Kizomba is...

"An embrace means I don't feel threatened by you, I'm not afraid to be this close, I can relax, feel at home, feel protected and in the presence of someone who understands me. It is said that each time we embrace someone warmly, we gain an extra day of life."

A quote from Paul Coelho (one of my favorite authors) that describes for me what dancing kizomba is like.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Kizomba Weekend with Albir Rojas and Sara Lopez Martin August 3-5 , 2012



Seattle we are in for a treat! Albir Rojas and Sara Lopez Martin will be visiting Aug. 3 5, 2012 to dance and share their love of kizomba with us. 

REGISTRATION: www.centuryballroom.com

 



DANCES


  • Friday Aug 3: Albir and Sara will be our guests for the 1st Friday Kizomba Dance at East Hall. There will be a beginner lesson from 9-10pm and then dancing from 10pm - 1am. $5 for the lesson and $10 for the dance. $15 will get you in for the lesson and the dance as well as a joint cover for the salsa going on at the main ballroom.
  • Saturday Aug 4: Orchestra Zarabanda will be playing live at the Century Ballroom. 10:30pm - 1:30am  $15 cover
  • Sunday Aug 5: Kizomba Dance in West Hall from 9:30pm - 12:30am  $7 cover

WORKSHOPS

August 4, Saturday WEST HALL
3:00pm - 4:00pm  Tarraxa Body Movement
4:15pm - 5:15pm  Kizomba Patterns
5:15pm - 6:30pm  Practice Time
6:30pm  Drinks/Dinner in The Tin Table: you're invited to make your own reservations
August 5, Sunday WEST HALL
1:30pm - 2:30pm  Tarraxa Leading and Following
2:45pm - 3:45pm  Semba Basics
4:00pm - 5:00pm  Master Class**
5:15pm - 6:30pm  Practice Time
**Invite only: Separate registration through Frances Tee via email CoachTee@gmail.com required. This class is an Advanced Level class.

 

COST

Individual classes are $25
Take all four classes for $80 (excludes Master Class)

 

PRIVATES

Sara and Albir are available to teach privates on Friday 8/3 before the social and Saturday 8/4 before the workshops. Please contact through email: coachtee@gmail.com to schedule or with questions. 
Pricing for the privates is still being confirmed and will be updated as soon as it is available.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

How does Kizomba Grow?

I’m usually writing about an upcoming event … this time, let’s try something different Smile

I am not a native kizomba dancer – I learned about the music and dance 3 years ago. It touched me in a way that other dances have not and I wanted to share that with others. My back ground  in dance doesn’t have just one root. I grew up in the Philippines and learned folk dances. In my teens I danced ballet and jazz until I discovered partner dancing. Nowadays, I dance salsa (on1, mambo, casino), bachata, lindy (ever hear of swango?), blues, basic ballroom, tango (still learning) and west coast swing (still learning). I’ve  had other dance influences: belly dancing, African movement and a little bit of hip hop. I love bringing people together to accomplish something positive. I’m someone that isn’t always interested in history though I’m always curious to know how things came to be.

I am a person who enjoys immersion in learning and doing different things at the same time. Some might argue that this might cause one to loose focus. For me, the variety energizes me and keeps me from putting blinders on. Learning helps me see new things and reminds me that there are always nuggets to uncover. This state of being also leads me down a path where I’m continually growing which is exciting in how limitless it can be.

Kizomba has given me the chance to teach, learn, grow and enjoy music and dance even more than I already do. With Kizomba, I’m also on virgin ground. This dance is young in its own evolution and its even younger in its exposure here in Seattle and in the US. I’ve been lucky to know some key people that shared my enthusiasm and together, we’ve been able to sow some seeds and see some wonderful flowers sprout up!

Well, now that We have this nice little garden, what to do?

I started to answer this question by asking myself what kizomba means to me:

For me, Kizomba is a dance where the steps are simple and the challenge is how to dance it so smoothly with a partner to music. It’s a dance where I’m in a hug: one that feels warm and cozy. The music puts me at ease because its base beat feels like a pulse, a heartbeat. When I’m dancing, I can enjoy the closeness of the embrace with another person, while listening and moving together to that pulse. Every dance is different because I’m dancing with someone else who hears different things in the music than I do. The same song is a new dance when I dance it with a different person. The same song with a familiar dancer can be danced differently because we hear different things depending on how we feel and what we choose to express.

It’s a dance that’s at its best when you relax, hold yourself up naturally and comfortably, listen and move. You don’t have to know how to spin on the spot. You don’t have to understand about how to create the right tensions with an anchor step. You don’t have to know what a channe turn is. You do have to be comfortable giving and receiving a warm hug. You have to know how to walk sometimes slowly, shuffle and move to the music you hear with your partner. All the extra body movement, all the fancy steps, leans and dips: that’s just like adding extra icing to a cake that already has the right ratio of icing to cake.

That’s what it means, so now, what do I want? [Some of this is already here, I just want more of it Smile. ]

I want to continue to teach it and share it with other people. I want to continue to grow as a dancer. I want there to be so many great dancers that every new person that learns about kizomba will feel welcome and happy to stay. I want to be part of a community that also shares in keeping kizomba thriving so that it is not just some passing fad but something that is here to stay.
It would be great to have kizomba played in different venues: by itself all night long, alongside other music with similar feel or even as a way to wind down from an evening of energetic dancing (like after a night of salsa or swing). It would be awesome to see the dance floor fill up with dancers whenever a kizomba song came on.

And while I’m thinking wishfully… wouldn’t it be awesome to have it as a featured dance on Dancing with the Stars?? Wouldn’t it be cool if some kizomba artist teams up with a popular US artist and a kizomba song became a top 20 on the US charts?

Now let me ask you the same question: what are your thoughts on how kizomba should grow?

Please feel free to post your ideas for an event, for a venue, for anything that you think would help this lovely garden take root all over Winking smile If you’re shy of public commentary, feel free to email me directly using kizombaseattl@gmail.com.

HAPPY DANCING!!! Don’t forget  that Albir and Sara will be coming in a few weeks (Aug. 4-5) to share more kizomba with us!