Rumba Plus Bachata

The bachata (there are different spellings of the word) is a beautiful, sexy dance. Shayne teaches it. We have it on our list, but it will be awhile. The clave and chacha are enough latin at present.

Then we had an idea. The bachata, while different from the rumba, is danced to the same rhythm. Why not steal some bachata moves and throw them in our rumba, which we know how to do? We’ve already put some clave steps in there.

So I searched on you tube to see if anyone else had done this, and of course, they had. Here is a video of a bachata that has a rumba feel. It has the lyrical smoothness of the rumba, with the bachata hip action. We like.

Clothes Fit The Dance

When Gary and I first started dancing we were in ballroom mode; even our swings had a formal feel. This made perfect sense, as we were studying with a ballroom instructor (and still are.) What I wore then was what everyone else there wore; pretty flow-y dresses and denim skirts for more casual events.

I still do wear these sorts of clothing, but along the way something happened. That “something” was a more street style of expression, which includes falls, leg lifts, hip-hops moves, and jumps.

What I’ve learned is what comes up must come down isn’t necessarily true when it relates to clothing. I’ve never had a full on (so to speak) embarrassing flash, but I’ve come close. And so I’ve changed what I wear to dance in.

Since Gary and I now most often dance club-style in associated venues, I wear either stretch jeans or capris, with a long, close fitting top. Long keeps the midriff covered when my arms are over my head, close fitting keeps fabric from either whacking Gary or distracting me. If I do wear a skirt or dress, I wear hose or leggings. Those two items get hot in the summer, so mostly I wear capris during warm weather.

Check out jazz or hip hop dancers sometime. They hold the key to dressing for club style dancing; comfortable, stretchy, close to the body garments that move with them. I do love long ball gowns, but Gary and I just don’t dance like that very often. It took me awhile to see that like my dance sneakers, the rest of my attire needed to match our style.

Boogie on.

Thanks

Every now and then I like to blog-thank our two wonderful dance teachers, Melissa Smith (Fred Astair South Indpls) and Shayne Carter (Organic Rhythms Indpls).They are both fabulous teachers, experienced and talented, patient, and willing to teach us the way we want to be taught.

I couldn't find a video of Melissa dancing but here's a shot of her and Mark. When she does the rumba I want to cry it's so full of emotion.



Here's Shayne dancing in Chicago. She's the woman nearest to the camera when it starts...black gloves and a tutu tail. Make sure you watch the last couple of minutes. The ending is...well, you just have to see it.