Kizomba Weekend Kwenda Lima in Seattle Oct. 13 - 14,2012

Kizomba has grown so much in Seattle this year and its a pleasure to be able to share that with one of Kizomba's premier artist and teacher: Kwenda Lima. On October 13-14, 2012, he will be sharing his knowledge of kizomba and Kaizen.

The weekend will have 7 hours of workshops and a Saturday dance. Join us as we make Kizomba Seattle history and see how dancing can set you free.

WORKSHOPS at WEST HALL in the CENTURY BALLROOM
October 13, SATURDAY
10:00 – 10:30 am Registration
10:30 – 11:30 Kizomba
11:30 – 11:45 Break
11:45 – 12:45 Kizomba
12:45 – 1:00 Break
1:00 – 2:00 Kizomba
2:00 – 3:00 Open questions and practice




 October 14, SUNDAY
1:00 – 1:15 Registration
1:15 – 2:15 Kizomba
2:15 – 2:30 Break
2:30 – 3:30 Kizomba
3:30 – 3:45 Break
3:45 – 5:45 Kaizen
5:45 – 6:30 Wrap-up: Practice time

 Kizomba Dance on Saturday October 13 in West Hall (Admission is separate, details to come)

REGISTRATION:

10-12-12: Registration is closed. We have room for leads and couples. Follows, if you plan to sign up by yourself, please be aware attendance is currently follow heavy, try to sign-up with a lead.

Please email: kizombaseattle@gmail.com if you want to register and make sure to bring cash or check to pay on Saturday (or Sunday if you only plan to attend Sunday). Credit cards are accepted but there will be service fee.

Full Weekend; $150
Saturday Only: $80
Sunday Only: $90
Kizomba ONLY Weekend: $140
Kaizen Only: $45
Kizomba Class (per class price): $30

Who is Kwenda Lima?

[excerpt from www.salsa-central.com]
Kwenda Lima was born in Cape Verde, an island country west of Africa, with strong Portuguese influence. He is an accomplished dancer and choreographer. He has worked on various choreographic projects, and has more than 10 years of experience in teaching Kizomba and Cape Verde traditional dances. He is currently the most sought after Kizomba teacher in the world due to his amazing style and musicality. His project Kaizen dance, touches people heart and soul; and he also focus on African-Contemporary dance. His charisma and generosity in teaching is an inspiration for those who get a chance to learn from him. Currently, Kwenda lives in Lisbon, teaching in Kizomba Festivals, salsa weekends, and hope to bring Kizomba to other parts of the world.
Link to the page with the interview: http://dancemefree.com/2012/08/15/kwenda-lima-to-me-dance-is-a-kind-of-freedom/

Check out Kizomba Seattle on facebook  or  Kizomba Seattle Blog for more about kizomba in Seattle (music, events, classes, etc.).

Check out Kaizen Dance on facebook  

Check out Century Ballroom for more about dances and events 
Century Ballroom 915 E. Pine, Seattle, Washington 98122

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.

How does Kizomba Grow?

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

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 . ]

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 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!