Афрокубинский танец в Минске: Afro in salsa: what for?

Why afro is important for those who dance salsa.

I am a dance teacher. And being a teacher of salsa for quite a long time I always have this ever repeating set of difficult questions of my students

how to develop body movement and your own style

how to move beautifully, musically and rhythmically,

how to develop musicality and hear the music

How to let the music flow through your body
how to relax and start dancing instead of making steps

In order to make this essential step from training to dancing, from rigidness to fluidity, from counting to musicality, from work to enjoyment - there is a single answer that will give you any salsa teacher in the world.

And this single answer is - go and learn afro. Afro is not just a set of traditional Cuban dances of African origin. These dances are the real roots of salsa, they feed salsa, son and timba. It is so easy to become liberated rhythmically and musically and corporally when you start dancing Afro. It opens up a new dimension in dance and expression. All my years of dancing salsa I dance Afro, I a started immediately when I came to salsa school, and there was never a single day I felt it was the useless effort. Afro made me feel the dance.

I remember one of the dialogues at the dance festival with my dancing friend. We were chatting and observing the dancers. I love observing dance because it is a language. It reflects what you are, your sincerity, your intentions and your personality. Every dance is a small story. A story of a girl. I observed the girls so fragile and beautiful, wishing to be so elegant and gracious in the gorgeous dresses, doing their stylish movements so accurately and following all the turns and hands so diligently. A story of a man. I observed the men who have to be the masters of two things so separate - music and a girls. Who have to lead, surprise and control and - remember all the combinations they have to practice.

And with all this story sometimes we just forget to enjoy.

My friend tells me - it is so easy to see on the dancefloor those who dance afro and rumba! I can visually distinguish the body movement, the freedom, the fluidness and lightness of dance. How important for us dancer s of any style (she is a NY salsa dancer) to appreciate, learn and practice these movements!

I agree with her and mention that sometimes many people are not encouraged to start dancing and practicing afro because they think that it is too early. And they always stay on this "too early" stage, do not encounter the fluidness, the magic, the beauty of Afrocuban dance.

It is just a step you take when you want to enjoy the dance more and open up new dimensions In it. And it is worth trying. Afro gives a freedom of expression to a salsa dance. Afro gives deeper understanding of musical context. It gives you poetic stories and game of archetypes.