| 
|
 |
Bachata
meets Rueda
SalsaVancouver.net
talks with Jorge Elizondo about salsa, bachata and
Bachata Rueda - the fusion of dance styles that's
sweeping the dance world. |
First of all Jorge we
want to thank you for granting us this interview. We’re
sure the Vancouver salsa dance scene will appreciate it.
How did you get into dancing?
It all started in 2003 when I was out clubbing
with my friends. I was overweight and I had a difficult
time getting women to dance with me. One night I saw a guy,
without a word, just reach out his hand to a beautiful girl
and take her on the dance floor for a dance. I thought:
how easy was that? No words just action! I asked the guy
what he was dancing and he said Salsa. He gave me his business
card and told me about his dance classes. I started to attend
his salsa classes every week. I also started to lose weight
really quickly. I loved the fact that losing weight could
be fun. Dancing helped me lose over 200lbs and helped build
my confidence.
Wow that’s an
amazing story. Your first instructor had a big impact in
your life, what is the most important lesson you learned
from him?
He inspired me to learn how to dance Salsa. He
stressed the importance of basics. He has been the only
instructor I have met who made me do nothing but basics
for two whole hours. I did basics for three months and this
led me to have a solid foundation with my footwork which
led the way for more complicated patterns and footwork.
How long have you been
an instructor? Is teaching dance your full time job?
One of my many professions in my life has been
teaching. I have a degree in Music Education and I have
taught in the public school system for 6 years, teaching
Band, Latin Dance, Keyboarding, and Computers. Since I have
been in middle school I have always felt that the best way
to learn a new skill is by teaching the skill to someone
else. So naturally, I would teach my friends everything
I would learn in salsa class. I realized I grew faster as
a dancer and I learned how to lead things better. I have
been teaching people how to dance Salsa and Casino Rueda
from the moment I started dancing. I turned my hobby into
a professional full time job in June 2006 when I started
my World Bachata Boot Camp Tour, taking it to over 100 cities
worldwide as well as teaching in some of the major congress
in the United States and Western Europe.
Tell us a little about
your achievements since you started dancing.
The most important achievement I have achieved
by dancing is the total transformation of my body and health.
By losing 200lbs I have become more healthy, more confident
and a more social person. Second has to be my World Bachata
Boot Camp Tour and the opportunity to travel all over the
United States and around the world. Within the nine months
since I started (June 2006), I have spent two months in
Europe teaching and traveling in Sweden, Spain, Belgium,
Holland, France, England, and Italy. In total I have visited
over 100 cities world wide, including over 80 major US cities
such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Miami, New
York, Washington D.C, and events such as the Hawaii Salsa
Festival, Chicago Salsa Congress and Houston Salsa Congress.
I started my World Boot Camp Tour as a way to promote my
seven Learn to Dance instructional DVD series and I am pleased
to say that they have sold in over 30 countries worldwide.
In salsa, people often
say it’s not what you do but how you do it that makes
all the difference - or how you look while doing it. In
your view, what does it take to be a good salsa dancer?
What are some of the things you need to attend to while
social dancing?
To be a good salsa dancer one has to learn to adjust
to the partner you are dancing with. The leader needs to
dance to the follower’s level of dancing and the follow
has to learn to give resistance and eye contact. And most
importantly, you have to protect each other while dancing.
Always be aware of other dancers and keep to your slot.
What is social dancing
really all about? Is it about how you look on the dance
floor, about interpreting the music, or about connecting
with your partner?
The most important thing for me about social dancing
is connecting. I like to make my partner feel as if they
are the most important person in my life during that dance.
I look after them by making sure they don’t get stepped
on or hit by other dancers. I also make sure I dance at
their level and that I lead them successfully into everything
I do. Sometimes less is more and a girl will always remember
a smooth dance more favourably than a very complicated,
sloppy dance.
You’re known for
mixing up dance styles – for instance we’ve
heard you mix LA style with Casino Rueda “Miami Style”
salsa. Tell us about your style of salsa.
My first passion when starting to dance salsa was
Casino. I learned my Casino from the Salsa Lovers video
tapes and at the same time I was taking On1 classes. I came
to realize that by mixing both styles I could have numerous
combinations of patterns. I learned how to integrate On1
with Casino. When I dance, I make it fun for my partner
with directional changes between circular dancing and linear
slot dancing. I have noticed that Miami dancers have started
to integrate many of the On1 patterns into their new complicated
rueda calls. I was surprised to see this with the Salsa
Lovers Advanced Volume 7 DVD. It’s good that Casino
is starting to evolve. I think salsa dancing is about having
fun and I love mixing my patterns.
You’re coming
to Vancouver for the Cuba Baila event on April 21 &
22 and you’re going to be teaching a Bachata Rueda
workshop. It sounds like an interesting concept - what is
Bachata Rueda?
Bachata Rueda is a new, fun and exciting way to dance bachata
with your friends. Bachata Rueda was created by Seemore
and Christina from Hips on Fire, a dance group from Boston.
It’s very similar to Casino Rueda but with its own
unique flavor. Bachata Rueda has calls like Casino Rueda,
but needs a stronger caller to lead the group. I have created
a syllabus with over 80 calls and Hips on Fires have an
additional 100 calls. It’s a very new dance and is
quickly evolving around the world. It’s very fun and
it also helps students learn how to dance one-on-one Bachata
with a partner.
I’m really excited to
offer this class at Cuba Baila. Students will be amazed
how great they’re going to look dancing Bachata Rueda
after just one hour of instruction. I will teach at least
18 different calls and by the end of the class, I will call
out a Rueda and it will look as if we have been dancing
together for months. That’s what I love most about
Bachata Rueda – it’s fun, sexy and easy to learn.
Anyone can do it within a one hour class.
That sounds great! Are
the calls and steps similar to Rueda de Casino, or quite
different?
The idea behind Casino Rueda had a major factor
in the development of Bachata Rueda. But the 'dames' are
very different than in Casino. The basic for Bachata Rueda
causes the circle to grow in and out then forward which
gives the Rueda a lot of shape. Bachata Rueda is an experience
that has to be done by everyone! There are many similarities
to Casino Rueda but it’s also very different at the
same time. Plus it’s not as hard to learn as Casino!
We recently visited
the Dominican Republic and a lot of the Bachata dancing
we saw in the dance halls there was less flashy than how
it’s danced here in Vancouver and elsewhere. What’s
your experience of how Bachata is danced in different parts
of the world?
Bachata just like any other dance is starting to
change and evolve into a more complicated dance. I am happy
to say that I have created many unique footwork and turn
patterns for bachata. My style is very unique and very different
to Dominican style Bachata. I love very complicated patterns
but at same time I love being very connected and sensual
with my partner. I mix the best of both worlds. Dominicans
have more of a footwork-based dance involving footwork shines
and playing with the music rather than combinations.
I recently visited Madrid and
they have something called Bachata Tango. They integrate
very complicated Tango footwork into their Bachata and I
have to say it looks amazing! I am really excited to see
so many different styles emerging and seeing the dance evolve
in such a short period of time. I believe Bachata will grow
and one day be considered as important as Salsa.
Yes we can see how Bachata
is evolving in a similar way to how mambo and salsa did
a few decades ago - into a more complex dance with elaborate
turn patterns. What’s your take on this?
I am thrilled with this idea and happy to be part
of this process. I love coming up with new ways to play
and express myself with the music. I also realized that
bringing ideas from other dances into Bachata is good thing.
I have developed a cross body lead for Bachata as well a
move called the Angel just like in Salsa. I love incorporating
double and triple turns in my Bachata when the music calls
for it. Bachata has a huge range of musical nuances –
from fast to slow to very articulated. I love developing
new patterns that help express the music with turn patterns
and body movements and this is what I teach in my workshops,
my bootcamps and in my instructional DVDs.
Tell us about you instructional
DVDs. How can people buy them?
I am very proud of my ‘Learning to Dance
Bachata’ instructional DVD series. I have seven volumes:
Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Bachata Rueda, Adding
Sensuality, Advanced and Dips and Tricks. The first thing
everyone needs to know is that my Beginner level DVD covers
more than the basic steps. I teach you the foundations to
my Bachata style. Once you master all the basic elements
which are around eight key movements, then it’s easy
to progress to combinations and more advance Bachata concepts.
To learn more about my DVDs and to see sample clips visit
my website at bachatarueda.com
Find out more about
the Cuba Baila event and the 4th Annual International Rueda
de Casino competition at dancerueda.com
For information on Jorge,
visit his website: bachatarueda.com
Jorge can be contacted
at: Salsero78501@aol.com
