Thoroughly enjoyed last night's rueda class. Kate's a great teacher with a really generous, inclusive approach. I think we should try and persuade her to do rueda as a regular class rather than short courses.
She mentioned afterwards that she used to do gymnastics, which explains why her dancing is so graceful, controlled and 'grounded'. It also backs up my pet theory which is that the best teachers come from a sports background, and one reason they are so good is that they understand the importance of repetition in learning physical skills.
I finally managed to track down the 'Rough Guide to Bachata' at the weekend. I love bachata: there's something about its earthy, rustic quality and the yearning vocals, and that's without even considering how sensual it is as a dance. The 'Rough Guide' is a mixed bag, with some brilliant tracks and a couple which are frankly cheesy.
Most of the songs are about lost love, though there's a nice uptempo one where Teodoro Reyes boasts that he has two women, a blonde for the daytime and a brunette for the nighttime - I thought those kinds of lyrics were for merengue rather than bachata. There's also one song featuring country-and-western style pedal steel (no, it's not a great combination). Standout track for me is Yoan Soriano's 'Ya Encontre La Mujer'.
BTW, for those who love rueda and bachata, you can of course combine the two.
1 comment:
judging by the popularity of the la rueda dances Kate called at Risa on Thursday I think a regular class led by kate would be a great idea. Keith.
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