INTRODUCTION

I had the opportunity to share some aspects of “Kizomba Concept” philosophy during a dance workshop organized on 27^th March 2016 in Bali by “Salsa Amigos”.

Participants came from all walks of life and from countries from the five Continents.

The first challenge I had to address was how to effectively teach Kizomba, a dance from Angola, to a multi cultural group with a different approach to timing and rhythm, and also a different way of ambulation and expression of body moves.

According to Martha Graham, the legendary modern dancer who is known as the Pablo Picasso of modern dance, the most important is not “what” kind of dance people do. For her what matters is “why” we dance and “how”, because dancing is the language of the soul of the body.

The purpose of this short article is to share my experience and some thoughts about the “Why” and “How” in Salsa and Kizomba dancing.

WHY?

“Why” is our motivation to dance. It is the reasons that drive our moves to the dance floor. It is what makes us want to express ourself physically through music. Why is the power that turns on our feeling, touches our heart and compels us to move.

HOW?

“How” is the way we connect physically to the music. It is the manner we interact rhythmically with the music by moving our body. How is about the technique, the body language.

Both Salsa and Kizomba have unique answers to “Why” and “How”. They have their own special concepts in addressing issues of emotion and technique.

Taking aim at Kizomba, it is interesting understand the particular way of deambulation (walking) in this form of dance due to social and economic context in Africa.

It is also important to understand “Tension”, “Syncopation” and the “Hug”.

DEAMBULATION OR THE ART OF WALKING

There is a legend in Angola, where Kizomba, as a "Concept" originated from. According to some stories, poor people in Africa especially the women, transformed human locomotion into a beautiful and seductive move for ambulation.

They totally reinvented "Walking" because of the necessity to carry heavy loads on their head to cross very long distances. They found a natural way to manage "propulsion" of body mass, with energy efficiency. The ground force is used very effectively. In the action, a specific positioning of the centre of gravity is necessary to assure balance and consistency.

The whole process has changed the natural "vertical up/down" way of human walking that scientists call "inverted pendulum gait" (the way legged animals move), to "vertical down/up" walking that we find in Kizomba basic moves today.

There is very big difference with "Salsa" because Salsa dance is based on steps (quick, quick, slow). In contract, Kizomba is a walking (or travelling) dance with amazing possibilities to play and create patterns of movements of the limbs, and legs.

TENSION

I started by explaining to the participants that tension is always created by opposition, conflict and confrontation. In Afro-Latin music in general and Salsa music in particular, tension is translated by the rubber band effect, the “tension-and-release” process, and the “call-and-answer” system.

Particularly in Salsa music, tension is expressed by the brass section (trumpet – Trombon – Saxophone). It is also expressed by percussion (Conga- Bongo- Timbales) or the claves which is the heart beat of salsa music.

I demonstrated this assumption by playing “Es tarde ya”of Conjunto Chaney, which starts with a very powerful “tension” resonating through the trumpets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0dgRDqJa0M

I also showed case how this tension from the Salsa music was expressed in salsa dance through the cross-body lead and rubber-band effect.

As our understanding of Salsa music grows, we realize that in some songs, tension is softned by more melodic instruments such as piano, violin or vibraphone. That may be why some softer versions of salsa music were developed to cater to "Salsa Romantica" which is the preference of audiences that still like Salsa music but prefer to feel less tension. Just like in Thai food, the same soup (tum Yum) can be enjoyed with a lot of chilly (very hot) or with less chilly (not hot).

SYNCOPATION

Syncopetation occurs when the time line, the music pulse, the metronome or linearity are broken.

For example instead of counting 1,2,3,4,5,6,7, 8 we count 1,2,3,4,5,6&7 8. It happens when a quarter or half measure is added to the normal count.

As everyone knows, syncopation and non-linearity are the markers of African and Afro-latin music, including Salsa and Kizomba.

Syncopation in Kizomba is used to create change of rhythm, change of direction, surprise or excitement.

In any way it is not necessary to create tension to have syncopation.

“Side to Side” of Saaphy is a good example of Syncopation on Kizomba music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqXgTUPqgik

THE HUG

One of the consequences of the absence of “tension” in Kizomba music is the hug.

The hug is a characteristic of the African culture. In general, Black people greet each other with hugs. Interestingly, the Western way of greeting is to keep some distance by shaking hands. Asian also have many ways to keep social distance while greeting.

Thais are famous with their “Wai” while Japanese and other Asians bow in different ways. In general, Asians are usually uneasy when it comes to body contact during greeting and social interactions especially in public. Asian people prefer to establish social distance.

On the other hand, it is different in Africa and latin american countries. In these parts of the world hugging people for greetings comes naturally. Hugs are meaningful because, by coming with open arms we expose our vulnerability. Hug is about trust.

We can learn to smile to people we don't like. But it is almost impossible to hug people we don't like or trust.

One of the ways to know the truth about someone smiling to us, is to try to hug him or her. The result is immediate and revealing. The electrical magnetic field which is created is so powerful! It can't be made up. What is felt at that moment between two people is the truth.

Sometimes hug is not event necessary to know the truth. It's enough, just see someone at a distance and to feel uneasy and realize that the “chemistry” will not work.

CONCLUSION

Salsa Amigos in Bali was a very special opportunity to explore the Concepts of “Tension”, “Syncopation” and “Hug” in Salsa and Kizomba Dancing.

In the end, it is not what kind of dance we practice or prefer that matters. It why we dance and how we dance.

For a fulfilling dancing experience, it is important to explore different facets of dancing expressions. Some dances like salsa offer the experience of tension and release, while other dances such as kizomba offer the experience of syncopation and hugs.

Thanking Salsa Amigos for the opportunity to explore these Concepts in Bali.

See you at ALIA in Langkawi for another memorable Afro-Latin dance experience with some of the best in the world http://aliafestival.com/

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SALSA AND KIZOMBA DANCE CONCEPTS. EXPLORING TENSION, SYNCOPATION AND HUG