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- ***** out of ***** stars Review by Salsa Lover
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Kizomba is a close, romantic partner dance developed in Angola in the
1980’s, bringing together semba (a forerunner of samba), Argentine tango and
zouk, an hypnotic rhythm from the French Caribbean. Here, Christian Jean
Francois introduces beginners to the exotic moves and rhythms of the dance
he grew up with, also dubbed “African tango”.
Over the past couple of years, kizomba has exploded onto the club scene.
Quick to spot a dance craze in the making, the United Kingdom Alliance of
Professional Teachers of Dancing and Kindred Arts (UKA) launched the first
official dance teaching qualification teachers in March. Christian
Jean-Francois is a pioneer of the dance in the UK, a driving force behind
the new qualification and the creator of a new style - Semba de roda -
fusing kizomba with Cuban rueda de casino.
Christian demonstrates a raft of beginners' steps, moves and body movement
with dance partner Danusia Janick, including variations for saida, one of
kizomba's key figures. There is essential instruction on authentic body
movement for kizomba, including jinga or undulation (a fluid up and down
movement) and dissociation (contra body movement) for both men and women.
The setting is a well-lit dance studio, with simply dressed instructors.
Instruction is straightforward and no-nonsense, with figures shown with a
partner and separately, with and without music and, at the end of each
section, as a sequence that gradually builds to include all the figures
covered. I found this particularly helpful in highlighting my weaker steps
and feeling the flow from one figure to another. Importantly, the pared-down
delivery style and setting makes kizomba’s often subtle movements easy to
follow.
This is well pitched for the newcomer to kizomba; offering enough to
challenge dancers and give a sense of achievement without being
overwhelming.
This is likely to give dancers the confidence to get out to a local club and
on the floor enjoying an exotic new dance style and rhythm.
Review by Lee Knight for ''Dance Today'' (Posted on 7/11/2014)
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