danca

While we're off to Portugal...

Wimmy Wimmy — Fri, 07 Jul 2017 22:46:10 +0000

Just wanted to say thank you all for the great support, enthusiasm and your great energy in making Kizomba scene in Wellington so vibrant!

For those who have come regularly to classes & social, THANK YOU! These won't be happening without you all.

Monday Social runs as usual.

Tamás is teaching 4 week course of Semba.

Farewell party is tonight

Check out all the events on www.danca.co.nz or Facebook Page

We'll surely write you some and see you all again when we're back!

Love,

Wimmy & Bari

Hello Summer Time!

Wimmy Wimmy — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 23:21:41 +0000

Sunshine & blue sky are finally here! Wohhhoooo....

"There are shortcuts to happiness, and dancing Kizomba is one of them..."

UPCOMING EVENTS

Two Hours Kiz $10

Sunday 5 March 5-7 pm

Special Open Class

$10 (excluded from packages) at Tarrant Dance Studio

Let's celebrate the end of the term! Back by popular demand, 2 Hours Kiz is on this Sunday.

***No combinations class this week*** It's an open level class where we combine all levels, there will be a lot of dance, dance and dance :-)

See FB Event

Kiz On Beach $5

Sat 11 March 4-8pm

Intro Class Included! Below Maranui Life Surf Club, Lyall Bay Been wanting to get a taste of Kiz? Why not try the intro class. 4 - 4.45 Intro Class, open for everyone 5 - 8pm Eat, dance, drink, repeat! There is indoor area, no drama if it rains. Bring a plate and your own drinks.

Invite Friends

Kizomba New Term $10

Sunday 12 March 6-7pm

Term is now 8 weeks!

at Tarrant Dance Studio

So you’ve been wanting to learn Kizomba and wonder when the new term starts. This is it!!

Buy Special Packages and save $40!

See FB Event

Top of South Latin Festival

Nelson 29 April 2017

We've been invited to teach special workshops so...

Keep an eye, details coming soon!

Nelson has a friendly community with an awesome dance scene.

Recommend this one if you want to experience dance outside Wellington :-)

Kiz Workshop

Christchurch 7 May 2017

Details coming soon and save the date for now :-)

Porto & Lisboa, Portugal

15 July - 3 August 2017

We'll be learning from top teachers and dance every-single-night with the locals!

Nadege, Pierre, Katie, Maxim, Lucy & Aswin might be joining us so let us know if you're keen :-)

Special Packages

Many people took advantage of the packages for Term 1, so don’t miss out on this term’s packages:

Some benefits of for you:

-Use your credit card to collect rewards (eg: Air Points, cash back)

-No more carrying cash to Kizomba

-Save a lot of money & time!

-Get you committed to the term & fully immersed in the whole experience

Kizomba term is 8 weeks. Packages are for Term 2 (12 March - 30 April 2017).

PAST EVENTS

Semba, Kizomba and Tarraxinha Workshops with Tamás Nagy (Hungary) and Liz Golden (Australia). Great & fun classes!

Kizomba on Beach, simply one of the best days in Wellington!

Dancing Kizomba by Oriental Beach, under the moon, in the sky.... Amazing!

Kiz Workshop in Christchurch

Latest video from us, hope you enjoy it and see you this Sunday!! :-)

Lots and lots and lots of love,

Wimmy & Bari

Christmas & Upcoming Events

Wimmy Wimmy — Sun, 18 Dec 2016 07:27:01 +0000

Merry Christmas from Kiz Family in Wellington, New Zealand

THANK YOU for those who have participated at the last Christmas Party, everyone was looking hot in red and more than 20 people made it until the very end of the night, love your enthusiasm!!! :-D

PAST EVENTS

Kizz It Out, Sydney

3 December 2016

Ten of us went to Sydney to attend 5 workshops and Kizomba Party, we enjoyed the classes and learned something new from different teachers.

The party lasted until 3 am which is something we're inspired to do, if it takes

10,000 steps a day to keep fit, dancing all night long is the BEST way to go! :-D

Nelson Kizomba Workshop & Crazy Christmas Party

10 December 2016

It was our second time in Nelson and they threw another AMAZING party! Nelson have such a friendly community, we feel very welcomed, which reminds us of being home in Wellington Kizomba Family :-)

Loved the crazy dress code and the idea of people bringing their own glasses which reduces a lot of rubbish.

UPCOMING EVENTS

MONDAY SOCIALS DURING HOLIDAY PERIOD

Next one: 19 December 2016

Basically there won't be any break during this Christmas & New Year period, so if you're staying in Wellington (which is a GREAT idea because nothing beats Wellington during sunny days) then come and enjoy social.

Also, this Monday 19 December will be Nadege's last social, so be sure you dance with her!!

NEW TERM Kizomba Classes

Sunday 8 January 2017

Foundation Classes will last up to 8 weeks not 5 weeks as previous years.

We've fine tuned the curriculum and made it even better. Looking forward to see you in the new term :-)

Long Weekend Salsa Party

Saturday 21 January 2017

Another long weekend which means... another all night long party! Place: Full Swing Studio Address: 80 Cuba St (stairs entry next to Cafe Pasha) Time: 9pm - 12am Price: $10 cash People loved the venue so much we're coming back there. It's a BYO place so bring your own drink and we'll party like there is no tomorrow.

Salsa, Bachata & Kizomba will be played through out the night.

Ssshhhh we also have some amazing bakers in Kizomba Family so make sure to spare some tummy space for great desserts!

Kizomba Beach Social

Saturday 4 February 2017

Summer Time and... Long Weekend!! There is no summer if we haven't danced on the beach, so... get your sunnies, bring your BBQ food and get ready for a fun evening out on the beach! Place: Maranui Surf Life Saving Club Address: 7 Lyall Parade, Lyall Bay, Wellington (below Maranui Cafe) Time: 5pm - 9pm Price: $5 Cash Bring: Your own drink, BBQ food and towel if you want to swim. There is also an indoor area if you prefer to be inside. Can’t wait!! :-)

Last Classes of 2016

Wimmy Wimmy — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 09:12:13 +0000

Hello,

This Sunday is our last Classes in 2016, to celebrate this, here is something special for you: a joint 2 hours class for all levels.

We've prepared some fun practices, a practical way to apply your Kizomba moves to Semba songs, and of course a lot of dances.

Sunday 27 November 2016

4-6pm Special 2 hours Kizomba Class - All Levels $10

6-7pm Afro House - Beginners $10

at Tarrant Dance Studio, 125 Cuba St, Wellington

WHAT'S ON THIS WEEKEND

Nadege & Berit's Farewell

Saturday 26 November 7PM (Free)

These 2 lovelies are leaving us soon, so we'll have a sweet farewell & Kizomba at Nadege's place, 93 Ohariu Road, Johnsonville Leo's made his own portable BBQ and kindly lend it to us. If you like you can bring your own meat/seafood/veggies to BBQ. This is also an old tradition to welcome new people in Kizomba Family :-) Reply to this e-mail if you need a ride.

Afro House by Tamás Nagy

Sunday 27 November 6-7pm $10

I know you have been looking forward to this, and so have we! Our recommendation is to bring a towel and do not wear high heels.

This one is intended for beginner levels, so pretty much everyone who'd like to have fun and enjoy Afro Beats.

at Tarrant Dance Studio, 125 Cuba St, Wellington

Monday Social at Hotel Bristol

Monday 28 November 2016 $5

Guess what ladies.... Hareliko will be here with us this weekend!

He'll also bring with him 2 dancers from Christchurch, so join us and make them feel welcome.

CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS WEEKEND! :-D

Special Classes & Flashmob Going Viral

Wimmy Wimmy — Sat, 12 Nov 2016 01:33:14 +0000

Hi all! Just came back from Byron Bay Australia and we miss home dearly!

There is no Foundation Class tomorrow, but.... If you want to learn more of the Kizomba Dance Tree, we have these special classes below:

Sunday 13 Nov 6-7pm: Semba by Tamás $10

Sunday 20 Nov 6-7pm: Tarraxinha by Bari & Wimmy $10

Sunday 27 Nov 6-7pm: Afro House by Tamás $10

These are perfect for Improver Students or those who have just finished Foundation Term. Highly recommend to stay after Improvers Class! :-) All classes are at Tarrant Dance Studio, 125 Cuba St, Wellington.

Semba by Tamás

Sunday 13 Nov 6-7pm $10

Semba is the parent dance of Kizomba. It is also very playful, incorporating comedic expressions and mimed grabs for an escaping partner. See below video of how it looks like.

Tarraxinha by Bari & Wimmy

Sunday 20 Nov 6-7pm $10

Tarraxinha has very little in the way of steps and is focused on isolations and two bodies moving as one. The music often has little melody and a much heavier-hitting beat than kizomba.

This class is perfect for ladies who want to be more confident in their body movement & for guys who want to lead bunda movements confidently.

Afro House by Tamás

Sunday 27 Nov 6-7pm $10

Afro-House blends traditional forms with the high-energy, improvised movements that emphasize fast footwork and fun moves.

This class is perfect for those who want to learn more of an African Style body movement and getting fit with the Aerobic style dance.

PAST EVENTS

Kizomba Flashmob Going Viral on Facebook

This is not at all expected, however... Kizomba Flasmob video went successfully viral on Facebook with over 10,000 views, 200 likes and 40 times shares.

Great team work! The concept worked as planned and.. People in public started to know more about Kizomba. See video below.

Long Weekend Birthday Party

Also some pictures from Long Weekend Birthday Party, people were dancing so much we needed to extend the party from 12am to 1am! Loved the spirit!!

See you all in the class on Sunday 13th November and social on Monday 14th November :-)

Wimmy & Bari

THANK YOU! For Making It A Great Weekend

Wimmy Wimmy — Sun, 23 Oct 2016 21:42:45 +0000

2 Years Kizomba in Wellington, New Zealand

Can’t believe 2 years have just passed and we’ve just showed public through Flashmob of what Kizomba looks like! It’s not an easy job when no one knows Kizomba, but… slowly we’re getting there.

Thank you again for those who have been part of this journey. Great effort for those who commit practicing and oh, what an awesome birthday party!

It's only the second year Kizomba exists in Wellington, so you are part of the history.

Here are some pictures from the Dança's birthday party last night.

Kizomba Flashmob

The idea is for people who are dancing Kizomba to blend in with the crowds and join the dance one by one so people are surprised of what happened. And it turned out to work so well!

Crowds were stopping by, mesmerised & confused at the same time. Regardless, it was a great 3 minutes of Kizomba in public and all those efforts are paid of.

Here is the video of Flashmob below.

FUTURE EVENTS

Semba, Afro & Tarraxa

Sundays, 13 - 27 November 2016

13th Nov 6-7pm Semba by Tamas

20th Nov 6-7pm Tarraxinha by Dança

27th Nov 6-7pm Afro House by Tamas

As you all know, October is be our Last Kizomba Foundation Term of 2016. But.. We have a surprise for you!

For those who are curious, keen, excited and want to learn more of the Kizomba Tree dance culture, we have these special classes with the same price $10

Sydney Kizz it Out!

3rd December 2016, all-day-long

I would say... This one will be one of the best 1 day Kizomba Workshops out there. Most definitely great dancers, teachers, and UNBEATABLE PRICE!

Program: 10.00 - 16.30 Classes 21.30 - LATE: Salsa & Kizomba Party! Tickets: all day classes (pre-purchased): $60 all day classes (at the door): $80 single class: $25

BUY TICKETS

Nelson Kizomba Workshop

10th December 2016, all-day-long

Not only Kizomba, there will also be Cuban Salsa Workshop for a good 1,5 hours!!

Bari & I will be teaching & showing you the great fundamentals of Cuban Salsa leading & following (been to so many festivals it's not even taught!)

More detailed schedule is coming soon. But the program will be similar to previous ones.

Ask Chelsea, Tim, Nadege or Michael if you want to know how it went last time.

Red Kizomba Xmas Party

12th December 2016

After all those purchases in Hotel Bristol, we get to reap all the rewards, yiipppiiiieeeee!!

Hotel Bristol

8.30 - 10.30 pm $5

Some free food will be served through out the night.

Come dress up in red, we'll make the dance floor as red as possible!

And LOTS of Outdoor Party

Keep an eye on your Facebook Events & notifications as we tend to give short notice for outdoor parties! It's all weather dependant so make sure you have liked Dança's Facebook Page and join the group.

Like Dança FB Page

Join Dança Group

Super Summer Series!

Wimmy Wimmy — Sat, 08 Oct 2016 01:52:44 +0000

With summer's approaching, things just get more exciting! No plans during this christmas break? Don't worry, we'll create them for you! :-)

If you want to go to the event, click the link on each section and mark "going" so that Facebook Events can remind you.

Like Dança FB Page so you're always up-to-date with the latest events.

Kizomba Flashmob

Saturday 22 Oct 2016, 11am - 12pm

If you're not part of the team, come anyway to support us! We've found a great spot aroud Water Front area and will be dancing for a wee bit afterwards.

If it rains on Saturday:

Sunday 23 Oct 2016, 11am - 12pm

Likely at Sunday Market area

Bring your camera and capture the faces of pedestrians who are surprised by what happens.

Long Weekend Bday Party!

22 October 2016, 9-12am

Another long weekend, and... Dança's turning to 2 years old. So... Let's have another party!!

We've had so many good feedbacks about the new venue at Full Swing Studio so we decided to come back there.

A mix of Salsa, Bachata & Kizomba will be played through out the night. Tamás will also be showing us all Afro House to get your heart & adrenaline pumped up! Take a sneak peak of Afro House below

Semba, Afro & Tarraxa

Sundays, 13 - 27 November 2016

13th Nov 6-7pm Semba by Tamas

20th Nov 6-7pm Tarraxinha by Dança

27th Nov 6-7pm Afro House by Tamas

As you all know, October is be our Last Kizomba Foundation Term of 2016. But.. We have a surprise for you!

For those who are curious, keen, excited and want to learn more of the Kizomba Tree dance culture, we have these special classes with the same price $10

Sydney Kizz it Out!

3rd December 2016, all-day-long

I would say... This one will be one of the best 1 day Kizomba Workshops out there. Most definitely great dancers, teachers, and UNBEATABLE PRICE!

- Bari & Wimmy (NZ)

- Christopher (FR) & Amanda

- Tamas (HU) - Andy (AU) - Armand & Liz (AU) Program: 10.00 - 16.30 Classes 21.30 - LATE: Salsa & Kizomba Party! Tickets: all day classes (pre-purchased): $60 all day classes (at the door): $80 single class: $25

Nelson Kizomba Workshop

10th December 2016, all-day-long

Not only Kizomba, there will also be Cuban Salsa Workshop for a good 1,5 hours!!

Bari & I will be teaching & showing you the great fundamentals of Cuban Salsa leading & following (been to so many festivals it's not even taught!)

More detailed schedule is coming soon. But the program will be similar to previous ones.

Ask Chelsea, Tim, Nadege or Michael if you want to know how it went last time.

Red Kizomba Xmas Party

12th December 2016

After all those purchases in Hotel Bristol, we get to reap all the rewards, yiipppiiiieeeee!!

Hotel Bristol

8.30 - 10.30 pm $5

Some free food will be served through out the night.

Come dress up in red, we'll make the dance floor as red as possible!

PAST EVENTS

500 Likes Party

Turned out everyone loved the new venue at Full Swing Studio. Having couch and extra space is definitely great!! Doesn't everyone look great when dancing?

Loved these pictures below xx

See you all on the dance floor! :-)

Wimmy & Bari

www.danca.co.nz

500 Likes Party, Flashmob & Dança Voucher

Wimmy Wimmy — Sun, 18 Sep 2016 00:40:36 +0000

Hello everyone!

It's so great to see sunnier days.. (well, obviously not today) But that means.... More dancing outdoor is coming!! Watch out your Facebook Events and Upcoming Newsletter. Because it's weather dependant, we do send invitations at the last minutes :-)

500 Likes Party - Saturday 24 Sept 2016

Where: Full Swing Studio, 80 Cuba St (above Glassons), Wellington

When: 9pm - 12am

Price: $10 you can bring your favourite drink

Dinner: 7-9pm Little Penang

Dança's just got 500 Likes on Facebook (it was 600 when we checked) so it's a great excuse to celebrate and party! We'll celebrate with Salsa, Bachata and Kizomba.

We've booked 10 seats for dinner at Little Penang (7-9pm) before the party, let us know if you're keen to join for dinner.

500 Likes Party Facebook Event

Dança Voucher Available For Purchase

Christmas and New Year is fast approaching, thinking of what to get to your friends and family? Or thinking of a friend you've always wanted to invite? We've got some Dança vouchers!

Greetings & dollar value are customisable.

Kizomba New Term - Sunday 2nd Oct 2016

Foundations: 6-7pm

Improvers: 5-6pm

Tarrant Dance Studio, $10 cash

This is when the new term starts so if you have any friends you'd like to invite, click the button below.

Invite Friends to Kizomba New Term

Kizomba Flashmob - Saturday 22 Oct 2016

Practices: Thursdays on 6, 13 & 20th October

Time: 8:30pm-9:30pm

Price: $5 cash

Place: Tarrant Dance Studio

Flashmob: 22nd October 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Venue: To be confirmed, likely to be around Waterfront area

If you want to practice your choreography, body movement, or simply non-stop Kizomba, these are perfect sessions for you!

We had an idea of a real flashmob (not a performance-type flashmob!).The coreography itself will be a short one and we'll loop them for several times.

These are our last sessions before we're going to Byron Bay for 2 weeks.

There are 16 interests so far, the more the better!!

Kizomba Flashmob FB Event

Fashion Brazil Leggings Samples

Next Monday 26th September 2016, Michelle is coming to our social to bring some samples of Fashion Brazil leggings. I have been wearing some of the leggings and absolutely love it. Great material, and not like other leggings, they hold my bunda very well!!

Come around Next Monday if you want to try the samples.

PAST EVENTS

Monday Kizomba Social

Thanks again for all who came for the past 2 Mondays. It's so great to see so many practice, enjoy and have fun during Monday Socials.

Don't forget to quote "578" when you purchase anything for the bar, the points will go towards our loyalty tab.

Spring Salsa at Waterfront

We were soooo lucky it was 15 degrees without any single cloud! Thanks for all who came and bringing some picnic food. Next time we'll have our Spring Salsa don't forget your picnic mat, sunglasses and sunblock!

Kizomba Workshop in Nelson

We had such a great weekend in Nelson, thank you Tim, Chelsea, Nadege and Michael who have joined us there. The workshop went well and received huge amount of great feedback about the dance, classes & socials.

Hints for the next trip: We're going to Sydney on Saturday the 3rd of December 2016 for a full day Kizomba Workshop. There will be 5 Kizomba Teachers all in 1 day. More details coming soon!

Best to check your flights from now if you'd like to do Kizomba Workshop in Sydney :-)

Last but not least, here is a workshop video we've got from Nelson. Hope you enjoy it :-) xx

See you all on the dance floor!! :-)

Wimmy & Bari

www.danca.co.nz

Kizomba Plan of The Year - Exciting Stuff!

Wimmy Wimmy — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 01:21:15 +0000

Hello! Winter is here and we hope you're all keeping warm. Make the most out of Kizomba Classes & Socials to get the best and warmest hugs in Wellington :-)

Here is our Kizomba Journey looks like for the rest of the year, get ready for an exciting year ahead!!

Kizomba Sunday Classes - Starts 24 July 2016

For those who have just finished Foundations Classes, welcome to Improvers Class! This is where the real journey begins, so ENJOY! :-)

New Term: 24 July - 21 Aug

Combinations: 4-5pm $10

Improvers: 5-6pm $10

Foundations: 6-7pm $10

Dine & Dance in Afrika! - Friday 29 July 2016

Where: Afrika Bar, 18 Cambridge Tce

Dinner: 7pm

Dance: 8pm onwards

Price: Free event, pay dinner yourself

We loved it so much we're coming back there! If you haven't tried African food before, then this is the place!!

Kizomba Thursday Class - Starts 28 July 2016

We've created this classes specially for you who can't make it during the weekend. So make the most of it! There is also free social at the end of the class.

New Term: 28 Jul - 25 Aug

Improvers: 7-8pm $10

Foundations: 8-9pm $10

Free Social: 9-10pm

Best Kizomba Social - Every Monday!

Where: Hotel Bristol Level 2

Price: $5

When: 8.30pm - 10.30pm

This is all we can say: Come and join us for the best Kizomba Social in Wellington where you get to listen to some great beats, relax & dance your night away! :-)

Kizomba House Party - 27 August 2016

This is an old tradition to welcome new people in Kizomba Family and get to know each other. Bring your fave drinks and share some laughs at Nadege's place!

Kizomba Workshop in Nelson 10 Sept 2016

Team of Dança (Bari & Wimmy) have been invited to teach Kizomba Workshop in Nelson. If you're interested in having a weekend trip to Nelson and dance, the organisers have offered accommodation at their place: 2 single beds & 1 king.

Get in quick! Free accommodation in Nelson up for a grab! :-)

Kizomba Workshop & Dança’s Bday 22 Oct 2016

Tamas & Nikolett (Hungary) are back to share their passion in Kizomba, Tarraxinha & Semba moves.

A big party will also be organised to celebrate Dança's 2nd birthday!

Byron Bay Latin Fiesta, 3-6 November 2016

This is all I see when I think of Byron Bay: Blue skies, beaches, sunny days and warm weather!

Bari & I have booked our Festival Full Pass. Let us know if you're keen to come.

Jordan, Susan and Sid have been here before so you can ask them how they enjoyed this festival last year.

Kizomba Performance Class

13 Nov - 12 Feb 2016 (11 Week)

If you can't get enough of Kizomba and would like to do more & more, Performance Class is for you!

Dança Goes to... Portugal! July 2017

YES!! Team of Dança are visitng Portugal to experience the whole scene of Kizomba Socials, classes, culture, parties and bring it back to you!

Kizomba Music & Dine Session

Wimmy Wimmy — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 06:49:52 +0000

Join us for 2 sessions of Music & Dine: Learn more about the music while having dinner together before social (Hotel Bristol has got 2 4 1 mains)When: Mondays 27 June & 4 July Time: 7.30pm - 8.30pmPrice: $10 including social ( each session )Where: Hotel Bristol, 131 Cuba St, WellingtonWhat: Music lessons & dine together The aim of these sessions is to give you insight into how the music has been changed and continues to evolve today. It’s a beautiful journey which can help you understand what’s behind the steps. It will help you improve your dance and enhance your current overall knowledge. Topics we'll cover: -Kizomba around the world and the roots such as Cape Verde, Angola & Mozambique. -Influences (past and today). -Rhythms, instruments, hints and tips on how to recognize them. -How to dance and adapt with the music… and more. This will be an opportunity to learn how to make more memorable experience on the dance floor. These sessions will enlighten you with patterns and adaptations of different kind of musical genres. You will have your compass and let me help you navigate.Everyone is very welcome! Bring Pen & Paper, Order 2 for 1 at Hotel Bristol and enjoy the topic by Tamas.What if I don't want to eat? That's completely fine too! :-) Looking forward to seeing you there. www.danca.co.nz

Kizomba Competition | It's All About Fun!

Wimmy Wimmy — Sat, 21 May 2016 00:59:20 +0000

Get yourself ready for a fun competition to pick Wellington's Best Kizomba Social Dancers. You'll be the participants as well as your own judge.

Not only knowing who the best dancer is, we'll give you your scores anonymously, $50 Hotel Bristol Vouchers are up for grab for the top leader & top follower.

Have you ever wondered how well you lead & follow? This is a great chance to get direct feedback from participants. Don't be shy, give it a try! :-)

Details

When: Monday 13 June 2016 8pm - 9pm

Place: Hotel Bristol

Price: Free

Prize: $50 Hotel Bristol Voucher each (winners: one leader & one follower)

How does the judging go?

Each leader will dance with a follower, everyone gets rotated and gets to score the people they danced with. After 3 rounds, the top 2 couples will battle it out for the final prize.

The scores will be given directly to each participants (anonymously), which means... You'll get to know how well you dance so far!

What are the 3 rounds?

Round 1. Understanding

Enjoy the simple things in life.

Foundational movements only: Walk, Side Basic, Virgula

Round 2. The RIGHT connection

Kizomba is a sensual dance, so this round will be testing your connection through the body. Your left hand is not allowed (left hand will be behind your back)

Round 3. Going around in circles

Kizomba is a circular dance. Can you dance in a circle? You'll be limited to dancing in a 1.5 meter diameter circle.

Top 2 Leaders and Followers continue to final roundRound 4. No Restrictions.

Judging Criteria

As Kizomba is a partnership between two people so Wimmy will be judging each couple as one with a combined score adding to the others scores as described below.

Leaders score followers on

1. Responsiveness

2. Lightness (this is in relation to following not body weight!)

3. Isolation (how little do you interupt the leader with your body movement)

Followers score leaders on

1. Leading

2. Musicality

3. Connection

Why Kizomba Competition?

A little bit of competition is always fun! Also, who doesn't want to be THE BEST?

Once you get the scores and feedback, it's a lot easier to focus on what you need to work on to improve your Kizomba.

Can I watch if I'm not participating?

Absolutely yes!

How do I register?

Email dancawellington@gmail.com

THANK YOU! For Making It A Great Weekend

Wimmy Wimmy — Wed, 11 May 2016 09:54:14 +0000

Whoah! This was one of the best Kizomba Weekends. Thanks again for those who have participated. If you miss this one, we'll have another workshop on 6th June. Watch this space! =)

Kizomba New Term

Sunday: 8 May - 5 June 2016

Improvers Class 5-6pm $10

Foundations Class 6-7pm $10

Thursday: 12 May - 9 June 2016

Improvers Class 7-8pm $10

Free Social 8-9pm

More Details

Going to Improvers from Foundations Class

If you've just finished one term of Foundations Classes, congrats!

Come along to Improvers Classes, however we do highly recommend you to do the Foundations as well to strengthen your basics.

Combinations Class

This class is intended for those who dance Kizomba regularly for over a year, as we combine complex moves in one session. The class is fairly small and taught in a fast phase, therefore it's important for you to be proficient in leading & following.

We tend to invite people privately, however if you feel like a challenge, don't be shy to ask Wimmy/Bari if you're ready for this class.

Invite Male Friend and Get $10 Dança Credit

Congratulations Mazal who has won $10 Dança Credit.

Invite your male friends to Foundations Classes, if they stay for the whole Foundations term, we'll give you $10 Dança Credit.

Wellington Kizomba Workshop Gallery

If you’re not on Facebook, click this link to see the photos of workshop and parties last weekend.

Like Danca's Page

Like Danca - Kizomba Wellington on Facebook to make sure you don't miss out on some events and notifications :-)

This video is specially crafted for you to wrap up our great and fun weekend. Enjoy! :-)

Workshop Door Sales - Closed

Wimmy Wimmy — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 21:25:39 +0000

How exciting! Only one more week to Wellington Kizomba Workshop! Unfortunately we won't be able to accept door sales for workshops as we're pretty packed! Thanks again everyone who have booked the tickets. Please read below for all details.

>>> Ladies Styling Class and parties are still open for door sale <<<

Invite Your Friends to Salsa Fiesta!

This is going to be epic! There will be 2 party rooms (Kizomba & Salsa). Do invite your salsa friends to Salsa Fiesta so that they don't miss out!!

Click on this link and invite your salsa friends to this event.

Read Workshop Details

If you’ve bought a full pass, please read the Workshop Details and make sure you have all the pre-requisites required before entering each workshop.

Ps: Please come early to do the registration before the first workshop at 11.00 am

Monday Social at Hotel Bristol $5

For those who have voted; thank you! We're back at Hotel Bristol and everyone's loving it.

When you buy drinks/food > mention Kizomba or 578, the points will get acummulated to use during special functions.

Sunday Improvers $10 & Foundations $10 - Week 3

We're coming to the mid term and let's keep the spirit up! Last week we've been introduced to the importance of stepping, this week we'll get to practice the steps along with connection and syncopation.

Don't miss this Sunday's class!

Thursday Improvers $10 & Free Social

If you happen to miss the Sunday classes, come along to Thursday session. Improvers start at 7pm, free social at 8-9pm. This is the best day to relax and unwind with a glass of wine and... ofcourse Kizomba! :-)

If you have any queries, critics, opinions, or just want to tell us how much you love Kizomba, you can reply directly via this e-mail.

Looking forward to hear from you :-)

Dança | Home of Kizomba in Wellington

www.danca.co.nz

Invite Male Friend & Get $10 Dança Voucher

Wimmy Wimmy — Wed, 06 Apr 2016 11:03:16 +0000

Convince your male friend to learn Kizomba with us and we'll give you $10 Dança Voucher if they complete the whole Foundation Term.

If you have a male friend who you know would love Kizomba, convince them! We need more Kizomba Leaders. Simply send them to Foundation Class this Sunday 6-7pm at Tarrant Dance Studio and we'll take care of the rest :-)

If they stay for the whole Foundation Term, we'll give you $10 Dança Voucher which can be used for social, workshop or classes.

KIZOMBA NEW TERM

Sundays 3 April - 1 May 2016at Tarrant Dance Studio

4-5pm Combinations Class $10

5-6pm Improvers Class $10

6-7pm Foundations Class $10

Thursdays 7 April - 5 May 2016at Hotel Bristol Level 2

7-8pm Improvers Class $10

8-9pm Free Class & Social

View Full Details

KIZOMBA SOCIAL

Mondays 8.30-10.30pm - $5

Tarrant Dance Studio

Brush up on your social skills, we'll share the floor with Kizomberos around New Zealand soon!

Thursdays 8-9pm - Free

Hotel Bristol Level 2

Hotel Bristol has just done up their wooden floor and it feels sooooo smooth to dance! Come on Thursdays 8pm for a quick social.

View Full Details

KIZOMBA WORKSHOP

With Tamas & Nikolett from Hungary

Make the most out of them as they are one of the best teachers and dancers from Europe.

Because we have quite a long waiting list for ladies, we do need some leaders to even the numbers up.

So guys, don't be shy! Reply to this e-mail to book your spot.

View Full Details

Last but not least, we've created another improvisation video at one of the most beautiful spots in Wellington. Hope you enjoy it :-)

Dança | Home of Kizomba in Wellington

Kizomba Workshop - BOOK NOW

Wimmy Wimmy — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 00:31:59 +0000

We're so excited to announce Kizomba Wellington Workshop with Tamas & Nikolett from Hungary. Since we saw them the very first time in Australia, we fell in love with them. Not only good style, they also have whole bunch of great Kizomba, Semba and Tarraxinha techniques to share with you. Grab this chance to learn from them and book your full pass now!

We are keeping the numbers between leaders and followers as even as possible, so book in early to secure your spot

About Tamas & Nikolett

Tamas’ passion for Kizomba started in Portugal 2010 where he had a great opportunity to learn from Mestre Petchu, the first Angolan teacher who developed a methodology for teaching Kizomba which is called "Geometry of Kizomba."

After completing the intensive course in 2011, Tamas shared the core fundamentals and growing the Kizomba community in his hometown, Budapest, Hungary. Based on Petchu's teachings of West-African/Angolan culture, Tamas integrated this with his own methodology which resulted a unique Kizomba experience.

In 2012, Niki's well-rounded dance abilities caught the attention of Kizomba Club Hungary instructors, who then invited her to be part of an exclusive group of talented improvers. As Niki's skills progressed, her drive to start teaching Kizomba began to take shape in 2014.

Tamas & Niki now are teaching together and are committed in spreading the Spirit of Kizomba around the world.

Tamas & Niki - Kizomba Workshop in Jakarta

Tamas & Niki - Australian Kizomba Festival, Melbourne

BOOK NOW

Booking Method

Email dancawellington@gmail.com and mention which classes you'd like to attend.

We're looking forward to seeing you there :-)

Wimmy & Bari

Dança | Home of Kizomba in Wellington

New! Kizomba Improvisation Video by Wimmy & Bari

Wimmy Wimmy — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 07:32:53 +0000

Whoah! First term of Kizomba Classes have just finished. We’re excited to announce that the second term will start on the 21 February - 31 March 2016, and… We have new Kizomba classes on Thursdays! Scroll down for more details :-)

New Thursday Kizomba Classes

New term will start on 3 - 31 of March 2016. Thanks to Hotel Bristol.

Details

7-8pm Beginners Class $10

8-9pm Kizomba Social, free but addictive

Level 2 Hotel Bristol, 131 Cuba Street, Wellington, New Zealand.

Invite your friends if they want to learn Kizomba but can't do it on Sundays. Registration is required as class is limited. Email dancawellington@gmail.com or message us on Facebook.

New Term Sunday Kizomba Classes

Next term will start on 21 February - 27 March 2016.

Details

5-6pm Improvers Class $10

6-7pm Beginners Class $10

Tarrant Dance Studio, Level 2, 125 Cuba St, Wellington, New Zealand.

Ps: If the construction at Tarrant Dance Studio has not been finished by the time this term starts, we will send you a last minute notification.

Couple of us are going to go to Rotorua Cuban Festival, therefore there won't be any classes on Sunday 6 March 2016.

Make sure you always get updates from us for anything happening around Kizomba, like Dança's facebook page and subscribe to our events.

Going to Improver Classes

For those who have just finished beginner classes, improver class is the time when you learn more complex moves, use your actual leading & following skills and connect more with the music. It's a more challenging experience but it's so much fun! :-)

Important

If you only have done the first term of foundation classes, we do highly recommend you to do another round of foundation as well as improver classes. A lot of students have done it this way and they say they always learn something new.

Monday Kizomba Social

Now that Tarrant Dance Studio is almost done, we will be going back to where we were. The best thing about Tarrant Dance Studio is that it's 20% bigger than Hotel Bristol and we can fit it more fans :-)

Details

Date: Starting from Monday 22 February 2016

Time: 8.30 - 10.30 pm

Price: $5

Place: Tarrant Dance Studio, 2/125 Cuba St, Wellington, New Zealand.

Other Events by Dança (Summer Salsa)

We've been so lucky we have great summer with a lot of sunny days. Bari has put a tremendous effort on making a solar panel sound system so that we can dance under the sky, by the ocean, which is the best experience!

Make sure you get the updates and events invitation, like Dança FB page and subscribe to our events.

Dancing is love

Finally, we've just created a new video so thought we'd share it with you. Hope you enjoy it xx

Much love,

Dança | Home of Kizomba in Wellington

Welcome to Dança Kizomba Term 2016!

Wimmy Wimmy — Sat, 23 Jan 2016 19:23:29 +0000

A very warm welcome to everyone who have just joined Kizomba Classes in Wellington. We are excited to see so many new faces in the classes and we wish you a very happy journey of Kizomba Dance.

Since 2014, we’ve seen so many people improved so much and take the skills to dance socially with anyone around the world.

Kizomba Classes in Wellington

Kizomba Classes from 24 January until 14 February 2016 will be held at the studio on top of Glassons Store, 80 Cuba Street. Take the stairs from VK's Comedy Bar on Dixon Street and the entrance door is on your right hand side.

Kizomba Social Nights in Wellington

Kizomba Social nights happen every Monday 8.30 - 10.30 pm on level 2, Hotel Bristol, 131 Cuba Street. The event is free and we do encourage you to purchase something from the bar as a support. Come along to practice what you've learned from the class and enjoy Kizomba Beats through out the night.

Other Dance Events in Wellington

We do organize outdoor pop up events like Summer Salsa from time to time, make sure you like Dança's Facebook Page and subscribe to our events to get the notifications.

Alternatively, you can follow us on Instagram or Twitter to get regular updates.

High Quality Dancers

Our dream is to build a sustainable Kizomba Community in Wellington with high quality social dancers. Yes, do not under-estimate social dancing as freestyle isn't that simple! It requires a lot of split-second decision-making, in both the Lead and Follow roles.

Read about Dancing Makes You Smarter here

Kizomba Lead & Follow

Whether you’re learning how to lead Kizomba Dance, or how to follow Kizomba Dance, each stage has its own unique experience. Leading can be a little tricky, but hold on there guys, all your brain-hurt will pay off itself.

And for ladies who are learning how to follow, a lot of people think following is easy, but it’s not. Women don't "follow", we interpret the signals our partners are giving us, and this requires intelligence and decision-making, which is active, and not passive.

Advice

We’ll do our best to support Kizomba Dancers in creating a more joyful and embodied life experience. Here is one advice we can tell you:

"Do take classes seriously and have fun all the way during socials"

In closing, welcome again to Kizomba Classes & Socials Term 2016 and see you all on the dance floor :-) xx

Dança | Home of Kizomba in Wellington

Dancing Makes You Smarter

Wimmy Wimmy — Tue, 29 Dec 2015 21:42:47 +0000

I came across this article which was written by Stanford University while stumbling upon and found some interesting facts about dancing:

Frequent dancing apparently makes us smarter.

A major study added to the growing evidence that stimulating one's mind by dancing can ward off Alzheimer's disease and other dementia, much as physical exercise can keep the body fit. Dancing also increases cognitive acuity at all ages.

You may have heard about the New England Journal of Medicine report on the effects of recreational activities on mental acuity in aging. Here it is in a nutshell.

The 21-year study of senior citizens, 75 and older, was led by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, funded by the National Institute on Aging, and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Their method for objectively measuring mental acuity in aging was to monitor rates of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease.

The study wanted to see if any physical or cognitive recreational activities influenced mental acuity. They discovered that some activities had a significant beneficial effect. Other activities had none.

They studied cognitive activities such as reading books, writing for pleasure, doing crossword puzzles, playing cards and playing musical instruments. And they studied physical activities like playing tennis or golf, swimming, bicycling, dancing, walking for exercise and doing housework.

One of the surprises of the study was that almost none of the physical activities appeared to offer any protection against dementia. There can be cardiovascular benefits of course, but the focus of this study was the mind.

There was one important exception: the only physical activity to offer protection against dementia was frequent dancing.

Reading - 35% reduced risk of dementia

Bicycling and swimming - 0%

Doing crossword puzzles at least four days a week - 47%

Playing golf - 0%

Dancing frequently - 76%. That was the greatest risk reduction of any activity studied, cognitive or physical.

Neuroplasticity

What could cause these significant cognitive benefits?

In this study, neurologist Dr. Robert Katzman proposed that these persons are more resistant to the effects of dementia as a result of having greater cognitive reserve and increased complexity of neuronal synapses. Like education, participation in mentally engaging activities lowers the risk of dementia by improving these neural qualities.

As Harvard Medical School psychiatrist Dr. Joseph Coyle explains in an accompanying commentary: "The cerebral cortex and hippocampus, which are critical to these activities, are remarkably plastic, and they rewire themselves based upon their use."

Our brain constantly rewires its neural pathways, as needed. If it doesn't need to, then it won't.

Aging and memory

When brain cells die and synapses weaken with aging, our nouns go first, like names of people, because there's only one neural pathway connecting to that stored information. If the single neural connection to that name fades, we lose access to it. As people age, some of them learn to parallel process, to come up with synonyms to go around these roadblocks.

The key here is Dr. Katzman's emphasis on the complexity of our neuronal synapses. More is better. Do whatever you can to create new neural paths. The opposite of this is taking the same old well-worn path over and over again, with habitual patterns of thinking and living.

When I was studying the creative process as a grad student at Stanford, I came across the perfect analogy to this:

The more stepping stones there are across the creek,

the easier it is to cross in your own style.

The focus of that aphorism was creative thinking, to find as many alternative paths as possible to a creative solution. But as we age, parallel processing becomes more critical. Now it's no longer a matter of style, it's a matter of survival — getting across the creek at all. Randomly dying brain cells are like stepping stones being removed one by one. Those who had only one well-worn path of stones are completely blocked when some are removed. But those who spent their lives trying different mental routes each time, creating a myriad of possible paths, still have several paths left.

As the study shows, we need to keep as many of those paths active as we can, while also generating new paths, to maintain the complexity of our neuronal connections.

In other words: Intelligence — use it or lose it.

Intelligence

What exactly do we mean by "intelligence"?

You'll probably agree that intelligence isn't just a numerical measurement, with a number of 100 plus or minus assigned to it. But what is it?

To answer this question, we go back to the most elemental questions possible. Why do animals have a brain? To survive? No, plants don't have a brain and they survive. To live longer? No, many trees outlive us.

As neuroscience educator Robert Sylwester notes, mobility is central to everything that is cognitive, whether it is physical motion or the mental movement of information. Plants have to endure whatever comes along, including predators eating them. Animals, on the other hand, can travel to seek food, shelter, mates, and to move away from unfavorable conditions. Since we can move, we need a cognitive system that can comprehend sensory input and intelligently make choices.

Semantics will differ for each of us, but according to many, if the stimulus-response relationship of a situation is automatic, we don't think of the response as requiring our intelligence. We don't use the word "intelligent" to describe a banana slug, even though it has a rudimentary brain. But when the brain evaluates several viable responses and chooses one (a real choice, not just following habits), the cognitive process is considered to be intelligent.

As Jean Piaget put it, intelligence is what we use when we don't already know what to do.

Why dancing?

We immediately ask two questions:

Why is dancing better than other activities for improving mental capabilities?

Does this mean all kinds of dancing, or is one kind of dancing better than another?

That's where this particular study falls short. It doesn't answer these questions as a stand-alone study. Fortunately, it isn't a stand-alone study. It's one of many studies, over decades, which have shown that we increase our mental capacity by exercising our cognitive processes. Intelligence: Use it or lose it. And it's the other studies which fill in the gaps in this one. Looking at all of these studies together lets us understand the bigger picture.

The essence of intelligence is making decisions. The best advice, when it comes to improving your mental acuity, is to involve yourself in activities which require split-second rapid-fire decision making, as opposed to rote memory (retracing the same well-worn paths), or just working on your physical style.

One way to do that is to learn something new. Not just dancing, but anything new. Don't worry about the probability that you'll never use it in the future. Take a class to challenge your mind. It will stimulate the connectivity of your brain by generating the need for new pathways. Difficult classes are better for you, as they will create a greater need for new neural pathways.

Then take a dance class, which can be even more effective. Dancing integrates several brain functions at once — kinesthetic, rational, musical, and emotional — further increasing your neural connectivity.

What kind of dancing?

Do all kinds of dancing lead to increased mental acuity? No, not all forms of dancing will produce the same benefit, especially if they only work on style, or merely retrace the same memorized paths. Making as many split-second decisions as possible, is the key to maintaining our cognitive abilities. Remember: intelligence is what we use when we don't already know what to do.

We wish that 25 years ago the Albert Einstein College of Medicine thought of doing side-by-side comparisons of different kinds of dancing, to find out which was better. But we can figure it out by looking at who they studied: senior citizens 75 and older, beginning in 1980. Those who danced in that particular population were former Roaring Twenties dancers (back in 1980) and then former Swing Era dancers (today), so the kind of dancing most of them continued to do in retirement was what they began when they were young: freestyle social dancing -- basic foxtrot, waltz, swing, and maybe some rumba and cha cha.

I've been watching senior citizens dance all of my life, from my parents (who met at a Tommy Dorsey dance), to retirement communities, to the Roseland Ballroom in New York. I almost never see memorized sequences or patterns on the dance floor. I mostly see easygoing, fairly simple social dancing — freestyle lead and follow. But freestyle social dancing isn't that simple! It requires a lot of split-second decision-making, in both the Lead and Follow roles. Read more about the differences between the three different kinds of ballroom dancing here, to gain a better understanding of the role of decision-making in social or ballroom dance.

At this point, I want to clarify that I'm not demonizing memorized sequence dancing, or style-focused pattern-based ballroom dancing. Although they don't have much influence on cognitive reserve, there are stress-reduction benefits of any kind of dancing, cardiovascular benefits of physical exercise, and even further benefits of feeling connected to a community of dancers. So all dancing is good.

But when it comes to preserving (and improving) our mental acuity, then some forms are significantly better than others. While all dancing requires some intelligence, I encourage you to use your full intelligence when dancing, in both the Lead and Follow roles. The more decision-making we can bring into our dancing, the better.

Who benefits more, women or men?

In social dancing, the Follow role automatically gains a benefit, by making hundreds of split-second decisions as to what to do next, sometimes unconsciously so. As I mentioned on this page, women don't "follow", they interpret the signals their partners are giving them, and this requires intelligence and decision-making, which is active, not passive.

This benefit is greatly enhanced by dancing with different partners, not always with the same fellow. With different dance partners, you have to adjust much more and be aware of more variables. This is great for staying smarter longer.

But men, you can also match her degree of decision-making if you choose to do so.

Here's how:

1) Really pay attention to your partner and what works best for her. Notice what is comfortable for her, where she is already going, which signals are successful with her and which aren't, and constantly adapt your dancing to these observations. That's rapid-fire split-second decision making. 2) Don't lead the same old patterns the same way each time. Challenge yourself to try new things each time you dance. Make more decisions more often. Intelligence: use it or lose it.

The huge side-benefit is that your partners will have much more fun dancing with you when you are attentive to their dancing and constantly adjusting for their comfort and continuity of motion. And as a result, you'll have more fun too.

Full engagement

Those who fully utilize their intelligence in dancing, at all levels, love the way it feels. Spontaneous leading and following both involve entering a flow state. Both leading and following benefit from a highly active attention to possibilities.

That's the most succinct definition I know for intelligent dancing: a highly active attention to possibilities. And I think it's wonderful that both the Lead and Follow role share this same ideal.

The best Leads appreciate the many options that the Follow must consider every second, and respect and appreciate the Follow's input into the collaboration of partner dancing. The Follow is finely attuned to the here-and-now in relaxed responsiveness, and so is the Lead.

Once this highly active attention to possibilities, flexibility, and alert tranquility are perfected in the art of dance partnering, dancers find it even more beneficial in their other relationships, and in everyday life.

Dance often

The study made another important suggestion: do it often. Seniors who did crossword puzzles four days a week had a measurably lower risk of dementia than those who did the puzzles once a week. If you can't take classes or go out dancing four times a week, then dance as much as you can. More is better.

And do it now, the sooner the better. It's essential to start building your cognitive reserve now. Some day you'll need as many of those stepping stones across the creek as possible. Don't wait — start building them now.

Dança | Home of Kizomba in Wellington

Facebook Page

Summer Salsa at Oriental Parade

Wimmy Wimmy — Sat, 26 Dec 2015 01:15:18 +0000

If you're in town and wanna have a boogie, we'll have another Summer Salsa this Sunday 27 December 2015 at Oriental Parade.

Address: Top of Blue Water & Grill, 245 Oriental Parade, Wellington.

We'll be using a solar panel sound system, so we'll start from 4pm and finish at 6pm sharp as we'll be dependant on the sun.

Salsa, Bachata, Kizomba and Ghetto Zouk will be played.

Bring your sunblock & sunnies. Looking forward to seeing you there! :-)

Dança | Home of Kizomba in Wellington

Link to Facebook Event

Here are the pictures from our last Summer Salsa:

New Kizomba Dance Classes Term 2016

Wimmy Wimmy — Sun, 20 Dec 2015 00:12:14 +0000

2016 is coming soon! That means…. New Kizomba Term is about to start. Kizomba dance classes will be held every Sunday from 17 January to 14 February 2016. Our usual studio is under construction so classes will be held at the top of Glassons Store in the corner of Cuba and Dixon Street (entrance is from VK's Comedy Bar on Dixon Street)

Address: Level 2, 80 Cuba Street, on top of Glassons Store

Foundations Class 6-7pm $10

In this class we focus on the fundamentals of Kizomba, especially the basics of leading and following. Remember, Kizomba is the art of connection and being one with your dance partner, it is not about performing.

In this class you will learn:

• Kizomba posture and frame

• Leading for men, following for ladies

• The art of connection

• The five basic steps of Kizomba

• Playing with your basics with music

Improvers Class 5-6pm $10

This class builds on your Kizomba foundations and teaches more complex movements that will deepen your understanding of the dance and music. This will help you to learn new combinations more quickly and apply them in your social dancing.

As Improver you will also learn how to freely combine the movements learned in class and make each Kizomba a unique experience.

Combinations Class 4-5pm $10

This class is intended for those who are proficient in improvers and foundations. In this class, we will combine complex moves and lessons are taught in a fast phase.

Monday Social Kizomba Night

Social Kizomba night time is held every Monday 8.30 - 10.30 pm. with just $5 cover charge, you’ll get carried away by the beautiful connection through out the night. This is also the best time to practive what you have learned in the class.

So free up your schedule on Sundays for Kizomba Classes, learn a new skill and enjoy the beauty of connection through Kizomba!

The team from Danca Wellington are looking forward to seeing you there :-)

Dança | Home of Kizomba in Wellington

Link to Danca Facebook Page

Link to Danca Instagram

Link to Danca Twitter

Link to Event Finder

Sunday Summer Salsa at St Johns Bar

Wimmy Wimmy — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 12:53:18 +0000

Summer Salsa is back! Keep your schedule free for this Sunday 4-7pm as we will be dancing at St Johns Bar, Wellington. Not inside, but outside!! Different songs including salsa, timba, bachata, kizomba and ghetto zouk will be played during the evening. Bring your sunblock, sunglasses, and get ready for a lot of fun.

Let's dance like there is no tomorrow! :-)

Dança | Home of Kizomba in Wellington

Check out the Facebook Event

Private Classes Available During Holidays

Wimmy Wimmy — Fri, 11 Dec 2015 14:45:19 +0000

Finally we are getting to the end of the year 2015 and sadly this Sunday (13 December 2015) is our last classes. We would like to wish you Merry Christmas, travel safe if you do, and keep up the Kizomba! :-)

Social nights on Monday will still be on during the holidays, we're also available for some private classes. It is the perfect time to brush up on your more detailed technique, advice and one on one feedback.

Book with us via dancawellington@gmail.com

Happy Holidays!! xx

Wimmy & Bari

Wellington's Best Kizomba Social Every Monday Night

Wimmy Wimmy — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 23:23:04 +0000

Kizomba is not complete without the actual party. Kizomba is an Angolan Word which means "party" in the Kimbundu Language. Kimbundu is the most widely spoken language in Angola within the ethnic group called Bantu.

After learning some moves and techniques from our classes, Kizomba social night is the best time to practice as well as dance your night away. No matter what your level is, you're always welcome to join the party. We would like everyone to be able to travel around the world and being able to lead or follow anyone from anywhere, therefore a lot of practice will make your dance skills a numero uno ;-)

With great selection of music and relaxed atmosphere, you will get carried away by the beautiful connection through out the night. Bring your shoes, water and dance like there is no tomorrow!

More Information:

Days: Every Mondays Time: 8.30 – 10.30 pm Venue: Tarrant Dance Studio Price: $5 (cash only)

1 Year Celebration Kizomba in Wellington

Wimmy Wimmy — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 05:36:44 +0000

We can't thank you enough for all the joy you bring this past year. Hugs to you all and keep Kizomba :-)

Ps: More classes, workshops and summer parties coming to your way!!

Love,

Wimmy & Bari

(Thank you everyone for all the food you brought to the party xx)

The Art of Following in Kizomba

Thu, 03 Sep 2015 02:15:04 +0000

This article is quoted directly from:

http://kizombaharmony.com/the-lack-of-appreciation-for-the-art-of-following-billys-thoughts-on-the-lack-of-respect-for-follows-in-kizomba/

Sometimes I feel inclined to speak on things I’ve seen in my time as a Kizomba student and as an instructor with Kizomba Harmony. Last time, I spoke on humility and perspective in the Kizomba scene. If you haven’t read it, look in my Notes for “In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is King (or Instructor)”, I think it’s worth a read. This time, I feel the need to speak on another issue plaguing the Kizomba/Semba community, both in the US and abroad: the lack of respect for follows and the art of following.

This problem manifests in many ways. Often you see male instructors running through partners like water bottles. You’ll sometimes see them travel often without their partners, or you’ll see their partners never mentioned on event flyers, FB posts, etc. In fact, sometimes you’d never know they even had a partner, if their behavior was the only indication. You also rarely see follows speaking during workshops, classes, etc. unless it’s a “lady’s styling corner” type part of the class. This is a problem.

On the promoting side, you often will see promoters inviting the male leads who have permanent partners to come teach workshops, but not their partners. Often these leads will instead use the promoter to assist if the promoter is a female follow. This is also a problem.

Lastly, you’ll find many women spend a relatively small amount of time dancing Kizomba, and get “bored” with following, feeling like it’s too easy. These women will then turn their attention to leading and stop working on their follow, or simply stop coming to classes, taking privates, etc. and simply stick to social dancing. Or you will find women who have achieved a high level of expertise in other dances, and think that since Kizomba is “easy”, they don’t need to take lessons. This is also a problem.

First I will address the male instructors. Fellas, Kizomba/Semba are partner dances. And although it is true that it takes more time, especially in the beginning, to train a lead up to a competent level than is does to train a follow up to a competent level, to become a truly elite follow takes a great amount of hard work and dedication. The way you treat your partner and what she brings to the table will be the example which others will follow. If you treat your partner like just a “warm body”, never allow her or fight for her to travel with you to teach, or when you do bring her with you, limit her ability to speak in workshops, never mention her in FB posts or event publicity, and never show appreciation for what she does, you give the impression that your partner, or follows in general, are expendable and don’t have as much to offer. This is a travesty and undermines the growth of our scene. As a male instructor who also follows (or tries to), I can attest that following is EXTREMELY difficult to master, in fact just the simple act of “letting go” and allow yourself to be lead is hard. And as very few elite level leads are also elite level follows, having a partner who actually can teach students how to follow is invaluable. Now, if all you’re teaching is a pattern class, then I get it, it can be relatively easy to just grab a decent level follow from wherever you’re traveling to and show her your choreographed moves for a class. But if you’re actually teaching students how to DANCE, then having a partner who can also teach will make the class much more rewarding for the students. So leads, if you have a partner, stand up for her when promoters try to neglect her, allow her to share her hard earned knowledge with students, respect her and appreciate her, because if you don’t, then it’s likely others won’t as well.

Next, I’ll address promoters. I understand that it’s still a tough economy, and often it’s more cost effective to bring one person down than two. I also understand that for, in particular, female promoters who also follow, that bringing a famous lead down and assisting him in class can be helpful for your own reputation and “shine”. But understand that by doing this, you create a dangerous precedent. If you want to increase the level of dance in your communities, getting instruction on both leading AND following is the most efficient way to do this. Now don’t get me wrong, sometimes there are unforeseen issues that effect the ability of folks to bring their partners, visa issues, scheduling conflicts, etc. But to the extent that you can, bringing the lead AND follow (if it’s a partnership) will not only make the workshop better, but also will send the right message.

Last I will address the follows. Let me first say that mastering the ability to follow is EXTREMELY difficult. It is not something you can truly master in a few months. I definitely find it a challenge to follow, and I see even my partner Monica still work hard to master her following ability, and she’s already considered to be a high-level follow, so it is highly unlikely that someone who has been dancing Kizomba for less than a few years won’t benefit from more work. And although it is true that by electing to only dance with the most experienced leads you can still get some good dances even with relatively less-advanced follow ability, the truth is that lack of skill as a follow limits what even the best leads can do with you in a dance.

In some more developed dance scenes, the leads are more critical and will avoid dancing with follows they consider to be “heavy” (not in weight, but in sensitivity as a follow). While we’ve worked hard to avoid creating a scene with a highly critical nature, this, along with other developments, has created an environment in which there is far more pressure on leads to become proficient (and thereby get dances) than there is on follows to become proficient (and thereby not be “heavy”). This has encouraged many women to slack off on lessons or avoid them altogether. This has also encouraged many women who have achieved proficiency in another dance (like salsa, bachata, etc.) to think that because Kizomba is “easy”, that they can just jump in and be a great Kizomba follow. But Kizomba is a different dance than salsa/bachata/etc., and the art of following Kizomba/Semba requires a completely different way of movement and different techniques that need to be learned in order to follow at a high level. Follows, whether you’ve been dancing for a month or years, whether you’re an expert salsa or tango dancer or a complete dance newbie, you all will benefit from further investment in your follow ability.

Also, to ladies who also lead, I support your efforts, and I think it’s cool to see ladies learn to lead. In fact, in some communities, women have had to step up and learn to lead due in part to a lack of male presence in the scene. But understand, that if you haven’t already developed high level follow ability, learning to lead will take away from your efforts to learn how to follow. Leading requires a totally different skill set, and although some can effectively develop both at the same time, these souls are rare indeed. And so I implore you ladies who lead, if you follow in social dancing, please do not neglect your follow training as you learn to lead. Because as much as skilled leads are essential to any dance scene, skilled follows are just as essential.

I appreciate all who have taken the time to read my note. I hope I haven’t ruffled too many feathers, but I felt that some things needed to be said. Please comment and tell me what you think, and feel free to share if you like it! See you all on the dance floor!

What To Look For In A Great Kizomba Instructor

Wimmy Wimmy — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 02:02:38 +0000

This article is quoted directly from:

http://kizombaharmony.com/separatingthewheatfromthechaffpart2/

As I mentioned in Part 1, dance ability is important, but dance ability does not always equate to teaching ability. In fact, there are many excellent dancers/performers whose teaching ability doesn’t compare at all. So the next thing to look for in an instructor is… wait for it… teaching ability!

TEACHING ABILITY

Now how can you tell who is a great teacher? I’m glad you asked! One of the most straightforward ways to start research is to ask around about who is a great teacher. Doing this may get you some decent information. However, much of this information will be second-hand, and can often be colored by personal feelings, preferences, or opinions. Not everyone learns the same way, as we are all unique individuals; it pays to do your own research when it comes to finding a good teacher.

One of the easiest ways to check out someone’s teaching ability is to… you probably guessed it… take one of their classes or workshops (I’m knocking out the more obvious ways first)! This is the simplest way to get first-hand knowledge of someone’s teaching ability. Some teachers offer a free first class or something similar to potential new students, so that potentially minimizes upfront investment. While taking the class, here are some things to look at. Do you like the way he/she explains or demonstrates things? Is he or she able to effectively control the flow of the class? Does he or she allow for questions? Do you like his or her personality and/or way of speaking to students? Does he/she teach technique or just patterns? Does the class address both leads and follows? If a partnership is teaching, do both partners speak and add to the class, or does only one person get to talk? If the instructor is solo, can he/she teach both leading and following? Does he/she try to cater to different learning styles (visual, auditory, tactile, etc.), or is the teaching one-dimensional? And last but not least,

DID YOU LEARN SOMETHING FROM THE CLASS?

I often like to say that you can learn something from most teachers, even if it’s what NOT to do, but if what NOT to do is what is all that you’re learning from a teacher, it probably isn’t a good idea to keep investing your resources in that particular instructor. Now, time and resources don’t always allow us to invest in teachers before we have an idea of their teaching ability, so I will point out some things you can look at without having to take a class.

In my opinion, the best way to get an idea of an instructor’s teaching ability without taking a class is to take a look at their students. I often say that a dance instructor’s product is his or her students. If an instructor has been teaching a dedicated student for say, 6 months or so, that student should have been taught enough to at the very least have some solid basics. So dancing with or watching an instructor’s student’s dance is a very educational experience. You can use some of the same criteria that I mentioned in Part 1: lead/follow ability, ability to dance well to actual Kizomba music (not just Ghetto Zouk, Tarraxinha etc.), so on and so forth. Sometimes you will see instructors who are excellent dancers, and yet none of their students are even close to being decent dancers! This is a huge red flag.

Of course you generally wouldn’t expect a student to be on the same level as an instructor, but if a student has been taking lessons from an instructor for more than 6 months or so with a relatively low increase in said student’s skill level… this is definitely not a good sign, and certainly worth looking into further. There are instructors who believe that as they only need to be “a little bit better than their students”, rapidly increasing the level of their students isn’t in their best interest, as it would put added pressure on the instructor to actually invest in their own development as a dancer… which leads me to my next topic.

In my opinion, arguably the most important characteristic for a great instructor to have over the long term is

COMMITMENT TO CONTINUE LEARNING THE DANCE HE OR SHE ACTUALLY TEACHES.

So for Kizomba, it is a Kizomba instructor’s duty to his or her students to continually invest in their own development as a KIZOMBA/SEMBA dancer so as to provide value to their students, as generally people can’t teach what they don’t know. So many instructors these days talk about “always remaining a student first” or posting social media posts with #neverstoplearning, #alwaysastudent or the like, but how many of them practice what they preach? Not as many as any of us would prefer.

Now, before I go deeper into this topic, I think it’s important to point out that this isn’t as applicable to those who have been dancing Kizomba/Semba their whole lives or something to that effect. Of course, nobody knows everything about Kizomba/Semba, and there’s always something new to learn, but this topic is mainly geared to those who, like me, did not grow up dancing Kizomba/Semba.

A great instructor should be very invested in training with and learning from those who are more advanced IN THE DANCE THE INSTRUCTOR TEACHES in order to develop themselves as dancers and instructors. For the sake of clarity, I will describe what will not count as “training” for purposes of this topic.

For purposes of this topic, watching YouTube videos does NOT count as “training”. Although I understand the advantages of trying to use YouTube to learn, since it’s free and relatively accessible, it is not a substitute for training in person. You can learn steps from YouTube, but Kizomba isn’t really about steps or moves, it’s about HOW YOU MOVE, and you simply cannot learn that from YouTube. And as instructors, our understanding of how to MOVE and utilize proper technique needs to be rock-solid, and this cannot be developed without investing ample time training with more advanced instructors. Unfortunately, YouTube seems to be the basis for many instructors’ training, and this is a pretty sad state of affairs, as this is truly a disservice to students who pay instructors to learn. If all a student gets from an instructor is badly regurgitated from YouTube, the student might as well just save their money and watch the YouTube videos themselves! I am not saying, however, that an instructor must be perfect before teaching, as very few of us in places like the US were perfect when we started teaching (or are perfect now lol), but there should be a significant effort to continue training while teaching. I only have an issue with instructors who stop learning once they start teaching, but more on that later.

In addition to YouTube learning, learning dances other than what the instructor actually teaches doesn’t count as “training” for purposes of this topic either. So for a Kizomba instructor, in this instance, learning from instructors who teach dances other than Kizomba or Semba (since Kizomba comes from Semba) does not count as “training” for a Kizomba instructor. So Tango, Bachata, Zouk, Tarraxinha (or Tangoxinhazoukchata as I like to call them collectively), etc. do NOT count. While it is true that learning elements of other dances can and does help make one a better overall dancer (and I have had instruction in Salsa, Bachata, Tango, Cha Cha, Zouk, etc., enjoyed it all, and have found it useful), it is more important for a teacher to actually learn more about the dance that said teacher purports to teach. Tango, Bachata, Zouk, etc., although they are fun and often combined with Kizomba in “evolutions”, “fusions” and “new styles”, are NOT KIZOMBA. Even Tarraxinha, though it is also from Angola and when learned properly can be a great addition to Kizomba when certain music is played, is NOT KIZOMBA. The best and only true way to master a dance is to procure extensive instruction IN THAT DANCE.

It is also a good idea to differentiate between training via group/festival classes versus private lessons. Although it is possible to learn a lot from group classes (and my partner and II enjoy taking group classes when we can), for an instructor private lessons generally enable one to go deeper and gain a more complete understanding of techniques, culture, etc., or in other words, both the “how” and the “why” of Kizomba/Semba. Group classes, by their very nature, usually have more students, and therefore instructors will adjust the level and/or pace of the class to accommodate the differing levels in the room. And many group/festival classes these days focus more on patterns and steps and rarely go deeper than that. An instructor, however, needs to know more than simply how to do a bunch of choreographed steps. To be able to teach effectively, an instructor’s understanding of the dance and how it relates to the music should be much deeper and more complete than mere choreographed steps, and the best way to achieve this understanding is through private instruction.

HOW TO TELL WHICH INSTRUCTORS ARE COMMITTED TO LEARNING

So, the million dollar question… how can one tell which instructors are truly committed to their development as Kizomba/Semba dancers and instructors? Well, the easiest way is pretty straightforward… just ask them who they have trained with or currently train with and who their mentors are. Be sure to ask whether the training was in Kizomba/Semba, and whether the training was via group lessons or private instruction. Any instructor worth their salt should be more than happy to discuss who they have learned from and who their mentors are. Not all instructors are quite as open as my partner Monica Kay and I are about whom we train with, but if an instructor refuses to answer a direct question about their training/lineage, then that’s a HUGE red flag.

Now, there might be a few reasons an instructor might be hesitant to respond to such a question. There are some instructors who never take group classes but do seek out private instruction in part because they do not want to publicize the fact that they are still learning. Why? Well, perhaps such instructors are worried that their “status” as an “expert”, “founder”, “master”, etc. might be questioned or undermined if people knew that they were still taking lessons and/or who they were learning from. Or perhaps they worry that if students knew, they might forego taking lessons from them, instead opting to take lessons with the higher level instructor. But since very few of us, particularly in younger scenes like the US, are skilled enough to be considered “experts” of Kizomba, this should not be a concern, as any instructor who isn’t an expert SHOULD be investing in developing and honing their craft. In fact, I don’t think there are any instructors in the US right now that can accurately consider themselves so expert that they don’t need to learn anymore, so we should ALL be striving to continue learning. There is no shame in seeking to better oneself as a dancer and instructor, but the same can’t be said for those who neglect to do so, which brings me to the next reason.

Another reason an instructor might not want to answer is that they realize deep down that they haven’t invested much at all in their development as a dancer. Because of the relatively low level/knowledge of Kizomba students in younger scenes like the US, quite a few instructors see an opportunity and seek to exploit it, so they go to a few festivals, take a few classes, and MAYBE a private lesson or two, and then start teaching, at which point they start neglecting their own development in favor of more commercial aspects, such as marketing, etc. Instructors who believe that they only need to be “a bit better than their students” don’t prioritize leveling up unless they absolutely have to, which of course doesn’t incentivize them to level their students up rapidly because this would force said instructors to continue investing in their own development to stay ahead of their students. This is part of the reason why you sometimes will see students who have been learning from an instructor for six months or more yet have little to show for it by way of skill level.

Sometimes instructors will seek to sidestep the admittedly tough path to really mastering the fundamentals of Kizomba/Semba by creating “fusions”, “new styles”, “evolutions”, etc. And as I stated in my blog post “Putting the Cart before the Horse”, I have no problem with personal styles, fusions or dancing differently to different music, as I have my own personal style and dance differently to different music, but if you’re going to teach “fusions” or “new styles”, you should first learn and teach the fundamentals of Kizomba as it is traditionally danced BEFORE adding things. There are some fun newer styles of dancing out there, such as what is erroneously collectively called the “French Style”, but these styles were created by people who have been dancing Kizomba/Semba for YEARS and had a STRONG grasp of the basics BEFORE adding things and creating the new style. So if in your research, you find that an instructor created or founded a “new style” before they fully got a grasp of the basics (which takes years to really have down), that’s a huge red flag.

As a fictional example, let’s say you found in your research that I’ve created and now promote “BillyKiz” as a “new style” of Kizomba although when I created it I had only been dancing for less than two years. If this was accurate (don’t worry it’s not, I won’t be inflicting “BillyKiz” on anyone just yet haha), you should definitely be very careful about looking further into my background before investing a lot of resources in my instruction. As I’ve said many times, creating “new styles” works best when you FIRST master the original, and that takes time and effort that many instructors would rather not invest.

If the instructor does answer the question, then analyze the answer. How many different instructors has he/she trained with? Privates or group classes? Just one class or multiple? Were they Kizomba/Semba instructors or something else like hip-hop, tango, zouk, etc.? Ideally a Kizomba instructor should have trained, or should be training with instructors who can dance well to actual Kizomba music and/or Semba, the more hours invested in learning the better. So if an instructor says he/she took a few festival classes but no privates, then that’s a red flag. If he or she did take some privates, but only a few hours or less of Kizomba/Semba instruction over the course of six months to a year or so, that’s a red flag. If he/she mentions taking hip-hop, tango, zouk, bachata, etc. but mentions relatively little Kizomba/Semba instruction, that’s a red flag. If none of the instructors he/she names can dance well to actual Kizomba music (NOT Ghetto Zouk) or Semba, also a red flag. If the instructor has mostly learned from YouTube, of course that’s a huge red flag haha. Now, if the instructor has spent significant time training with top talents who have mastered the fundamentals of Kizomba as it is traditionally danced, that is a very good sign. If the instructor has current active plans to seek out and learn from such talents, also a good sign.

Now, on a sad note, it’s possible that an instructor might lie about how much training they have had (especially after reading a blog post like this haha), so you might need to do further research to confirm. You can reach out to those who the instructor has named as teachers and mentors and ask them about the instructor in question. If they confirm, that’s a good sign. If not, that’s a red flag that will necessitate further research. If you find out an instructor has lied about their training, than this is the ultimate red flag and you should not only refrain from investing in said instructor, you should also call them out to the community. Unethical irresponsible behavior like this should not be tolerated in instructors, as we are the ones who shape the scene. But for the record, I must state that when it comes to asking for personal accounts, as with all human interactions, there may be issues with competition, bad blood, disputes, etc. that could color an instructor’s response or opinion of another instructor, so it is prudent to be as objective and fact-oriented as possible.

Another way to gauge an instructor’s commitment to learning is to watch videos of them dancing over a period of time. Many instructors have YouTube channels where they post demos, freestyles, choreographies, etc. If a teacher has been teaching for 6 months or more, you should be able to see a number of videos of them dancing online. So for example, if you look at a video of an instructor dancing a year ago and compare it to a video from today, and there isn’t much improvement in the more recent video, then this is a red flag. If you see a steady improvement, then this is a very good sign, as an instructor should definitely be improving at a reasonable pace if they are investing in their development as a dancer. I know that since I started teaching I have improved at a very rapid pace, and I work hard to continue to do so. One final note on the videos, as I went over in Part 1, try not to be distracted by cool editing tricks, fancy locales, theatrics, “sexy” body movements, etc. when you watch the videos.

You may not find old videos of some instructors, as they may have deleted their old videos, perhaps because they are embarrassed by them or don’t want the public to see them dancing at a lower level than their current level (or maybe they read this blog and quickly deleted their videos to hide their lack of progress haha, just kidding!), but my partner and I make it a point to keep our old videos because they are like a video diary of our progress as a dance couple. And with each new video we post, we look to make sure that we are improving. We believe that using videos to track progress is a good idea for any dancer, whether via YouTube, or private videos on a cell phone.

ATTITUDE

Lastly, something worth looking at in a great instructor is his or her attitude. It may not seem like a big deal, but the personality of instructors and others in positions of influence have a profound effect on the vibe of a dance scene and the attitude of its members, so it is worth looking into. Is the instructor kind and humble? And I don’t mean “Facebook kind” or “Facebook humble”, which refers folks who carefully craft their social media presence to reflect a certain persona that they wish to portray but that doesn’t match their dealings in real life. When possible, look to see how the instructor actually behaves in real life. Does the instructor treat students with respect? If not, red flag. For instructors who are part of a partnership, does the instructor treat his/her partner with respect and show appreciation and give recognition to his/her partner, or does the instructor treat the partner like a glorified assistant or never even mention him/her at all? If an instructor does not show adequate appreciation and respect for his/her partner, this is a big red flag. When social dancing, does the instructor dance with beginners or those who aren’t getting dances and make them feel welcome, or does he/she spend the whole time dancing with elite dancers and hot young thangs? This will determine the vibe of socials and parties hosted by said instructor.

Does the instructor respect that Kizomba/Semba, both the dance and the music are a cherished part of Angolan culture? Many people say the respect the culture and history of Kizomba, but how many make an effort to learn more about actual Kizomba music (not Ghetto Zouk), about Semba, and how to dance appropriately to this music? If a Kizomba instructor only really ever dances or teaches to Ghetto Zouk and Ghetto Zouk English remix type music, and encourages the same in his or her students either directly or indirectly, then in my opinion he or she does not truly respect Kizomba and its culture. To paraphrase something one of our students said, “If someone can’t dance to actual Kizomba music with an Angolan and put a smile on their face, then they shouldn’t call themselves a Kizomba dancer. Period.” I’d change “dancer” and replace it with “instructor” and it’d work well for this blog post.

When the instructor is questioned, challenged, or given constructive criticism, how does he/she respond? Does the instructor graciously listen and respond to questions and accept constructive criticism? If so, this is a good sign. However if an instructor responds in a haughty, defensive, or arrogant way, or starts mentioning “people who follow me” or other not-so-humble brag-type stuff, BIG red flag. Instructors, whether we like it or not, are public figures, and leaders, and should not get all sensitive if we are questioned or challenged, whether by students or colleagues. If we aren’t prepared to defend our product in a mature way, then we should consider doing something other than teaching. True humility is a highly desirable trait in a dance teacher, and so we should be very careful to ensure that our egos never start to outstrip our skill level.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Don’t get me wrong my people, I understand that learning Kizomba/Semba the right way takes a huge investment of time and resources, often without an immediate financial return. I realize that training is generally more resource-intensive for instructors than for students. I also get that it is very tempting to focus on the more commercial aspects of being an instructor, especially if this is how you earn your living. But as instructors, we have a responsibility and a duty to our students to offer a quality product, and we should be held to a high standard, as this can only benefit the scene long term. I doubt folks would be so quick to start teaching without making an appropriate investment in their development if they knew that they will be called out on it immediately.

I must reiterate that I do not want to discourage new teachers who want to share Kizomba in cities with an undeveloped scene. I am not asserting that one has to be a master of Kizomba/Semba, have historian-level knowledge of Angolan culture, be able to speak Portuguese and Kimbundu fluently, and have bathed thoroughly in the waters of Luanda Bay to even THINK of teaching Kizomba, that would be silly, especially in places with less-developed scenes like the US. I do believe that if you have access to quality instruction, you should take full advantage of it BEFORE teaching, but if you do not have ready access to quality instruction in your area, then go ahead and start teaching, but actively seek to increase your knowledge and ability while doing so. You don’t have to be a master to teach the basics of Kizomba to beginners, just as you don’t need Picasso to teach you how to clean a paintbrush. But for students looking for a long term instructor, or looking for an instructor to help them get to the next level, it is important to look for an instructor who aspires to achieve mastery of their craft.

I want to thank all who have taken the time to read yet another of my long posts. I know this one might have hurt some feelings, but I didn’t write this post just to ruffle feathers, I wrote it 1) to be a resource that will hopefully help to protect the interests of students and, to the extent possible, insulate them from the potential waste of their resources on inadequate instruction due to a lack of knowledge on their part or misleading marketing, and 2) to influence the continued development of the quality scene I described in Part 1, where teachers are held to a high standard so as to provide value to students. Feel free to comment and share this blog post if you’d like, and I look forward to seeing you all on the dance floor!

10 Ways To Become More Creative & Musical in Kizomba

Wimmy Wimmy — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 01:52:10 +0000

This article is quoted directly from:

http://latindancecommunity.com/10-ways-to-become-more-creative-and-musical-in-kizomba/

Kizomba is a dance with immense freedom. I would argue that kizomba is an aesthetic more than a syllabus of steps. It is closely partnered and very grounded, in the way of African dances. Motion is continuous and controlled, except as punctuated with staccato movement for effect. Of course, there are basic steps at the core of the dance to which we always return. Yet at any given moment we are free to step in any direction, and to modify our movement in a number of ways.

I’d like to share 10 ideas that you can use to become more musical and creative in your kizomba dancing – many of which translate well to other dance forms as well! This article is primarily directed at leaders, but followers will facilitate such musicality by being ready for anything – maintaining connection, practicing continuous movement, and never committing to a step before the leader.

1. Style/Posture

While kizomba has not yet been divided into distinct genres the way salsa has, many people recognize at least three styles. The more traditional Angolan style has a stronger hold in the arms, a bend at the leader’s waist, and a circling motion. The style most commonly coming from Portugal displays more chest compression, pelvic isolations, and level changes with bent knees. In what some people call French style or modern kizomba, the posture is more upright and the hold may not be offset.

Although some people prefer one style and stay with it, it is entirely possible to vary it according to the music. When an older instrumental song comes on, try the traditional hold. When it’s ghetto zouk, perhaps explore a larger body movement. When the music is a digital remix, it could be interesting to experiment with dancing toe to toe.

2. Emotion

I’ve said it before: kizomba is not just a time to try to get romantic – or sexual – with your partner. In kizomba we may express a whole range of emotions. I have heard Angolan emigrants recount how they came together to dance kizomba after fleeing the civil war, and tears rolled down their faces as they held one another. Kizomba songs with lyrics may be about heartbreak, about celebrating life, about dreaming, about memory, about love, as well as attraction. That means that we have a lot that we could unpack as we approach a song. Try being playful, or beaten-down-yet-determined, or dramatic, or sweet.

3. Repetition

It’s a simple idea – choose any two steps of a move you know, and try doing an extra set of them before continuing or finishing the move. Walk forward a few times before your marqua. Bring the follower in and out of exit position. Pivot back and forth. You get the picture!

4. Slow motion

Slowing down your movement is an excellent way of following a lyrical line, reaching the end of a phrase, or drawing out a moment. A single slow step can create beautiful contrast. Experiment with choosing a step or two to do slowly.

5. Acceleration/Syncopation

Whether it’s a rapid shuffle back in close, speeding forward to reconnect from saida, or the follower quick-stepping around the leader in dissociation, these steps can add serious flavor to your kizomba. To keep it looking effortless, stay relaxed!

6. Direction Change

We tend to learn moves as discrete blocks. We don’t have to limit ourselves that way, however. Changing the direction of a portion of your move may give you whole new ideas! Imagine your movement as seen from above, and create a new shape.

7. Pause/Stop

There’s few things that make followers gasp with delight so much as a well-timed halt. Aside from knowing the music well enough to know where to place it, the key to a good pause is solid balance. Also, don’t be afraid to hold your stop for even a few counts, if the moment is right.

8. Footwork Variation

Many people learn footwork variations as part of a choreography in a class. Take those elements and try placing them in your regular dancing. Experiment with your own variations as well – forward steps are among the easiest to play with.

9. Connection Change

Much of kizomba is danced chest to chest, but there are far more position and connection possibilities. Saida position and promenade may be the first we think of, but front to back, perpendicular stepping, and circling are all options. It is important to consider what the primary connection point will be as the chest connection is lost – in the arm? The back? The leg? The hip?

10. Interruption

In order to escape from repeating overmuch your typical patterns, try breaking moves into smaller pieces and inserting other moves between. This is an exceptionally good method of unlocking your creativity, because it gets you thinking about your dance vocabulary in entirely new ways.

Try them all! Don’t forget to listen to plenty of kizomba music and watch other dancers whose creativity impresses you.

How Aware Are You With Your Own Balance?

Wimmy Wimmy — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 01:38:22 +0000

This post is quoted directly from:

http://kizombaseattle.blogspot.co.nz/2015/09/how-body-aware-are-you-balance-you-and.html

My previous post about balance focused on stillness and your own balance. This one focuses about balance in the partnership while you are dancing with your partner. While dancing, leads and follows are each responsible for their own balance in the dance. To truly connect with your partner while dancing, one must also start to develop an awareness of your partner's balance as well. This second level of balance awareness can take dancing to the new heights. The added awareness allows you the space to express yourself as you dance in unison with another person whether you are a lead or a follow. Balance in motion is tied to awareness of your partner as well as the forces at work when you move together. For example, a follow, no matter what size, can easily throw a lead off balance if either party is not aware of their balance while moving. Follows have the last action in any movement since they are finishing what the lead has suggested. This means they carry with them some force from acceleration and momentum that if they do not control by maintaining their own balance OR if the lead does not prepare for, can easily cause the lead to go off balance. The need to be aware and in control are particularly important with movements that involve rotation and speed (quicker movement than usual). The reason we don't see more spills in kizomba is that the speed and distances traveled by the dancers are slower and smaller and so are easier to control. In the event there's a balance challenge, leads and follows can still compensate for momentary lapses of balance. The result of the compensation is usually some sacrifice of grace, smoothness and connection if things don't go quite as planned.SELF-AWARENESS and PARTNER AWARENESS

Building awareness of your own balance and your partners' comes with practice and experience. When I start to teach kizomba, I stress that despite the close connection, the lead and the follow each are responsible for their own balance. When you start to be comfortable in that, you can start to pay attention to your partner's balance as well. When does the weight shift occur? When is the balance distributed between both legs? What causes my partner to step? Building this awareness allows the lead to then play with their connection in a different way: to slide or life or pivot their follow as an interruption to the base walk. Exercises:

1) Slow Motion Walking: can be done along then in partnership. Alone to work on your own balance and control while in partnership to learn to listed to when the weight shift occurs.

2) Leading a Step Without taking the Step: Can you move your follow to take a step while you don't? Are you aware of what foot your follow is on and when you can sync up with opposite feet or same feet? Start with walking together and pay attention to when your partner has committed to step. See if you can lead in such a way that you make your follow step without you (the lead) actually taking a step. Do this while the follow is walking forward and backward.