Axel and Romina: Bachata Zouk

Published on Jan 2, 2013 by Axel y Maria Bachata Sensual
YouTube: Axel and Romina l Climax - Usher l BachataZouk Sexy dance 2017 (3:57)

Sexy, indeed. Sensual also comes to mind. Ballroom dancing is an interesting synergy: the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Two people together working as a coordinated unit to produce an eye-catching spectacle of unified movement.

It would seem that bachata is a slower version of the salsa, originating from the Dominican Republic.

Zouk also refers to a dance, originally from the Caribbean but then expropriated and modified in South America.

I found scant information about the above dancers, but did manage to work out this. Axel Antezana is a dancer from Buenos Aires, Argentina. He's posted a number of YouTube videos, mainly with his regular partner Maria, but with others as well. Romina Hidalgo is also from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and seems to be very involved in the local dance scene as both a performer and an instructor.

Instagram: Axel Antezana

Instagram: Romina Hidalgo

YouTube channel: Axel y Maria Bachata Sensual

Facebook: Axel y Maria Bachata

Wikipedia: Bachata (dance)
Bachata is a style of social dance from the Dominican Republic which is now danced all over the world. It is connected with bachata music.

Often referred to in the West as "authentic / Dominican" bachata, the original social dance was created in the Dominican Republic during the 1960s and was danced only in closed position, like the bolero, often in close embrace. Bachata basic steps are performed by moving within a small square (side, side, forward and then tap with your toes, then side, side, back and tap). This step was inspired by the bolero basic step, but evolved over time to include a tap and syncopations (steps in between the beats), helping dancers express the more dynamic music being commonly played. The hand placement can vary according to the position of the dances, which can range from very close to open to completely open.

Wikipedia: Bachata (music)
Bachata is a genre of Latin American music that originated in the Dominican Republic in the first half of the 20th century with Indigenous, African and European musical elements.

The first recorded compositions of Bachata were done by José Manuel Calderón from the Dominican Republic. Bachata originates from Bolero and Son (and later, from the mid 1980s, Merengue). The original term used to name the genre was amargue ("bitterness", "bitter music", or "blues music"), until the rather ambiguous (and mood-neutral) term bachata became popular. The form of dance, bachata, also developed with the music.

Wikipedia: Brazilian Zouk
Brazilian Zouk is a partner dance which began in Brazil during the early 90s. Brazilian Zouk evolved from the partner dance known as the Lambada. As the Lambada music genre went out of fashion, Lambada dancers turned to Caribbean Zouk (from the francophone, Caribbean Islands) as their music of choice. It was this transition that birthed the dance known as Brazilian Zouk. The term "Brazilian Zouk" was adopted in order to distinguish the dance style from the musical genre "Caribbean Zouk". Nowadays the term "Zouk" is commonly used to refer to the "Brazilain Zouk" dance style. The most characteristic feature of Brazilian Zouk is the follower's upper body movements which are led out of axis by intricate leading and following techniques. Other features include body isolations, tilted turns and more recently counter-balance techniques. Brazilian Zouk is a dance with well defined basic steps and rhythmic patterns. The representation of these steps and rhythmic patterns varies depending on the substyle of Zouk. The overall plasticity of the movements and the range of musical genres it is danced to, make Brazilian Zouk a partner dance that caters to creativity and improvisation. Over time, Zouk dancers have experimented and incorporated other styles of music into Zouk, such as R'n'B, Pop, Hip Hop and Contemporary (amongst others).


Published on Aug 1, 2016 by Axel y Maria Bachata Sensual
YouTube: Grupo extra - Besos a Escondidas | Bachatazouk AXEL & MARIA (4:04)

2019-10-16

Ballroom Dancing and Relationships: D/s, BDSM, even Marriage

In RL, I’ve taken ballroom dance lessons. I’m in no way an expert, but I learned enough to have an appreciation for the work and dedication that goes into mastering what one could and maybe should consider a life skill.

My instructor was a woman. We started with the basics, the standard box pattern for the rhumba. She explained that the man always starts with his left foot. Why? Because the woman is always right. During our lessons, I found her to more than just an instructor, but a philosopher on life, love, and the pursuit of happiness.

As I worked my way through the various dances, waltz, cha-cha, tango, etc., and learning to turn, move back and forth, left and right, and pirouette, I slowly developed skills in not just steps, but in working with a partner.

In SL, observing people, talking with them, and interacting, I began to see ballroom dancing as a metaphor for relationships, whether we’re talking about dating, D/s (Dominant/submissive), BDSM (Bondage & Discipline, Sadism & Masochism), or even marriage.

In the following, I discuss my partner as a woman. I'm a heterosexual male, but these ideas could be applicable to any type of couple.

I extend my hand to a woman as an offer to dance. She can accept or refuse: It’s her choice. But if she accepts, we dance. My attention is completely focused on my partner. Nothing else in the world exists.

We dance according to rules. We both have a role to play. While the man leads, he does so with the full cooperation of his partner. Everything is consensual: The woman does this because she wants to. The man leads by guiding his partner in a series of predefined moves that his partner knows and has mastered. They improvise their dance much like musicians playing together. There is a structure (12 bars, agreed upon key signature, tempo), and it is within this structure that improvisation takes place.

The results are synergy: The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Two knowledgeable people, skilled in their interactions, can merge into a coordinated unit, a magical choreography.

As I said, I saw ballroom dancing as a metaphor for relationships. From time to time, in reading profiles, I’ve run across people, men mainly, declaring themselves as Dom or Master. I can’t help wondering if those who advertise themselves as such truly understand what that means. Do these people know how to dance? I’ve read profiles of subs describing what they think is the ideal Dom, complaining of pretenders. A sub may submit, but a Dom must commit. Do the two of them know how to dance? Does the Dom know how to lead?

Ballroom Dancing in SL
Obviously, we’re not actually dancing. We’re animating our avatars based on somebody’s programming. Nevertheless, from my lessons, I see the various steps, cha-cha, tango, waltz, etc. and look at it with an appreciation stemming from learning and practising those steps.

I consider it a nice way to chat, get to know someone, and throw in the possibility of flirting: a touch, a tracing of the hand across the arm, and a whisper in the ear. I’ve mentioned elsewhere how people complain of overly aggressively males rudely asking for sex. I believe we all want to end up in the same place, an erotic connection, but how we get there makes all the difference in the world. There’s an old Chinese saying: “The journey is the reward.” Ballroom dancing can be a wonderful way of spending an intimate, one-on-one moment with someone else. It can also be a good way of discovering if there’s going to be a next step and what that step may be.

2019-10-07