William Quincy Belle: Axel and Romina: Bachata Zouk

Wednesday 16 October 2019

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 (0:55)

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)