Starting a Dance Community: Stage 3 - Continuity

To read the previous stages, use the links below:
Stage 1
Stage 2

Now that things got started and some momentum is building up, its time to think about continuity. If one thing is constant, its that changes always happen. Of course there's the other side of change and I'll use a qoute from Jean -Baptiste Alphonse Karr: "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose": which is basically that "the more things change, the more they stay the same".

And so, this is the stage where you also decide how much more you want to do and be involved in because if you've succeeded in stage two, then there are many others who will get involved in the community you started and help it continue. Staying active is an option, stepping out is an option, its really up to you and how you see your role in the community over time.

STAGE 3: Continuity

• How to Sustain the Dance
• What is Your Role

First, I wanted to share something inevitable: as things start to grow, the following will always happen:

• There will be more teachers.
• There will be more parties.
• Other people will come in thinking they have something better to offer.
• Other people will ride off the successes that have been built.
• You, as the person that started things, are no longer needed to start things.
• Someone will think that they had the original idea for something that you might have already done.
• Someone will think that they can "build" over what is already there.
• Lead/Follow balance will be changing
• Recruiting dancers is a never ending activity. 

One thing is for sure, try not to get too attached to your own importance. I'm not saying this to diminish the efforts you have put in, rather to caution that group memory is short. As a community grows and different people join, what you know and what the newer members know can be quite different. There are generations of dancers that become the face of the community and each group will have characteristic of its own as they add to the community and that force of change is basically something you cannot control.

HOW TO SUSTAIN THE DANCE
Just makes sure that STAGE TWO keeps going: classes, places to dance and hear the music are readily available.

One thing that is helpful is to develop a way to keep new people coming in. Word of mouth is most effective and partnering with other organizations helps as well. The people that fall in love with the dance are really the best ambassadors.

Continuing to showcase the dance and music in different venues will help to reach other people that you may not normally reach. If you can be creative about where to showcase the dance, then you'll be able to reach more people and that is always a good thing.

Highlighting your local DJs and instructors is also a must because these are the people that form the framework for how people fall in love with the dance.

I think dancers tend to want to bring other dancers into a new dance they fall in love with. This is certainly one way to build numbers but its not the only way. Make sure to recruit non-dancers too because cannibalizing other dance groups means that you are limited by their size. I think Kizomba on its own has a lot to offer people but its the community itself that becomes the best add for growth; when people are having fun and making strong connections, other people wnat in on that too.

WHAT'S YOUR ROLE? VISION?
When I started down this road, I was student, teacher, advertiser, writer and event promoter all at once. The last thing I thought about was being a community leader. That came later and perhaps because of my own nature, it was not something I was always comfortable with at first.

Everyone is different so you may be able to think about who and what you represent from the start. Its important to think about it so that there is some purpose in what you do. I think doing thinks with a lack of purpose doesn't help.

I had more of a vision: I wanted to create an environment that would be welcoming and cooperative from the start. One that encourages learning and sharing and allows for many people to share and contribute their passions for the dance and culture. I was already a member of other dance communities and these were the two more important characteristics that kept me involved in them.  I also had a goal for Seattle to be known as one of the best places to come to for Kizomba.

I do not think that what is currently here is all because of me - its not. There are all the people and personalities that have contributed in ebbs and flows. I do think that who you are and what you wish for the community does leave a mark whether you want it to or not. So your intentions, whether they are planned or just happenstance do make a difference.

As the community grows, you get to decide how to grow with it and how involved you want to be. For myself, I'm still trying to figure this part out while I continue to teach, go out dancing, and socialize. One thing I am enjoying is the fruit of everyone's labor: more Kizomba dancing in Seattle.

FINAL THANKS
I have been lucky to have met some really great souls along the way who have become friends and mentors. I am really excited to see others progress and grow as DJs, event promoters, dancers and teachers. The very first monthly social that I started is still running and the energy of that night continues to be the warmest, more genuine dance energies I continue to enjoy. Don't forget to stop and appreciate what you have as your community grows.

Starting a Dance Community: Stage 2 - Spreading the Love

This stage is where the action happens and is my favorite stage because here is where the rubber meets the road and lots of things happen. This is the stage where you meet lots of people, coordinate events, and spread the word about something you love. [Just in case, here's the Overview and Stage One.]

STAGE 2: Spreading the Love 

• Education: Workshops or Series Classes or Small Group Practise for learning
• Dance opportunities outside of class 
• Demonstrations: showing off the dance and music
• A Blog, a Facebook Page, a Video Channel, a Podcast

In order to create and sustain community, people need a way to learn, to practise, to dance and socialize. In addition, there's still continuing outreach to demonstrate the dance and show off the music.

EDUCATION
Not only for yourself but also for the people you're going to hook or have hooked for the dance. There are many ways to do this:

• Find a local expert
• Find a small group of people to learn with
• Find resource online
• Find other experts to talk to and learn from [fly them in OR fly to see them]

I did all of the above when I started Kizomba. In this day and age, I believe you can also work with people over Skype or a similar type of application that allows you to see and hear each other in real time.

After you educate yourself, there are 2 things to start shooting for:
1) Demonstrations the dance
2) Teaching the dance

They both go hand in hand because in order for the scene to grow, people have to know about the dance and someone has to offer to teach it.

Finding an expert and mentor is also highly recommended. Its hard to start something new and having that guidance and sounding board is important so you don't loose your drive, or get discouraged or get thrown off course.

CLASSES

It helps to know what your own scene supports as far as class: drop-ins before a dance? regular classes weekly? Progressive classes? All of the above?

In Seattle for example, its the norm for dance studios to have a series of weekly classes anywhere from 4-6 weeks. Weekend workshops and congresses are other ways to teach. Drop-in lessons are also offered before dances. For Kizomba, we started  with weekend workshops and then once demand picked up, offered weekly classes and then developed a series progression (ex: Level 1, 2, 3) to keep students moving through the content. I also brought in more experienced instructors from out of town to teach and designed different kinds of classes (musicality, role switching (leads learn to follow and follows learn to lead), dance camps, dance exchanges, etc) to keep people interested.

Here are options for classes:

• Weekly, right before a dance/social/practica
• Weekly in groups of 4 or 5 for series
• Bootcamp over one day (2-3 hours)
• Bootcamp over several days (weekend or more)
• Monthly workshops

Whatever it is you do, it has to be done with some level of consistency and regularity.

DEMONSTRATIONS

To get people excited about something, you have to show it off: both the dance and the music. Think of it as running a campaign to educate people AND invite them to learn the dance. Use existing dance channels to start demonstrations and then get creative with other ways to increase awareness of the dance.

Here in Seattle, we demonstrated at salsa dances, fusion dances, bachata dances and clubs that hosted salsa dances. We did this in conjunction with a class that was about to happen so that if there were people interested, we could follow-up and let them know how they could learn the dance.

I was also lucky enough to get cooperation from other DJ's to play occasional kizomba music.

I also organized a flash mob to get people excited about it and have something out in the general public.

REGULAR CHANCES TO DANCE
Once you built up the excitement and have students, they need a place to dance outside of class. The frequency of the social/dance party will depend on how many people will come. All I gotta say is PATIENCE. It takes time for a dance to grow and become something that people go to regularly so don't expect immediate success and celebrate every time you have a chance to dance. Also, be consistent about time and location: regularity and consistency will be key to having the event become more established and more popular.

You can start dances anywhere:

• At someone's home
• At a club/restaurant
• At a dance studio
• Any rental space that has open space and allows amplified music to be played.

We do all of the above in Seattle. The weekly dances are at a dance studio because these are the venues that dancers go to dance. In other cities, opportunities to dance are in clubs/bars/restaurants. You need to know where dancers go to dance and decide what works best where you are.

It might also be easier to partner with an established dance in the beginning, just to get the word out and then establish an independent dance venue as soon as you can.

Some community members are generous enough to host dances at their homes impromptu and / or organize pop-up events at parks and other places that are fun to dance in. 

Recommended frequency for the dance always depends on the number of people that are coming out to dance. Here is the progression I recommend:

• Once a month to start
• Once a week once your numbers can support it
• Multiple times a week once the numbers can support it

Remember to make it easy for people to remember when the dance is by picking a regular time every month / week.

Here's specifically how I got things started in Seattle:

1. Monthly Dance at Century Ballroom: thanks to some people who took a chance and others who believed, there's a dance every 1st Friday of the month which is the oldest running Kizomba social in Seattle. We call is First Fly Friday and its a ton of fun and still one of the best parties I have the pleasure to attend. I am a little biased, but ask anyone here, I'm pretty proud of how this one has turned out.
2. Weekly Practise: this one has morphed quite a bit since it started. I intended to provide another night to help students practise so it started with a very small group at a dance studio. It has since moved several times and changed hands with hosting and purpose. What started out as just practise became a place to welcome new people into the dance and community and its now a full blow social of its own where people bring food and beverage and enjoy the dance. This event started out with a small fee and is now a free event.

After these two things, other socials and parties got started. You can see a full list on the right side of the Kizomba Seattle blog page or on the pinned post on the facebook group page.  

FEE OR NO FEE
I firmly believe that people place more value on things that they have to pay for. 

I also believe that dance should be accessible to everyone and understand that money can be a scarce resource for some people.

There's no good answer to everything so you have to gauge what will work where you are: for your audience and for you as the person who is likely the source for the capital for these events in the beginning.

Seattle has a mix healthy mix of events that you have to pay a cover to enter and events that are free. Other communities just have paid events. Its really what the market can bear and you don't have to have a hand in everything. In fact, you DON'T want that level of control or responsibility anyway.

DON'T FORGET THE DJ

Parties need music so don't forget this one. Luckily, when people get excited about music, there no shortage of playlists out there for you to use and share.

When we started here in Seattle, volunteers would just pull a playlist together to get things started. Then, as things started to grow, different people stepped up to become DJs and are not getting paid to play their music at dances and festivals (how cool is that?!)

Seattle now boasts about three or four homegrown DJs that continue to perfect their craft and even get hired outside Seattle.

Parties need GOOD music.

OTHER CHANNELS TO KEEP PEOPLE INFORMED

As your audience grows, information needs to be provided as well as a place for the community to communicate and share information. Luckily, this day and age is perfect for all kinds of sharing:

• Blog
• Facebook Page
• Website
• Meetup
• Mailing List
• Video Channel
• Podcast

Kizomba Seattle has a facebook presence, this blog and a Meetup. Use your channel wisely depending on your audience. Facebook by far has the furthest reach here in Seattle along with the blog. 

CONCLUSION

While there's a lot of excitement and wonderful energy at this stage, a word of caution that there can also be not-so-fun things to deal. Make sure you remember to trust yourself: keep your purpose clear and have a good support group close by. Always be your genuine self. 

The FUN parts are soooo much fun because when you experience first times, the shared energy that this brings is so unique. I've been part of first times in other context and its definitely I'm grateful for.

I didn't set out to build a community by saying I was going to be a leader or a money maker or a famous artist. I simply wanted more people to dance with, teach people about the dance and make myself a better dancer. I also wanted to find a way to make a living out of doing all these things and found that this part of my "wish list" I still have to work on. I do caution that if you DO want to make this financially viable, you do need to think BIG and scale up to accommodate that goal.

NEXT UP: STAGE THREE - Continuity
BACK: STAGE 1

CANCELLED: Kizomba Weekend with Ennuel Iverson in Seattle: Feb 13 - 14, 2016

We regret to inform you that Ennuel has been denied entry to the US so he will not be able to come for this weekend. 

Refunds WILL be issues (please give us time). 

We are happy to welcome Ennuel Iversion for Valentines Weekend 2016! This will be Ennuel's first visit to Seattle so let's give a warm hug and welcome!. An international artist, choreographer and one of the more prominent Urban Kiz dancers, he comes to us from France. General Workshops will be held on Saturday Feb. 13th and small group sessions on Sunday Feb 14th. We'll also be planning Saturday night party somewhere (stay tuned!) See the details below and scroll down to register.

Saturday February 13, 2016 WORKSHOPS
Phinney Ridge Community Center, Room 7 in the upper level of the Blue Building
1:00 - 1:15 Registration
1:15 - 2:15 Urban Kizomba Foundations
2:15 - 2:30 break
2:30 - 3:30 Urban Kizomba Improvers
3:30 - 3:45 break
3:45 - 4:45 Urban Kizomba Breakthrough
4:45 - 5:00 Wrap-up, Pictures, etc.

Sunday February 14, 2016 SMALL GROUP INTENSIVES
Main Ballroom of the Century Ballroom

For the dancer that's looking for more specialized attention at an affordable rate. You MUST register for the Saturday workshops to take part in the small group. If you have scheduling conflicts, please email kizombaseattle@gmail.com to confirm.

Each of the 1.5 hour sessions will be limited to 10 people (5 couples). These sessions are designed for dancers who want to take their dancing to the next level, working in a small group with other dancers with comparable experience. You will receive individual attention from the instructor AND you will be able to learn with other dancers that share the same goals and similar experience.

When you register for this option, you will be emailed a set of questions to help confirm and ascertain your level and goals so you can be grouped with the right people.

Session 1: 12:30 - 2:00
Break 2:00 - 2:15
Session 2: 2:15 - 3:45
Wrap-up 3:45 - 4:00

PRICING
1 class $25 [with cc service fee]
2 classes $50 [with cc service fee]
All day (3 classes) $65 [with cc service fee]
Small Group Intensive is $45 [$47 with cc service fee]
Full Weekend (1 Small Group Intensive and all day Saturday) $95 [$100 with cc service fee]

REGISTER AND PAY

Workshop Payment (Service Fee Included)

All Day Saturday Workshops (3 Classes) $65.00 USD Any 2 Workshops (Saturday) $50.00 USD 1 Workshop (Saturday) $25.00 USD Small Group Intensive Session 1 (Sunday) $47.00 USD Small Group Intensive Session 2 (Sunday) $47.00 USD Full Weekend (All Day Sat + 1 Intensive) $99.00 USD

Which Sunday Small Group Session?

None Session 1 from 12:30p - 2:00p Session 2 from 2:15p - 3:45p

Specify which class(es) if you did not get the full Saturday

Urban Kiz Foundation Urban Kiz Foundation + Improver Urban Kiz Foundation + Breakthrough Urban Kiz Improver + Breakthrough Urban Kiz Improver Urban Kiz Breaktrhough

Please type your full name:

Lead or Follow?

PRIVATES
Ennuel is available for privates. Please contact kizombaseattle@gmail.com to schedule them. Space is limited so plan ahead. Privates are $125 an hour, not including any studio fees. Please note that payment should be made in cash. 

REFUNDS
Classes, Workshops and Mini-Intensives are transferable and non-refundable. Please contact kizombaseattle@gmail.com for transfers .

NOTE: For the Small Group Intensives, your substitute should be of the same level of dance and role as you. All transfers MUST be confirmed.

What's that you say? *Insert name here* is teaching now?!

Visiting instructors to Seattle have always commented about the unity they feel in the community here that they do not feel in other places that they have visited. They view our community as being more unified than most and lacking the in-fighting that they see and sometimes experience when they visit other communities.

It's not like drama doesn't happen. There are disagreements, strong opinions that clash, all the normal things you would expect in a community filled with different kinds of people. These interactions are normal but they do not define or set the tone for what our community is.

So why is the Kizomba Seattle community different?

There is little or no back fighting or one-up'ing going on within our teaching community: we all know each other and get along. Sure, we have different opinions on things and different teaching styles and methods, but for the most part, there is very little dissension and unfriendly competition amongst us. I think this is important because it has an impact on the community itself: the community is then not divided into "camps" based on who their teacher is.

I think this is state of cooperative competition is a result of the fact that all of us who are teaching  "grew up" together as we learned to dance Kizomba/Semba. We learned together: with and from each other when it was just a budding scene. We also each took our own path to learning and continue to talk to each other and collaborate. l love it. I think its awesome.

Lately tho, I've been hearing other people talk about so-and-so starting to teach and of course, the reaction and tone that I hear make it sound like their opinion is that this person isn't ready to teach. My own first reactions might be the same as I react with my judgement and personal opinion. Whatever the case, after my initial feelings are expressed, I always try to end with this: the more people there are to spread the love of the dance, the more the community will grow and that's a good thing. Sure, some will argue that so and so is not ready to teach or doesn't know enough to teach. Bottom line is there is nothing anyone can do to prevent someone else from teaching. What right do I (or anyone else) have to say "You should not teach." If people feel like they have something to offer as an instructor and would like to be paid for that time, why not?

Sure, I have my opinions and thoughts based on my experiences and knowledge. So if you ask for my opinion and advice I'm happy to share it. You can argue that people who aren't qualified to teach are stealing from their student if they charge money for it.

Here's what I believe: students will find who their best teacher is. There are so many factors to finding the right teacher and when you are spending your own money to pay for an activity that you are doing as your hobby or for fun, I'm pretty sure you'll invest in it wisely in the long run. A truly good teacher will stand out and the ones that aren't qualified will eventually have to step up or lose their student base.

Rather than list reasons why someone shouldn't be teaching and/or  pass judgement, I'll share my thoughts on what I think makes a good dance teacher.

• Gotta love what you do and it has to show. This is something all the teachers I respect and would always learn from have in common - they love what they do and I can feel it when they teach dance.
• They are students too. In order to teach someone how to do something, one must also be actively doing or practicing that which they are teaching. Great teachers also evolve with their students and learn from how their students learn. If you spend all your time telling someone what to do, something gets lost in your own development. 
• They actively dance (or are involved in dance other than just teaching). I do think for dancing this is important. A teacher should be actively engaged in dancing whatever dance they teach not just as a teacher. Do you seem them out dancing? Performing? Engaged in the community? DJing?
• Its not just about the dance. I think great teachers take the time to learn about teaching itself, the music, the dance origins and context for the dance.  I'm not saying that someone who doesn't know the history of Kizomba will be a bad teacher. I just think that its only natural to know more about what you love. 
• Geek out on dance I could spend hours talking about dancing - the music, how to move, what makes a good dancer, what makes a good move, what makes a move work. What's the progression of how to teach things, what will make things easier to understand. 
• Coach, Mentor, Cheerleader all in one. A truly great teacher is many things to different people. They know when to encourage, when to push, when to engage and when to let things simmer. 
• Knows that its not about them. Great teachers will not make it about themselves or the other teachers. It's about the students and helping them grow and love themselves in the dance. 
• Know their strengths and limitations. I think to teach you have to also know yourself pretty well. You shouldn't make things up about what you don't know and shouldn't be afraid to say when something is not your area of expertise. 
• Its not Wrong I hear this a lot, "well, my teacher said it was wrong do to this". I think that this one is tricky because students can hear things out of context. A good instructor recognizes that there are different methods of executing a movement and will at least talk about what works for them and what they teach and recognize that there are other ways to teach the same material. 

There are other qualities that I think are important that are more about my personal preference based on teachers that I respect and love to learn from who have influenced how I learn and teach and want to be like:

• Down to earth
• Respectful and Kind
• Can laugh at themselves
• Patient
• Great at pacing material and recognizing how much information to give (talking time) and how much time to practice
• Doesn't malign other peers or dancers in their profession
• Celebrates students' success

So who does teach kizomba in Seattle? Here's a list and if you teach and are not on it let me know and I'd be happy to add you to the list. 

How Body Aware are You? Balance [You and Your Partner]

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.

Muito Obrigado A Toda Familia (Thank You To The Whole Family)

Kizomba Seattle has been around for almost 5 years now. Every time we have a visiting instructor come to teach and dance with us, they tell me that they love the community we have here because it embodies the spirit of kizomba.

When I embarked on this path, it was simply for the love the music and the dance. It touched me in a way that no other dance had and I really just wanted more people to dance with.

This past weekend we were privileged to have Mandela with us to teach us about Semba, Kizomba and Afrohouse. Despite his catastrophic English (he says that his english is "catastrophe!") there was no loss in communicating the spirit of the dance. We had a smaller group than normal attend our workshops and I'm pretty sure everyone left with something new and better than what they started with.

Each visit is unique because of each instructor that visits shares some of themselves with us while they are here. This one is most memorable for this moment I witnessed during one of our small group sessions:

Mandela was talking about the feeling that goes into the dance and how technique can only take you so far. We had just finished learning a pattern and he wanted the group to just dance so he could observe us and walk around to provide feedback to the couples that were dancing. After playing 2 semba songs that were playful and a bit faster paced, he put on a kizomba song that was gentle and mellow and the whole group's energy went from bright orange/red to mellow blue/grey. It felt like everyone took a deep breathe in with a long exhale to just sink into the music.

I was watching on the side as Mandela was observing the group and he was so moved. I think he would have given a shout of joy right at that moment if not for the quiet quality of the music. I wish I could have taken a picture.

What he did was stop the music and walk to the center of the group and explain how, in all the years of teaching groups, he was never more moved by what our whole group just did. To see how everyone responded to the change in music moved him.

As for me, I just wanted to shout and say "Go Kizomba Seattle!!!" Many of the people in class have learned with me, from me and all have grown in the dance over the last few years. I could not have been more proud or happy to hear us all be acknowledged by Mandela.

Oh-My-God! {as Mandela himself would say}

I will remember that moment for a long, long, time.

My thanks goes out to everyone that was a part of the weekend because everyone's participation was what made it memorable. There are a few people worth calling out tho so here goes:

• Mandela: Thank you for your energy, your time and your generosity. It was such a pleasure to have you here in Seattle and even tho I don't speak Portuguese or Spanish and can passably understand French, you are proof 100x over that dance is an international language. THANK YOU for giving all of us your love sharing yourself and your energy.
• Ana: Thank you for hosting our guest and helping with translation and logistics. It was very helpful to have someone who could speak Portugese be part of the experience and especially too because you and Mandela had already met before. 
• Jessica, Mario and Landy: My other translators and general help: you guys rock! Thanks for being flexible too and working with the little adjustments during the weekend.
• Katie: Thank you for your help over the weekend and opening your home to us to end the weekend. I think it was the best possible way for things to end.  

Kizomba more than anything is about family and I'm so grateful and proud of our family, with all its diversity.

Here are Mandela's own words:

O MEU MUITO OBRIGADO A TODA FAMÍLIA
DA KIZOMBA DE SEATTLE PELO CARINHO
OBRIGADO PELO EXCELENTE FIM DE SEMANA!!
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🔝🔝🔝🔝🔝🔝🔝🔝🔝🔝🔝🔝🔝
A FAMILIA DA KIZOMBA DE VILA DO CONDE E PÓVOA DE VARZIM ESTA A VOSSA ESPERA!!!!
MANDELA MANDELA AKADEMIA DE KIZOMBA.

Translation:
My thanks to the whole family
The Kizomba of Seattle for caring
Thank you for the excellent weekend!!

The Kizomba family from Vila do Conde e Povoa do Varzim* will be waiting for you. 
Mandela Mandela akademia of kizomba.

*these are 2 small cities in Portugal where Mandela lives.

Kizomba Weekend: Jamba and Adoree May 16-17, 2015

We are happy to welcome Jamba and Adoree to Seattle May 16-17, 2015! This will be their first visit to Seattle so let's give them a warm welcome. This couple hails from Prague and bring with them lots of energy, playfulness and passion. The weekend also coincides with 3rd Saturday Late Night Kizomba in West Hall at the Century Ballroom to make this a mini-kizomba-semba treat. Come learn from, dance with and meet this creative and fun couple.


May 16, 2015 WORKSHOPS
1:00 - 1:30 Registration
1:30 - 2:30 Kizomba Foundations
2:30 - 2:45 break
2:45 - 3:45 Kizomba Improvers
3:45 - 4:00 break
4;00 - 5:00 Semba Foundations
5:00 - 5:30 Wrap-up, Pictures, etc.

May 17, 2015 MINI-INTENSIVE - FULL Please contact kizombaseattle@gmail.com to be put on a waitlist
For the dancer that's looking for more specialized attention at an affordable rate.

These 1.5 hour sessions that will be limited to 10 people. These sessions are designed for dancers who want to take their dancing to the next level. Not only will you be able to get more individual attention from the instructor, you will also be in a class with other dancers that share the same goals.

When you register for this option, you will be emailed a set of questions to help confirm and ascertain your level and goals so you can be grouped with the right people.

Session 1: 12:30 - 2:00 is OPEN; Lead's Only, Follow's Wait List Only
Break 2:00 - 2:15
Session 2: 2:15 - 3:45 is FULL - Wait List Only
Wrap-up 3:45 - 4:00

PRICING
1 class $25 [$27 with cc service fee]
2 classes $50 [$52 with cc service fee]
All day (3 classes) $75 [$80 with cc service fee]

PLEASE COME IN PERSON and PAY AT THE DOOR (Cash, check or CC)
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PRIVATES
Jamba and Adoree are also available for privates. Please contact kizombaseattle@gmail.com to schedule them. Space is limited so plan ahead.

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Classes, Workshops and Mini-Intensives are transferable and non-refundable. Please contact kizombaseattle@gmail.com to notify me of the transfer.

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How to Recognize Tarraxinha, Kizomba and Semba Music

NOTE:  I am not native to the cultures that gave us these musical genres and dance styles but I love the dance and how it enables me to connect to the music and my partner a lot faster than any of the other dances that I know. This article is designed to help those that are starting out, providing the key differences that have helped me identify the music with some examples. Music evolves, just like dance and so tracing its origins and evolution can be very convoluted and be a lifetime study all on its own.  This is just the tip of the iceberg: there is so much to know about this music and the cultures they come from that the discovery of this is a journey in itself. 

As a dancer, you cannot ignore the music because it is the lifeline of  your dance. SO, even if you don't know what music is playing and you don't care to know, if you really listen to it, it will tell you how to move.  Updated this article again on June 17, 2016. 

A BRIEF SWEEPING HISTORY
Kizomba is a dance that comes from Angola and is danced to Kizomba music. The music is essentially a marriage of Zouk (from the Caribbean) and Semba (native to Angola). The "marriage" of Zouk and African music was not just limited to Angola as Kizomba became popular in Cape Verde, Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau.

What most consider Kizomba can often be confused with Tarraxinha and GhettoZouk. Here in the US, it is likely that the first Kizomba song you heard will be a GhettoZouk. GhettoZouk songs have a strong R&B influence compared to the Kizomba songs that retain more of their African roots.  Another sub-genre is Tarraxinha which typically has a heavy electronic base.

As the dance and music gain popularity, the fusion of music styles also occurs and it can be difficult to identify exactly what style of music is being played. Many songs will have elements from multiple genres.

With this article I focus on how you can identify Tarraxinha, Kizomba, and Semba. I've also added another section to explain the music that Urban Kiz dancers would be drawn to.

In the beginning, most people described these genres by the speed of the music. As you will see from the descriptions, the speed of the music is NOT an indication of the type of music. I do provide the music speed as a reference and example to show the overlap between the different musical genres. What is more important AND what then translates to differences in movements for dancers is the characteristics in the sounds of the instruments and vocals within the music, the beats that drive the music and the feeling evoked but the music.

TARRAXINHA
This music is characterized by a very strong electronic sound and a heavy electronic bass. The music is produced entirely synthetically: drum machine, keyboards and vocals. The resulting music has a very heavy and pumping feel to it and is typically danced with more emphasis on isolated hip movements, undulation and steps that do not travel a lot. For some folks, this heavy base does drive movement but it is more punctuated and less melodic. Tarraxinha music ranges from 80 - 100 bpms (beats per minute).

This is also a dance where the ladies express the music more through their hip movements. Oftentimes mistaken for grinding, the body movements are initiated with the lead's leg, hip or arm  (on the ladies lower back/hips) movements. Less is more and this dance is very much about the connection between the dancers: the energy is very much focused internally. From the outside, it might sometimes look like two people standing very still while the music is playing.

Examples of Music:
Tarraxinha set courtesy of DJ Adon on Soundcloud
Lukeny and Dj Callas - Isso Doi on Youtube

KIZOMBA
Is a blend of zouk and semba music. It is more melodic than tarraxinha. The dance is characterized by a smooth yet grounded walk in close embrace between lead and follow: torso's are touching with incidental contact between the legs when walking (if you've attended my classes, I refer to these touch points as the three magnets). The energy of the dance is also focused on the inside: between the lead and follow. The range of speed for kizomba music is 80 - 120 bpms. There is a wide range of music in this genre that can be confusing to the untrained ear because they may sound very different and evoke a different movement from the dancers.

Here is an example of the base beat that is characteristic of kizomba music.
Source: Kizombadance.com created by Kizomba Dance by Benjamin Nande and DJ Hugo Leite




Here are some of the sub-genres:

GHETTOZOUK songs are a blend of Zouk and R&B. Like Tarraxinha, it is often produced with electronic instrumentation but the vocals are more melodic. Many GhettoZouk songs will also have Tarraxinha elements within the song and sometimes sounds like tarraxinha.

Examples of Music:
Mika Mendes and Saaphy - Bonnie and Clyde
Nelson Freitas and C4 Pedo - Bo Tem Mel
Kaysha - Diamonds

KIZOMBA (also referred to sometimes as Old School Kizomba - which is a misnomer because music is still produced this way in present times) is also produced with live instrumentation: along with the singer, you will hear drums and other percussion along with guitar and horns.

Because this music contains many of the elements of the root dance, dancers often dance to this much like they dance Semba without the showiness or tricks that are more characteristic of semba dancing.

Examples of Music:
Tabanka Djaz - Silencio
Kyaku Kyadaff - Entre Sete Sete & Rosa
Eduardo Paim - A Minha Vizinha
Matias Damásio - Saudades de Nós Dois
Puto Portugues - Minha Passada

And, as is true of how musicians fuse their music with other sounds that they hear, this example is like a fusion of GhettoZouk and Kizomba: DJ Prata and Twenty Fingers - Podem Falar

INSTRUMENTAL KIZOMBA: There is also another style of music that has no vocals and is purely instrumental with a much more slow and languid feel. I'm not sure what to call this style but I refer to is as a Purely Instrumental Kizomba. Tied to this music is a style of dance call Urban Kiz (also referred to as French Kizomba).

Here are examples of that style of music:
Remix by DJ Ghost Face - Bamboo Flute Kizomba
Cinematic Orchestra - Arrival Of Kizomba by DJ C.C.Ron Symphonic

SEMBA
Semba is the root dance for Kizomba. The music style has an upbeat quality to it and does NOT contain the zouk beat. The syncopation (beats that are not on the base beat)  beats in a Semba rhythm will often give the music a feeling like you're about to gallop (as a friend said, its a giddy up feeling). On average, music speeds range from 90 to 150 bpms.

Semba music is produced with a variety of instruments: drums, reco reco, piano, horns, string along with vocals. The dance itself has an outward energy unlike Kizomba and Tarraxinha. In spirit, the movements and playfulness are much like merengue and casino where the lead can be seen as playing and "showing off" while the follow walks to the base beat strutting her stuff. The dance may have more separation between lead and follow (compared to kizomba and tarraxinha) and requires a firmer frame than kizomba.

Remember that this is a dance that is danced with family and friends and so the nature of the dance is very social (which is a lot like the spirit of casino dancing or even bachata in the Dominican). There is the social aspect of the dance and then the showy aspect of the dance with lots of tricks like drops, leans, and "checking out the shoes". When you watch dancers dancing semba you can see their energy because of its outward flow.

Examples of Music:
Carlos Burity - Tia Joaquina
Tropical Band - Vagabundo
Leo featuring Yuri De Cunha - E Bumbar
Yuri De Cunha - Kuma

OTHER MUSICAL INFLUENCES:
As I said this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many other music styles from the Carribean (Kompa, Kassav) and Cape Verde (Coladera, Morna, Funana, Mazurka) that have influenced what we now know as kizomba.

REFERENCES and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I believe in constantly learning and growing and in this particular area, I would never be able to write or teach if I didn't have some great teachers and fellow learners (aka geeks) to work with.

Here are some of the few links that I can share to help get you going if you want to know more about the general differences:

A highly entertaining introduction to Semba by Hernury Jamba Jamba (Angola/Czech Rep) and Liliana Barnó (Spain/Czech Republic) at the 2013 Sawa Sawa Kizomba Festival in Washington DC. [Thanks to Oscar BA for sharing.]

Another brief primer on the differences between Tarraxa, Kizomba and Semba by Joao Rocha and Giedre.

I've also found some great percussion snippets and semba rhythms from this facebook page: Yasmane Santos Percussion

For you dancers out there that are still confused by all the music and are unsure about how to dance to what you hear. This is my advice: just DANCE TO THE MUSIC. I tell my students all the time, pay attention to the music playing, it will tell you how to move.

I would also like to publicly say THANKS to these folks who have in some form or another influenced the content for this post and have helped me beef up my music knowledge
Eddy, Yair, Philippe, Eric, Guelas, Ana, and Petchu