Every Latin dance has hip movement. But don’t let that intimidate you because you already do the hip movement every time you walk, as the byproduct of weight transfer is hip movement. But definitely, that’s not what you’re looking for. You want to learn how to do that beautiful swing of hips, and you might be wondering which dance style should I pick.
Which dance has the biggest hip movement? There are two styles with more accentuated hip movements, and each is awesome.
My first choice is Bachata. It’s well known for hip movements, especially as it has evolved in Sensual Bachata. Just by listening to the name… “Sensual Bachata” Oh my gosh, those hips don’t lie. Shakira, Shakira!. And the coolest part is both leaders and followers have to learn to do the hip movement. So in our advanced Bachata classes, we focus a lot more on hip movement because students already know their basics and are more confident in moving their bodies when they dance. They have several combinations of moves, and they look great on the dance floor.
I love to see them dancing at that level because there’s something to be said when you’re flowing and your body’s flowing and your hips are doing that infinity sign, that figure eight. It just looks incredible. So definitely, if you want to learn how to use your hips, Bachata is the key to understanding sexy, incredible, beautiful hip movement.
My second choice is Kizomba, an African Cuban style of dance. We don’t offer Kizomba classes at this time in our school. Still, we used to teach it, and it is a beautiful dance because like Bachata, Kizomba focuses on ground movement where you are pressing the balls of your feet into the ground. That deep weight transfer creates a pronounced hips movement that is very sensual.
You can check YouTube and check out Kizomba. The only thing I will say about Kizomba is the focus is on the followers and not on the leaders. Think of Kizomba as if Bachata and Tango had a child. That’s Kizomba. Now, I’m not saying that’s the historical background. It’s more a creative take on a beautiful dance and something you should learn at some point.
Final thoughts. Every style of Latin dance focuses on hip movement. As a dance instructor, I prefer to teach my students practical Latin dances such as Bachata, Merengue or Salsa because these dance styles have a large community. You can go to a city and find a nightclub where they are dancing.
There’s nothing wrong with learning ballroom dance style as they also have some hip movement. But, still, I would say if you’re picking a kind of dance in Latin, dance pick a style, where there’s a big community because it’s just more fun and you will have more people to dance with and have fun at the school moving those hips of yours. But also, if you ever travel, if you go to another city, you can find a nightclub and do it there too.
Other than that, dance, just dance. Pick a rhythm and style that feels right for you and enjoy it because dance is a transformative experience for your body, mind, and soul.
I can’t wait to welcome you to our big family, have you coming in week to week, having fun, connecting with new friends and letting lose to amazing Latin songs. Click here to check our current schedule.
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