From Zero to Super Bachatero – Fast and Effective Dance Learning Part 1

This is the first in a series of articles: Hola! It’s Dance here!

All Based on my thoughts and experiences. I would like to present to you what factors will affect your dance development and skills to gallop to an increasingly higher level. When coming to a Bachata party or watching dance shows, this question has probably crossed your mind more than once: What do you have to do to reach such a level of dance and how much time does it take? In today’s world, we want to have everything quickly and in a nutshell, to get the best effect without much effort – don’t we? But can you approach Bachata in this way? Let’s try to analyze it!

Looking at our physical conditions and the limitations we have to face when starting our dance adventure each of us is different. Each of us struggles with moments of dance crisis or stopping progress at some stage. Remember that this is a normal process that every dancer goes through. You probably think that a high level of dance depends only on many years of hard work and sacrifice, but the truth is not entirely like that!

It all depends on you! After a year of strong commitment to dance, discipline and regularity you can achieve very good results, and after 2 or 3 years (depending on your personal possibilities and experience with dance) you can reach a very high level. However, to reach such a level you have to start working hard on your dance from the very beginning. You should start training not once, not twice a week, but much more often! It is best to train both solo and with a partner. But I will tell you about that a little later.

How to Choose Your Bachata Instructor?

When I started my dance adventure, I first came across instructors who didn’t suit me with their teaching style, or rather lack of it. What is more, there was a lack of explanation of important details during classes. Neither instructor had a figure, dance posture or energy that suited me, which for me is a very important element in dance classes. I left the class halfway through and never went back to those instructors.

Unfortunately it is often the case that our first decision regarding the choice of classes or instructor is completely random. A better solution would be to first conduct an interview among your dancing friends, look for information and opinions in dance chats or groups. Of course, you have to take into account the fact that everyone expresses their subjective opinion and not every instructor suits everyone, because everyone is different and takes into account different evaluation criteria. Therefore, when it comes to choosing a Bachata Instructor, I recommend going to classes with each of the recommended people, checking which teaching style is the best for you. After such an analysis, it is worth choosing one or two instructors and not all of them. Why? The teaching formula with each instructor from the beginning is slightly different and if you start learning from all of them at once, it will not help you, and may even harm you. You will not know who to listen to and you will lose your dancing authority, which is supposed to be your dance teacher from the beginning.

When I was choosing my instructor the most important criterion for me was the technique and the tips he was giving to his students. When we start our adventure with dance, we want to learn as many combinations as possible and this is our goal, but after some time we come to the conclusion that dance figures are not everything and that technique and body movement are fundamental and most important. Once, a very wise top instructor told me that if I learn the figures in dance and can perform them myself solo as a follower technically well, my dance will not only look nicer, but it will also be more conscious, fluid and free. I listened to him and this approach paid off a lot for me. A thorough understanding of the flow of movement and dance technique allowed me to have an increasingly better sense of leading in dance, which should be a priority for partners from the beginning of learning. In summary, an instructor who emphasizes dance technique from the beginning of teaching is the best choice!

Remember that when you start your dance adventure, you learn and accustom your muscles to new movement sequences. If the instructor to whom you have entrusted your dance development from the beginning teaches you to do them incorrectly, it will later result in the necessity to devote twice as much time to correcting these errors. Therefore, remember when choosing your Bachata instructor to pay significant attention to the accuracy of the technique explanation during classes. If you are not sure about something, ask questions right away. Ask for details when the instructor’s explanation is too general or incomprehensible to you. Don’t be ashamed, it is better to ask than to repeat an incorrect movement and reinforce an incorrect technique later. So choose instructors you have tested, who have experience and a gift for teaching, because not every dancer, even the best, should be a dance teacher. Match the instructor to your preferences, sense of humor and energy during classes. You can also pay attention to the instructor’s body silhouette, whether you are able to copy his movement, or whether you have a different body type and do not understand the flow of movement he or she wants to convey to you. If you choose an instructor according to your personal criteria, I guarantee that it will be much easier for you to learn Bachata. Remember, each of us is different and has different body limitations and different goals for dancing Bachata. Choosing an instructor who will take care of your dance development from the very beginning gives you the certainty that in the end you will become a very good dancer who will make constant progress and reach a higher level. After all, the most important thing is to develop in dance and not stand still.

If you liked this article please share it with your dancing friends so that as many Bachateros as possible can benefit from it!

See you to dance! Małgosia Andrzejewska