My secret to balancing dance with everything else is this: you can’t have it all, but if you mercilessly cut out the things you don’t care about as much, you can create a life filled with the ones that matter to you the most.

So keep a calendar, plan ahead, and make use of “in-between time.” But most of all, don’t be afraid to make different choices. Be intentional about the people and experiences you make time for. Consciously spend your money. And always trust yourself.

Review: Fernando Sosa World Mastery Program

Georgia Grace
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Review: Fernando Sosa World Mastery Program

 

If you’re involved in the latin dance community at all, you’ve probably seen ads on your Facebook or Instagram with big name dancers and instructors inviting you to find out more about their new project and have the opportunity to train with them.

An ad with Fernando Sosa (founder of Tropical Gem Dance Company), talking about his new project and an upcoming webinar where he would answer your questions about dance popped up on my Instagram one day and I registered for it, curious about what he had to say and the sell at the end.

What’s The Project?

I missed most of the webinar but I was there in time for the sell – the Sosa Style World Mastery program. I had heard of World Mastery before – the concept is like Master Class. If you haven’t heard of Master Class, it’s a platform where celebrities and experts in different fields give online classes. You can study cooking with Gordon Ramsey, voice with Christina Aguilera, writing with Malcom Gladwell and so on.

World Mastery is focused more on instructors learning someone’s syllabus and then teaching it in their own schools than individual enrichment. That was the big sell at the end of the Sosa webinar: The program would give you essentially a year’s worth of classes for your students and allow you to market yourself as teaching Sosa style.

Fernando Sosa ranks high on my list of favorite dancers and choreographers, so learning from him, even online, seemed worth it to me. I signed up for the program (more on the price later), and am about a third of the way through the 36 video series of the “Beginner” module right now.

A few years ago, I was skeptical about learning dance online. I thought that you couldn’t really get all of the details and important things, like connection and technique, if the class was not conducted in person. But learning to dance through media has been around for a while. There were books printed in the 19th century and earlier to teach ballroom dances. I found a pamphlet from the 1920s at my grandmother’s house that taught the basics of a few popular dances, complete with pictures of footsteps showing you the figures. There are endless VHS tapes and DVDs teaching all kinds of dance.

What’s Included?

With the prevalence and ease of learning dance online though, I’ve come around and have learned a lot from video tutorials.  So far, Sosa’s classes have been just as instructive and informative to me as an in person class, and I can go back and rewatch the lessons multiple times instead of just getting a combo video at the end of a class or workshop.

Each Sosa lesson breaks down shine footwork and partnerwork, with Sosa and his partner Tatiana explaining some of the usual mistakes that people make during each move and how to correct them. The videos run about 12–20 minutes long, which I like. It doesn’t feel like a slog to sit down and watch one, but Sosa and Tatiana pack a good amount of material into a short video. When I go and teach the lesson to my class, it usually takes about an hour to cover everything.

I have had my own syllabus for a while, but I’m enjoying the new material and giving my teaching a makeover. I really appreciate Sosa’s method – his classes have a clear and logical progression that emphasizes repetition of concepts while adding new things to keep students excited. He also adds a lot of teaching tips that add dynamics to the class. He stresses the importance of constantly asking your students questions to reinforce the lessons, e.g. quizzing students on the count that a lady should step forward on a cross body lead. He also recommends singing the steps as you call them instead of just counting “1-2-3, 5-6-7,” which makes the class more entertaining and helps the auditory learners retain the information.

The classes are in Spanish with English subtitles, so I’m also learning a lot of new Spanish vocabulary words. (Equilibrista is tightrope walker for the non-Spanish speakers)

Are The Classes Worth It?

The program requires an investment of time, energy and money.  It’s not the cheapest way to learn, but for me anyways, a larger monetary investment makes me take it very seriously. I’m spending time watching the videos, taking notes, practicing and teaching the lessons to my students.  I’m treating it like I would a college course and I’m a little too excited that once I’ve paid for all the lessons, I’ll get a diploma signed by Sosa.

This is my experience so far with the World Mastery as a current instructor. I could see it benefiting an aspiring instructor or a dancer who wants to ‘deepen their practice’ – to borrow a phrase from the yoga world. I know a lot of people who have gone through yoga teacher training programs with no intention of teaching afterward.

I could also see that this would not be for everyone and like anything, it’s not perfect. It’s expensive – I’m not sure the actual price because World Mastery has all kinds of deals and promos, but you’re looking at at least the cost of a credit hour or two at an American university. It requires self-discipline and motivation, especially if you’re doing it by yourself and don’t have a partner. There’s no interaction with the teacher, so if you have questions that are unanswered in the videos, they will stay that way. There’s also no interaction with other students in the program, so you do feel a little isolated.

But on the whole, it’s working for me and if you’ve seen the World Mastery ads on social media and are curious about the concept, hopefully this answered some of your questions.

P.S. Terry, I’m waiting for your World Mastery program!

4 Things New Dancers Should Do When Attending Socials

Ayoub Boujneh
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4 Things New Dancers Should Do When Attending Socials

I still remember the first time I went to a social dancing party. It was a Wednesday after one month of taking dance classes. I went with a dance friend and, at that time, we thought that we were ready to hit the dance floor. One month of dance lessons were a significant achievement for us.

Your first socials are very important; it’s like the first impression. During your first time at a specific dancing venue, you will build a mental image of that place. I am sure some of you stopped going to various events because you had a bad first experience there.

I used to hate a place because the first time I went there a lady upset me after asking me to dance. She said she had been dancing for seven years and wouldn’t dance with a beginner.

When you are in a dance class, the instructor chooses the music that matches your level and the appropriate tempo for the routine he/she is teaching. However, things are different at socials. The DJ plays a variety of songs to please all dancers and there are a lot of intermediate to advanced dancers.

The goal is to not be discouraged after your first social; it’s just a new experience and you will adjust quickly if you keep these four points in mind.

Observe, Observe, Observe

You paid $10 to get in and $2 plus tip for a coat check. Before dancing, you should go and sit/stand in the corner and watch! This is your observation phase. As some wise man said, “Never test the depth of the water with both feet.” Take some time to observe what’s around you. Watch the advanced and beginner dancers, the latter will make you feel more comfortable about asking for practice dances. The advanced dancers will help you challenge yourself.  Second, listen to the music; each DJ has a preferred style. For example, if you are into Bachata, some DJs play more traditional music while others play sensual or fusion Bachata remixes.

Be Upfront

Below is a common scenario new dancers fear at socials and what they may be thinking.

Newbie: Hi, would like to dance? (In their head: You better say yes!)
Experienced Dancer: Sure. (In their mind: What do you thinking I am doing here? Counting people?)
Newbie: By the way, I have been dancing for one month – please bear with me. (In their head: Why am I the only person who doesn’t know cool turn patterns? I also hate my shirt – maybe I should say something.)
Experienced Dancer: No problem! (In their head: It’s going to be a loooong dance. Yikes!)

Be upfront with your dance partners. Tell them that you are a newbie and you are there to practice. All dancers have been there. Most of the dancers are very nice; they will adjust to your level and may give you some helpful tips.  Both of you will feel less stressed if your partner is also a beginner. Remember the positive reasons why you started dancing and that things are usually better than they seem.

Stay Positive

You have been taking dance classes for a couple of weeks and I’m sure you daydream of spinning on center stage of the dance floor, and everybody is holding their breath watching you. Wake up, sleeping beauty :). This is not going to happen for a while, and your first night out will probably suck.  Remember to manage your frustration, as it’s the only way to stay motivated.  Also remember why you started dancing – either to enjoy it as hobby, or you are serious about your dancing want to improve in order take your dancing to the next level.

In both cases, you shouldn’t stop after the first mistakes.  There will be many of them but just be patient.

Be Friendly

Social dancing events are different from events at regular clubs. Most likely, you will meet the same dancers again and again.  After a while, you will start seeing many dancers repeatedly – perhaps at least once a month or even twice a week. You will find that many in the social dance community are dancing machines and you will become comfortable dancing with many partners. Having a friendly demeanor at social dancing events (particularly if you enjoy a specific venue) will help you make friends quickly and you’ll share great moments with them. You will become more comfortable and improve faster as you get to know more dancers.

In summary – you may find your first nights out dancing are not that enjoyable, and you might get mad at yourself because you can’t perform some moves.  Don’t get discouraged! You should be proud of yourself simply because you decided to dance.

You can learn anything you want faster by applying deliberate practice techniques. I did it myself and I’ve written a checklist that describes how “deliberate practice”, among others principles, can help you improve faster.

America’s First Queer Latin Dance Festival

Jeemin Kim
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America’s First Queer Latin Dance Festival

What’s all this noise about gay dancing?  And why should we care?

Even if you don’t care about fabulous, innovative dancers both up-and-coming and multiple-World Champs, there are many things everyone’s been talking about since #MeToo movement hit the social media: building safer spaces, consent culture, and equity within the partner dance scene for everyone.

And that’s not just for the gay people.

I went to Oakland, California, for the first annual Queer Latin Dance Festival to discover what it’s all about. The festival is co-organized by Angelica Medina and Jahaira Fajardo.

All Are Welcome Here

Staff members Ximena Arias Orozco, Dulce Garcia and Esteban Rodriguez at the Welcome Desk

Upon checking in, you get a copy of the Program, the Community Agreement (also known as the code of conduct), and a name tag sticker in which you can fill out your name and pronoun (he/she/they). Why the pronouns? Because no matter their clothing or appearance, we can never assume anyone’s gender identity!

Name tag, Program, and Community Agreements

We make it the norm to ask, so we don’t single out any community members who otherwise might have to keep correcting others. And in case you’re wondering, yup—it is grammatically correct form to use “they” as singular gender-neutral pronoun. As in: I asked an English teacher and they told me it’s in the Associated Press Stylebook.

The Community Agreements (Read it here) drawn up by In Lak’ech, queer-centered, people of color-centered Latin dance company hosting the QLDF, is already the talk of the town. With growing voices speaking up about the frequent sexual harassments in many Latin dance socials and festivals, organizers trying to keep their attendees safe are beginning to turn towards equity policies.

Queer space is by design, a safer space; the community must enforce policies that prioritize LGBTQIA+ members’ sense of safety to keep the space queer-centered. In Lak’ech took a significant step as the first Latin dance festival to implement a dedicated, trained Safety Team on top of having the Community Agreements to make sure it’s being honored by the attendees, installing 6-7 Team members at all times monitoring the event, walking around and checking in with the attendees on their well-being.

In Lak’ech’s community-based, preventative approach to the safer space policy is noteworthy in comparison to the commercial, club-based “Zero-Tolerance” policy, which often relies only on the reactionary policing of the reported complaints, while unable to address most of the underlying problems at its source. (Also discounting the fact that most majority of the incidents go unreported)

There were also numerous signs throughout the venue showing that they are openly committed to providing space where people can celebrate being themselves, and feel safe doing so without fear of judgments. It’s no wonder queer spaces attract women—even straight ones—who feel safer expressing themselves without it being perceived as an invitation for sexual engagement. This pattern is echoed throughout many of the queer partner dance communities I have spoken to.

Learning From Connecting To Each Other

In classrooms, everyone was asked to choose whichever dance role they’d prefer, a standard practice in queer partner dance classes.  This is a notable recent worldwide trend even in non-queer scenes (the practice has become a commonplace in mainstream Swing & Blues scenes), especially meaningful in Latin dance considering hyper-gendered, hyper-sexualized mainstream Latin partner dance culture.

Bachata Sensual instructors Vicky Vazquez & Rey Ursery gave a passionate speech in the class, focusing on the connection and conversational dancing—not turn patterns or dips—as well as consent-based social dancing that feels comfortable for both partners.

Attendees take a Cumbia class

After teaching his class, top International dancer/educator Zeke Ruvalcaba humbly gave his heartfelt thanks to the attendees for coming and supporting the queer Latin dance community, almost unable to finish his last sentence: “It’s been long time coming…”  It definitely made my eyes water.

Another big hit was the Body Movement workshop by MG dance company, introducing lesser-known Afro-Latin dances such as Afro-Peruvian and Honduran Punta to focus on on utilizing leg muscles to facilitate different hip movements. We finished the workshop off with a big dance circle encouraging each attendees to solo their butt off to build confidence in self-expressing. The noise everyone was making made the staff members and attendees from the other side of the hallway come over to watch in excitement! By the end everyone was clapping, goofing off, laughing, and hugging. There was much positivity and celebration of individuality in the air.

Equity In Diversity: Performance Showcases

Celebration of diversity and camaraderie ran strong throughout the emotionally charged weekend: As Mireille Ruiz & Manny Villarreal—who presented Cumbia-Bachata piece—appeared on stage to Selena’s indelible live opening of Como La Flor, fluttering giant sparkly white wings à la Freddie Mercury, thunderous reaction erupted from largely Latinx/LGBTQ audience.

Jaw-dropping Quebridita aerial acrobatics by Araceli Cruz & Roger Gomez followed drawing standing ovations, not to mention Brazilian Zouk, Afro-Caribbean, Burlesque fan dance, Modern Afro-fusion solos, and an unexpected stunner from the festival’s very own MC “Lady Forbidden” Danni Lopez’s drag performance which included her jumping 3 feet in the air on-stage and landing on her knees off-stage!

David Beltran, Choreographer for MG dance company based in LA, California, told me how his dancers embraced the all-male 3-couple Bachata piece where every dancer switches back and forth leading and following: “I was nervous how they’d take it since they were all straight guys except one. Luckily they were all open-minded and enthusiastic!” The piece was significant in showcasing all the spectrums and fluidity of male expressions through the switches in a team setting, keeping the audience engaged with each dancer’s individual expressions; rather than the conventional, “who’s dancing the girl’s part now?”

MG dance company’s Josh Enamorado, Eleazar Perez, Jhaime Judah Vega, and Alberto Rosas Jr. show off wrist bands that say “Ask Me To Follow”- Ask Me To Dance Initiative started by Blues dancers

In a similarly mold-breaking, Reno Empire dance crew’s Urban Latin piece, all performers wore identical baseball-jersey uniform, yet each dancer’s uniqueness shined through the choreography that played up on individual strengths. It was delightfully empowering to watch these youths bring down the house.

Married couple Andrea & Mariah Burkhart, founders of Embrace Dance Company in Reno, Nevada, showcased a Bachata piece where the Lead is neither hyper-masculine nor hyper-feminine: with her androgynous outfit and beautifully flowing long wavy hair, Mariah showed off her own brand of understated, confident Lead style, while Juan Carlos Camarena & Jeremy Blake debuted a delightful same sex couple Chachachá switch piece, exploring wide spectrums that exist in between the energy exchange of power and playfulness between the two dancers.

Festival headliners Tina Cavicchio & Courtney Livingston, who gave stunningly powerful Bachata Sensual-Contemporary Fusion performance on Friday evening to standing ovations, presented new ideas for the future of Bachata Sensual—a refreshing departure from the current European narrative. “We wanted the dance to reflect our own lives, with the constant struggles and the resilience,” Tina, co-director of Alma Latina Boston explained, “and how important connection to each other is; sometimes we try to fight the connection, but it’s what helps us get back up on our feet.” And it was a transcendent experience indeed to see Tina, at 5 feet, pick up her dance partner Courtney in her ethereal white dress and spin triumphantly across the floor to climax.

Connected Through The Community

Backstage, performers and members of In Lak’ech dance company huddled together trying to contain the overwhelming emotions. Through months of tireless hard work and dedication, they have created a place for themselves and others like them, and it was all coming together in reality.

Remembering LGBTQI+ ancestors who fought for equality

Edwin Baltierra, a 22 year old dancer from Coachella, California also known as “Edoncé”, was debuting his very first solo piece to Beyoncé-Luis Vargas mix. He later shared with me his experience backstage: “I came by myself and was so homesick, and freaking out during tech rehearsal because I had no one with me… But after I met all the other performers; I was totally fine! Everyone was so nice, and there was SO much love.” Edoncé crushed the piece with strikingly charismatic stage presence and confident, virtuosic movements.

Instructor and performer Rey Ursery also admitted to feeling very emotional: “To be in a community where me being trans was not only welcomed, but celebrated is foreign to me. Being seen as normal because I’m a trans human and not because people assumed I was a man meant everything to me.”
As you entered the Oakland Asian Cultural Center where the Saturday events were being held, a beautiful altar had been set up to honor Latinx LGBTQI+ individuals who had come before them—with messages of “No More Transphobia”—those who had faced the similar adversities and struggles, each individual story just as unique and colorful as the next.

While social dancing I met Hyejin Shim, a queer woman training with In Lak’ech, who shared her story: “I’ve had bad experiences at socials with men touching me inappropriately or trying to hit on me during a dance, and In Lak’ech was so refreshing not just because it was for queer and trans people of color, but also because it was grounded in values that really prioritize our safety and consider our experiences of trauma in the world.”

The first day, going over the orientation packet, I felt so relieved and thankful to see a sexual harassment/assault policy as well as other guiding principles around gender and homo/transphobia. It really helped me to trust the space.”

The air at the social dances—Friday’s All-White party, and Saturday’s Queer Prom themed party—was just that: Trust. Everyone was introducing themselves to each other, catching up with old and new friends, talking about where they came from and their experiences, about the performances they have just seen.

I social danced with men, women, non-binary, trans, queer, older, younger (even with a 7-year-old!), beginner, world-champion, dancers of all different races and backgrounds. And as each night wore on, the profound sense of trust and belonging in the room deepened. Many dancers were switching (switching the lead and follow back and forth within the course of one song) and exploring variety of different connections, some goofing off and laughing so hard, some sharing a loving moment with their significant other without the fear of staring eyes.

“One of many things I loved about this weekend was that a lot of women were open to dancing with me-” Long-time Oakland resident and dancer Gonzalo Figueroa Landeros told me on Saturday. “In the ’90s, when I started attending queer dances, there was a lot of mistrust towards men among queer women. Women typically didn’t dance with me—even though we were both gay. Back then, it was very segregated; queer group was mainly white and male, and so lesbian and trans women wanted a separate space, and so did Latinos.”

While this separation continues today in many of the cities and communities, (sometimes by necessity for the community, to be sure) In Lak’ech have achieved impressive inclusion of all of the above with QLDF, both with the queer and Latin American/minority community members.

Andre Veloz, Dominican feminist icon and fierce bachatera who performed with her band at the Saturday evening party, later told me about the whole different level of appreciation she felt there—“Being able to contribute to this event that highlighted equality and unity as human beings was such a blessing for me.”

Dominican Feminist icon and Bachatera Andre Veloz performs with her band

Looking Ahead

The success of QLDF is significant: Latinx- and queer-led, community and familia oriented, with many of the dancers and instructors younger millennials from more integrated and accepting culture of FaceBook age– it proposes a new, positive model for the future of Latin dance scene that is less commercial and more community-based, less heteronormative/patriarchal and more equity-based. And above all, the experience of Latin dance that celebrates and cares for each and every one of the community member.

Andrea and Mariah Burkhart poses with friends from Reno, Nevada community who have supported and helped them build their dance company (Photo by Coralline’s Playtime)

Despite all the set-backs in the last two years for the Latin American and queer communities in the U.S., after meeting all of these dancers—inspiring and supporting each other, coming together to celebrate the shared love for Latin dance and self-expressions—I am convinced the future is bright. It doesn’t matter what your background or gender is, or who your significant other is; Now is the time to celebrate yourself.

“Anywhere you go, somebody’s gonna look at you; somebody’s gonna judge you. So you just have to come in, knowing that you are beautiful, no matter what.” 3-time World Salsa Champion Andrew Cervantez shared words of wisdom: “If you feel discouraged, then you know what? Let’s find you a different space. Because there’s going to be a place out there that will accept you for who you are. Be YOU. Don’t be nobody else.”

And they did. They created a space that truly was a place where all were welcome. Everyone celebrated each other; empowering those who have been marginalized—and looking towards the future together, on equal grounds.

Do you identify LGBTQI+ or wish to be a strong ally to help build your local queer community?  Find your local queer Latin dance communities on the Go Latin Dance LGBTQIA+ PARTNER DANCE RESOURCES page.

Do you run, or know of queer Latin partner dance communities not listed here? Interested in starting one in your area?
Please feel free to leave comments, share resources, and tell us your story!

Special thank you to Mischa Freeman and the incredible community members of In Lak’ech dance company who welcomed me into their home with open hearts, and Rachel Cassandra for encouraging me to write this article, and mentoring me every step of the way. Muchas gracias desde el fondo de mi corazón.

What To Do When You Don’t Feel Like Practicing

Brielle Friedman
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What To Do When You Don’t Feel Like Practicing

I love to dance, but I don’t always love practicing.

Practicing is hard. It requires resilience and tenacity. You must be willing to try something and fail, and then get up and try it again and again.

It is equal parts physical and emotional work, and sometimes I don’t feel like putting in the effort to do that work. Especially after a long day at the office.

I’ve learned, however, that consistent practice is incredibly important to becoming a better dancer, so even on days like these I try not to skip rehearsal or a solo-practice session.

Here are a few tips and tricks I use to motivate myself to get to the studio even on those days when all I really want to do is come home, sit on the couch, and watch Netflix all night.

1. Dress Up

It may seem silly to get dressed up when you know you’re going to start sweating in the studio,  but doing so can actually boost your energy and change your emotional state. There’s even science to back this up.

It’s called the Enclothed Cognition, a term scientists use to describe the influence clothes have on how we feel, which comes from the symbolic meaning of the clothes and the experience of wearing them. Studies have show that wearing a lab coat or glasses can make us feel—and therefore act—smarter, simply because socially we associate those items with smartness.

So next time you’re feeling sluggish after a long day at work, instead of throwing on that ratty t-shirt from the 5k you ran sophomore year of college, try putting on something a little bit nicer.

2. Listen To Music

Nothing makes you want to dance more than listening to a great song, so turn on one of your favorite, feel-good tunes next time you’re feeling unmotivated to dance. The frequency of the waves will actually trigger a release of endorphins and serotonin in the brain, which results in feeling happier, more positive, and more motivated.

What type of music is most likely to trigger those feel-good feelings? According to researchers from McGill University, that is highly personalized and depends on what type of music you were exposed to growing up. Audio is a huge part of the way human beings create memories, and thus the music you listened to during different parts of your childhood.

If your family played bachata and merengue at parties, that genre will likely boost your mood, whereas if you and your friends blasted Christina Aguilera in the car, listening to some pop music is more likely to boost your mood.

3. Get Organized The Night Before

Pack everything you need for dance—clothes, shoes, socks, snacks, gum, water bottle, headphones, etc.—the night before or over the weekend if you back-to-back weeknight commitments. That way when you get home after an exhausting day of work, you don’t have to worry about the added stress that comes with trying to get all of your stuff together at the last minute.

Nothing will discourage you from going to class more than running around your apartment looking for your other dance shoe for fifteen minutes after a day of back-to-back meetings at the office. In fact, research from the University of Minnesota has shown that the act of choosing what to wear can actually deplete your energy levels, especially if you have a lot of clothes or accessories to choose from (#guilty).

Plus, by being packed and ready in advance, you won’t be able to use not having enough time to get ready as an excuse not to go to class or rehearsal. All you have to do is walk in the door, grab your stuff, and head to the studio. And if you find yourself with a few minutes to spare, you can use those to do something you enjoy like reading an article, listening to a podcast, or watching some TV. You could even use those few minutes to take a quick nap! 

4. Set Goals And Reward Yourself When You Hit Them

Start by writing out your short and long-term dance goals. Maybe you want to impress the dancer you have a crush on at next month’s social, or join a team and perform at a latin dance festival next year. Perhaps you want to enter and place in an upcoming competition, or hope to earn a living from dance in the future.

Whatever your goals are, it’s important to get really clear about them so that you understand how practicing, taking class, or taking a private lesson will help you achieve those goals. On days when you feel like doing anything but dancing, take out your list and read it out loud. (Yes, out loud! It will feel more concrete.) Reviewing your list will remind you what you’re working towards, as well as how far you’ve come. Remembering all of that can be a powerful motivator on days when you’re feeling burnt out.

As important as it is to set personal goals and milestones, it’s equally important to celebrate when you do finally hit them. Acknowledging your success and all of the hard work that went into getting there will help keep you motivated too! So make sure to reward yourself throughout your dance journey in whatever way is most meaningful to you. That could mean treating yourself to a new pair of shoes, going to dinner with friends, or taking a night off for some self-care.

What tips and tricks do you use to motivate yourself on days when you don’t feel like practicing? Share them below!

P.S. If you’ve enjoyed reading my articles, be sure to check out my new blog (https://vitaminb.blog) about dance, travel, relationships, style, and more!

Organizing Outdoor Dances

Rachel Cassandra
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Organizing Outdoor Dances

Thinking about taking your dance scene into the open air? I highly recommend it! Let me take you through some of the benefits of hosting dances outside as well as a few steps to creating a wonderful experience for your dancers.

Let’s Take This Outside

There are plenty of advantages to hosting one or more outdoor dance events!

1. Follow The Crowd

When the weather is nice, people like to get out in the sun and fresh air. Attendance to studio events usually drops as they compete with all the many opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. This is especially true in parts of the world with very short summers (or those with summers that get unbearably hot and/or humid).

2. Keep Cool

If you live in the majority of the world where dance venues are not air-conditioned, dancing outside offers far more air flow. Not only does that help your dancers feel cooler, it also helps sweat evaporate. Maybe that’s a little gross to think about, but on the whole people prefer not to dance when they’re drenched in sweat.

3. Market To Passersby

Dancing outside can be a perfect opportunity to attract new students. People passing by are interested to know what exactly is going on. Especially if you have flyers to hand out or a QR code to scan, you will get some who come later to learn more. Advertising a free lesson in the park can draw people in as well. It’s even better if you designate a few people to work as an outreach team, going up to people who stop to watch and giving them more information or maybe even give them a 10-minute basic introduction to the dance.

4. Bring Out The Newbies

Outdoor dances are often less intimidating to people who don’t have any experience with social dancing. It’s easy to just sit down and enjoy the beautiful weather, rather than feeling trapped or anxious in a place where only dancing is happening. It’s an ideal opportunity for bringing a significant other, friend, or colleague out for a first try!

5. Cut Costs

If you don’t have your own studio, dancing outside can be a very cheap way of running socials and even drop-in classes. Depending on your chosen venue, it may be free or require only a nominal rental or license fee. Of course, people don’t much like to pay for outdoor dances, so you can’t expect to get much immediate return on the effort you put into organizing.

6. Build Community

Everyone loves an outing! This is a great way not only to increase your numbers, but also to build community among the dancers you already have. With plenty of space to hang out and the volume low enough to allow for conversation, it makes for a nice chance for dancers to talk, snack, make music, or whatever as they get to know each other beyond their dance skills.

Get It Right

I’m going to assume if you’re still reading by now, you’re convinced that having an outdoor dance will be of benefit to your scene. As great as these open air dances are, there are a few key points to keep in mind if you want to have a successful social.

1. Location, Location, Location

It’s essential to pick a place that’s easy to find and get to. Have a walk near your studio or popular dance venues. Check out parks near public transportation or that have free parking. If people need to go way out of their way or might even get lost trying to find your perfect spot, it’s likely not going to feel worth it to them.

2. Cut The Rug

Ideally you want a place that’s got some kind of regular surface to dance on. That could include lots of possibilities: a tiled pavilion, a beach with packed sand, a paved walkway, or a close-mown lawn. The more momentum in your dance style, the more important it will be to find something smooth. The last thing you want is someone’s spin to turn into a sprained ankle. The more impact in your style, the more important it is to have some give to the surface. It only took me a year of dancing Lindy hop outside on concrete to understand just how much damage it could to do my joints!

3. Coming Through!

You also need to be sure the place doesn’t have too much through-traffic around the day and time you’ll use it. Of course if you’re doing it to draw in new people you’ll want a place that people wander past, but not somewhere they’ll be forced to weave through dancers to continue on their way. I can say from experience, it’s not fun to run into a baby stroller! Not to mention the risk if you’re in an area that cyclists may use as well.

4. Reservation For … 100?

If you’re using a pavilion, picnic shelter, or dock area, be sure to check whether it’s a space that can be (or must be) reserved. Not only will this avoid any trouble with the authorities, it will also prevent your showing up only to find someone else has a prior claim to the space. On a related note, if there is no reservation possible, have someone arrive at your desired location early to hold a large enough space for your dancers. Even in a public park that’s free for everyone to use, it can be difficult to situate a large group on short notice.

5. Hey, DJ!

Obviously music is a key component to an outdoor dance. Be sure to bring speakers that can handle an open area. Test them out in advance, and walk away from them in multiple directions to be sure 1. your dancers will be able to hear the music and 2. the volume doesn’t go so high that it would be disturbing to people in nearby buildings. In fact, you should check to see if there are any noise regulations for your chosen spot. These can sometimes be arbitrary; for example, Florian Tep and I were warned off by a pair of cops when we played a kizomba song softly over a speaker while recording a video – even though a nearby group playing guitar and singing was easily ten times louder. Why? Electronic amplification is not allowed in Washington Square Park. Also, some places require you to purchase a permit to use speakers for a set date and time. If you can’t find a good spot where electronic amplification is allowed, small groups can get away with natural amplification: just place your laptop or phone so that the speaker goes into a large bowl. Large groups can try synced headphones (silent DJ) although that can be expensive. Unless it’s a publicity stunt, it’s probably best to just find a spot with less stringent rules.

6. Show You Care

It makes such a difference to people’s experience if you’ve anticipated their needs. You definitely want to have some shade available. If there’s no roof or nearby trees, find some beach umbrellas to set up. Offer sunscreen and encourage people to use it! Tell people to bring water, provide cups and water pitchers, or at least sell drinks cheaply out of a cooler. Bring a first aid kit to take care of any minor accidents. Also, have a plan B ready in case the weather suddenly changes – even if that’s just heading to a nearby restaurant for ice cream.

That’s all my advice, but I’d love to hear from you. What do you keep in mind when planning your outdoor dances? What bad experience would you like us all to learn from? What was the best open air social you’ve ever been to and why?

Oh, and when you’re ready to advertise your dance, share this article by Sarah Liz Vuong that gives great reasons to “Go Outside and Dance!”

SHINE – New York Salsa Music/Dance Drama Feature Film

golatindance
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SHINE – New York Salsa Music/Dance Drama Feature Film

Anthony Nardolillo is a man on a mission.  He is an actor, director….and fellow salsero!

He has produced a variety of latin dance related projects including the critically acclaimed short film, Mano.  Nardolillo’s latest project is a full length feature film entitled Shine. The story will be about two brothers, once renowned NYC Salsa dancers, who are reunited years after the death of their father, on opposing ends of gentrification.

The movie opened in theaters nationwide on October 5th, 2018.

Use this handy tool to find a theater near you that is showing SHINE! 

Check out the preview clip for Shine below! (UPDATE: Trailer current as of August 30th, 2018)

Please see Anthony’s message below in how you can support the film!

Just want to ask if I can get your support on what hopefully will be next year’s secret film success. We are now on our way to being the highest funded Latino film ever on Kickstarter. I really need you if possible to support me on this even if only a few dollars. We only get this if we reach our goal. I’ve been at this 9 years and this final push will get this movie made. I know you have other priorities but if you could just take two minutes and pledge, we only receive the money if we reach our goal

Visit the Kickstarter link below to pledge and support one of our fellow dancers!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/646207037/shine-new-york-salsa-music-dance-drama-feature-fil

UPDATE:

Anthony and his team were successfully able to raise the money necessary to obtain the $100,000 to help finance the team. Congrats to Anthony and the greater salsa community for helping get this done! We’re looking forward to the upcoming film!

 

Get Down With Choreography

David Phillips
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Get Down With Choreography

A student asks, “I love dancing but can’t seem to get the choreography down. What should I do?”

Last year my partner Liz and I went through the entire DVIDA program for Argentine tango — Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum; each level with 15 unique two phrase patterns (eight measures, or about 16 steps); eight columns of information for both leader and follower — a monumental memory and performance task that required us to develop new capabilities and expand old ones. We used many techniques to get through it (with High Honors!).

Is it a performance issue? A memory issue? Well, of course, the two are intricately connected. When our brain feels distracted by, “What do I do now?” it can hardly pay attention to, “How do I do this well?” Likewise, wrestling with, “How do I make this work?” torpedoes thoughts of, “What comes next?” As when learning a new musical piece, the first step is to memorize the notes, our gross dance movements, and then we can work on timing and expression.

MEMORIZING

Have a relaxed mind, knowing that it will come in the way and in the time that suits you. Nothing depends on you doing this the same way as anyone else (even when it seems like it does!)

Challenge yourself to capture the whole piece in your mind on the FIRST showing. Suppose you don’t? How close can you come to the big ideas of it? Don’t be one of the people who calls out, “Show us one more time.” Use constructive failure to sharpen your mind. Possibly you’ll discover a new, interesting thing, or at least learn what you need to pay more attention to.

Look for big picture pieces. I like the method of telling a story. (Brigitte Menard on Quora) reminded me of the value of storytelling.) “Who is moving about whom, and when. Where are they going, and what are they doing. What is each partner’s motivation.” So even if I don’t know precisely what my feet or their feet should be doing, can I navigate us in the relative movements with each other? (I realize this goes against advice below, and for learning music, where you want to avoid mistakes at all cost. They say, learn in small chunks, go slowly, do it correctly. I see value in that bottom-up approach, combined with this top-down approach.)

When watching an instructor perform choreography, try to find the most advantageous viewing place. If you’re learning a specific role, perhaps the best spot is to shadow the person performing that role. But maybe it’s better to shadow the opposite role? Or from the side? Or from above!

Start recognizing and learning chunks that you often see across lots of different choreography. In the tango, for example, these could include: the fundamental relational movement steps Open step, Front-crossing step, and Back-crossing step; la cruzada, molinete, ochos, cadencia turns, common entrances and exits.

Learn/practice it backwards. (From Peter Renzland on Quora) If, as is so common, we always start from the first, restarting when we make a mistake, then the material at the end doesn’t get practiced as much. Also, it usefully challenges and strengthens our memory if we can jump into the choreography at any point.

Vocalize the action. We have a massive amount of brain power dedicated to our vocal and hearing apparatus compared to other body parts. We can combine that with our mirroring neurons that want to copy what we see or hear or is going on in a different part of our body. Think of the way a tap dancer might say, “Step, ball change, kick, shuffle, flap!” It is worlds easier for their brain to memorize and repeat that sequence, guiding the feet and legs, than it is to create the motor neuron pathways.

Cheat. It’s perfectly fine to look to others to fill in your blank spots (recognizing that they may not have it complete or correct). Ask your partner. Ask a neighbor. Ask the teacher.

Write it down. I always carry a pen and pocket notebook (my favorite) in class. During class or immediately after I make notes using words, diagrams, and my personal dance notation. For me, expressing things in my own words is part of my process for internalizing and remembering class material.

Make videos of yourself. Much more powerful than making a video of the teacher or watching YouTube is to make a video of yourself (and your partner) performing the choreography! Immediately after class have a friend use your phone to make a video of you making your own didactic (teaching) video, where you not only perform the movements but also talk through them and point out any special notes. This has several benefits, and especially benefits over a teacher video. You immediately exercise your recall. You can include all the notes and demonstrations that you need, and nothing that you don’t need (such as teacher demos that are actually performances, confusing you over what the class was about). Hearing and seeing yourself connects with you in a way that others can’t.

Flash cards, Video reviews, and in the car Recitations. These last few ideas I used in the DVIDA project mentioned up top. They probably won’t apply to most people, but when faced with learning 60 figures (well, 15 at a time) in great detail, I was looking for all the help I could get. I transcribed each figure into about three lines of dense choreographic notation that I could actually speak. Importing these into Quizlet flash cards, I would do spaced repetition review and testing. I would review the official (and excellent) DVIDA videos before bedtime. I made an audio recording of me speaking all the flashcards. Then in the car I would test myself, pausing after receiving the number and name of each figure, I would then recite the full figure. Or I would play the music to accompany figures as I recited the choreography.

Spaced repetition. Have a good night’s sleep and allow yourself the possibility that you may dream of what you have learned and what you can learn and imagine. Perhaps you see yourself performing, or you feel yourself performing. Rather than trying to cram for an exam, you’ll do better by spacing out your learning and practice sessions, allowing your sleeping subconscious to help make sense of it all.

PERFORMANCE

Now after and as we are learning the choreography, we apply ourselves to perfecting the performance aspects of it.

Go slowly. This won’t always work, because some movements may rely on momentum for their correct execution, and slow can take you out of the flow that makes chunks connect smoothly. When you get to trouble spots, break it down and do each piece in a deliberate, careful manner until you have the movements the way you want.

Go fast. Can you challenge both your performance memory and your choreography memory? Can you still perform it cleanly? What do you need to work on in order to do it with the precision and energy that you seek?

Back up. When you hit a trouble spot realize that the actual problem likely occurred one or two steps prior to that point. Back up a little ways and go through the trouble spot only a little way beyond. Keep “ironing” over the area around the trouble spot until you get it smoothed out.

Use the right music! The right music can make certain movements easier, while the wrong music can make them harder. Your mind-body hears-feels the rhythms. If they don’t fit the movements, that confuses your body.

If you do a partner dance, such as Argentine tango, learn the opposite role. This helps your body learn what you partner wants to feel to make the movements most clear and comfortable. It also fosters awareness of creative possibilities: See Do it the opposite way below.

Ask for help. Does a neighbor in class seem to have the skill you need? Ask them for help. Ask the teacher for help. Ask your partner what they need from you. What do they want to feel more of, less of?

OWNING IT

Whether you are a performer or social dancer, the point of learning and perfecting choreography doesn’t want to stop there. Now how can you leverage the work you have put in on this? You want to make it part of your working movement vocabulary that you can call up for improvisation whenever you want, and as a source for related, new ideas of your own.

Once you have done a pattern umpteen times and have now thoroughly learned and perfected it, let your partner know that you are going off book and experimenting with changes.

Test the lead & follow. Let’s say you learned a figure that included an ocho cortado. Can you lead/follow when the lead for that is randomly changed to a pivot, a spiral cross, an entrance to a molinete?

Combine chunks differently. Can you do a sequence in a different order? Can you usefully repeat certain elements? Drop out elements?

Enter/exit chunks differently. At least in ballroom dances (which includes Argentine tango) teachers show figures with typical entrances and resolutions. Often these are the easiest way to get into and out of a movement sequence. But how could you do it differently!

Do it the opposite way. Keeping in mind that in partner dances some movements may not work as easily or as smoothly due to the asymmetrical embrace, we can still usefully explore all the possibilities of trying movements to the hand-side versus the arm-side of the embrace. In reverse order. In me-to-my-partner fashion versus partner-does-to-me.

Catalog chunks. Keep track of the things you like, the ones that seem particularly interesting or useful, or that you do well, or that evoke delight from your partners. Periodically review this to see if things you’ve used in the past have fallen out of use. Do you want to revive them?

Challenge yourself. Before a social dance event pick two or three (or more, as you can handle) movement elements to be sure to use. For a dance, play with using a single element as much as you can, with all the variety you can in terms of entrance, exit, speed, size, dynamics, rhythm, level, and you name it!

FINALLY

Whew! Well, now you know everything there is to know about learning, knowing, and using dance choreography … at least everything I know, and you don’t need to come to class. Actually, there are a few things to be said for going to classes, regardless of your level of expertise or achievement.

Classes give us a safe place to experiment and fail … or succeed! Classes (and private lessons) are the place where we can work rigorously on technique while we learn new things. With that underpinning, that foundation of careful work, augmented by our private practice (solo and with partner), at the social dance we can release those concerns and allow ourselves to be in the flow, knowing that our preparation will help carry us through to performing well, near to and — happily — often even better than our class work.

Best of success to you.

—David

[Much of this article first appeared as an answer on Quora.]

David Phillips teaches Argentine tango at Tango Tribe in Austin, Texas.

 

 

How to Dance With Confidence When You’re Still Learning

Brielle Friedman
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How to Dance With Confidence When You’re Still Learning

Dancing with confidence comes from truly loving what you’re doing in that moment.

If you genuinely love what you’re doing, everyone else around you will love it too. That’s what confidence on the dance floor looks like.

It took me a long time to realize this. I used to think, “If I just learn that movement…” or If I just win that competition…” then voila!, that’s when I’ll finally feel confident on the dance floor. I believed that after I had checked off a defined list of accomplishments, I’d finally be good enough to dance with the type of confidence I admired in others.

But that voila! moment I was waiting for never came.

I learned that movement and I won that competition, but confidence didn’t magically materialize after I’d hit those goals.

This seemingly paradoxical situation frustrated me. It angered and drained me too, and for a while I wondered if maybe I had just fallen out of love with dance.

I hadn’t. If anything, I was more in love with dance than ever. But instead of sinking into that love and letting it saturate me, I was waiting for someone (or something) to give myself permission to let myself love my own dancing.

In the last year I’ve learned that I’ll always be learning. As a dancer, there will always be new movements to master, new turn patterns to learn, new muscles to strengthen. As an artist, I will always strive to create something more beautiful, more raw, more moving.

There is always something to improve, always a new goal to reach. Dance is a journey after all, and that journey changes every single day. Sometimes it goes sideways and diagonally and backwards too.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t absolutely love what I’m doing in the moment, at that part of my journey.

You don’t have to be an advanced dancer to dance with confidence. You don’t have to know a certain number of turn patterns, or series of steps. You don’t have to win a certain competition. You don’t have to dance like anyone other than yourself. You just have to give yourself permission to love your own dancing.

So next time you’re out social dancing, look around you. Notice the people in the room having a blast on the dance floor. Watch them for a while and remember that no one in that room is stopping you from being one of them, except you.

From experience, I know this change doesn’t happen overnight (or after reading one article), so here are five practices to help you learn to love my own movement in the moment. Do you have any others? I’d love to hear them in the comments below!

Practice.

The more you practice any skill set, the more comfortable you’ll feel using it in the moment. Dance is no different. The more you practice different movements and steps on your own in an environment where you feel no judgment (like a quiet studio space or your living room), the more comfortable you’ll feel when it’s time to use all of elements social dancing.

When you’re thinking about how much time to spend practicing, keep in mind that your body takes much longer to absorb new information than your brain does. So even if you think you’ve nailed something, chances are your body could benefit from going over it a few more times.

Think of a recent “win” outside of dance.

Maybe you nailed a presentation earlier this week at work, or are in a new and exciting romantic relationship. Perhaps you woke up 15 minutes earlier this week and made it to work early.

Little wins count just as much as those big wins, and every single positive vibe influences the level of confidence you bring into your dancing, even if you don’t realize it. Next time you feel a negative thought coming on, counteract it by focusing on something in your life that’s going really well right now.

Remind yourself how far you’ve come.

It sounds so simple, but this reminder can do wonders when you take time to reflect on it for a few minutes. You are a better, stronger dancer today than you were yesterday, two weeks ago, two months ago, and certainly two years ago! You can even pull up old videos to see how far you’ve come, literally.

Remember too that even the absolute best dancer in your social scene, started from the same place you did––with no experience and no ability. No one walks out of the womb a great dancer. We all start from the same place, and at any given time we’re all in different parts of our dance journey.

If you really need a reminder about how far you’ve come, drop in to an absolute beginner dance class where the instructor is breaking down the basic step. Seeing other people struggle with something you’ve now mastered is sure to boost your confidence and help you remember how much progress you’ve made.

Focus on the music.

When you put all of your energy into listening to the different sounds and rhythms of the song, it’s really hard to think about anything else! As human beings, we don’t have enough mental energy to really focus on more than one thing at a time. Our brains don’t work that way.

Next time you’re in the middle of a dance and just can’t seem to get those negative thoughts out of your head, listen for the sound of a specific instrument. Focus all of your attention on how you can match your movement to a particular rhythm. You’ll find that when you put ALL of your energy into the actual movement you’re trying to create, you’ll be so absented in what you’re doing that you won’t even have time to worrying about what people around you might be thinking.

** Performers and competitors, this is a great tip for you too! It’s much harder to be nervous during a show if you put all of your effort into listening and then moving to the song you’re dancing to. Focusing on the music can also help get into your piece when you walk on stage and into a lifeless crowd.

Talk it out.  

While self-reflection is super helpful (I’m a huge fan of journaling!), opening up to someone about how you’re feeling will show you that you’re not alone. Everyone has felt insecure about their dancing and struggled with confidence at one time or another, even world champions.

Hearing someone’s else’s story can help you own your own (that’s one of the reasons I wanted to share mine here!). Talk to a dance friend, or better yet, a coach, like Anya Katsevman, who’s trained hundreds of dancers on and off the stage, and has heard it all. An expert can help you dig into the root cause of your feelings and support you as you work through them.

Dancers like Katsevman, Melany Mercedes, and Isabel Freiberger are opening up the conversation about real issues on IG too, so if you don’t already follow them, add them and join the conversation!

Feature image by Salsamania Saturdays

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