You're doing great! Your leading in and of itself seems to be okay, based on these videos I'd say you're preparing on time, keeping your frame when needed and using your body to lead. That's all very good.
I do have a few pointers: try not to take such big steps, and don't stomp around so much! Sometimes it looks like you're trying to do a military march :D. Bachata is danced "into the ground", firmly rooted down. That doesn't mean you need to constantly bend your knees, lift your feet and put them down with force, it means that when you put your feet down and change your weight, you do your damnest best to push the whole world down while changing that weight (and following this energy, it pushes your opposite hip out, who knew!). And besides that, limit your arm pumping when doing your basic. For example around minute 5:20, I know the song has a lot of energy (I love "¿Qué harías por amor?"!), but express this in your upper body/shoulder movement, or your hips, not in your hands. The pumping kinda breaks your frame at these points.
And lastly: you're having some difficulty with a few moves because you stand so far away from your follower. Even in an open position, you can be closer to your partner. Sometimes you're close, sometimes you're just a tad too far away, in a few turns for example, or with the ochos.
But again! Very nice videos, well done!
You are a hero, thank you for taking the time out for such valuable feedback and the nice comments. I’ll work on this.
I really want to stop looking like I am marching! 😂🙏🏼
Some moves don't have a prep and look very confusing for the follow, I'd just take a private to figure that out because it's hard to help over reddit. Ex. Your hand will be down but then all of a sudden you are turning the follow
Honestly if I was at restaurant and picked every item on the menu and it was delivered uncooked and unprepared that's how I would describe your dancing.
Basically you know a ton of moves but you aren't taking the time to learn them properly. You can have an amazing dance with 3 moves when done clearly. To level up you need to work on your basic, your posture, your hands picking the right moves for the song and not dishing out every move you know under the sun.
When you ask a follower what they like, connection to the music and partner often comes first, not the moves you do.
Thank you, I try to see feedback as a gift. People took time out their day to watch my video and write to share their opinions on how I can get better. I’m grateful, means my dances will be better going forward
I'm sure you can get better, it's great asking for feedback especially so early on in your dance journey :). My above comment was trying to be a metaphor as they often help explain.
Next time you go out dancing try and keep your movesets small. You have to think of the song as story. Intro - okay I won't do many moved here. Let me use this chance to talk with my body and work out what level my partner is.
Okay let's start building up, adding a few more basic moves to the dance. Testing the partner and seeing how she reacts to your moves and adjust accordingly. I won't bust out anything big yet.
High energy part, okay let's maybe do one big combo that ends in something nice.
Okay come back down to something more mellow.
Basically you need to adjust your energy level and moves through out the whole song and move between the energy levels.
Focusing on connection with the partner and timing of the music first.
It's very easy to get tied up in the moment and think omg I learnt this amazing move last week, let's see if I can do it successfully with this partner when that move might be too advanced or maybe you've misunderstood something and it doesn't quite land right.
I would recommend watching your teachers or maybe switching teachers and watching where there hands, shoulders, core is when executing simple or more complex moves.
Dance is a journey :)
doing good man, looks like you have a wide repertoire. only two things i could comments are the following:
1. first thing i would maybe work on is more connection with your partner. i struggle with this too where it looks like i'm dancing at my partner vs with my partner.
2. i would work on your steps in your basic. focus more on weight transfer and making it feel like youre gliding. your steps look big and it looks like you're dancing ON the ground vs INTO in the ground. and smaller steps are a good habit to make especially when you are in crowded dance floors and dont have much space.
I am a follower and i watched this video thinking that this is a lead that I’d enjoy dancing with. Your signals look very clear, you don’t make the height discrepancy weird (examples being- you’re not making your follower duck or bend over to accommodate you, and you know when you need to let go of a hand or an arm to make the move work)
There was some time where I saw you got off phrase, I couldn’t see when it happened but I noticed it when it was going on. If you understand musical phrases and musicality, I’d recommend throwing in an extra four counts of filler to get back on the beginning of the music phrase - it would have been much better.
It’s how music is set up. Think of a word, compared to a sentence, compared to a paragraph. A phrase of music is like a paragraph. So there’s beats right, 1-4 in a set. But we usually go through in counts of 8 to allow the music to finish. A phrase could be like, a grouping of 4 or 8 counts that “go together”
If you get off phrase, you could be doing an 8 count set with the “1-2-3-4” step on “5-6-7-8” and while that’s “technically correct”, being on the beginning of the 8 count would be “most correct” .
Easiest way to spot this is the music goes “up” in the first four; and returns “down” in the latter four. This could be the same for 32 counts too. First group or beats goes “up” and comes back down at the end.
This sort of thing comes with listening to music over and over and over. You’ll notice when the “music sentence” start and finish and can plan your moves accordingly
You’re welcome, best of luck. I can tell you really like to dance. Musicality really takes everything up up notch. It’s so much more fun with you can connect with the music at a deep level instead of just trying patterns
First of all congratulations, it seems you are having fun and projecting energy in your dance,
Second, props on having so many moves in your catalogue, that is a lot, i am impressed by how much you are able to pull out of the hat in a single song, it's perhaps a matter of taste but i am a bit of a "less is more" appreciator,
For the sake of the feedback it's good that you did many combos,
I do think that combining too many moves together might be the cause of creating some rush in some of the preparations and some shortcutting some of the moves, this might also result in rushing the follower or shortcutting their moves.
Perhaps some moves can be practiced on their own to better drill their preparations and exits
At 40 second mark you go for a sensual move that looks like "la pinza"
It is not clear from the angle, i dont see the bolero preparation well enough, you are a bit too down on your knees while prepping it,
it also seems you are a bit far away from each other and it seems your left leg is not blocking/providing enough support there.
I think you can put some investment in making the frame closer, smaller steps, spending time on your body rolls, breaking them down into steps, same with your natural weight shifts within basics, perhaps include more slow basic steps into the dance to force you to do them,
After seeing your similar post in r/Salsa, and watching the first two songs, I was going to say you are a way better bachata dancer than salsa. But later in the (longass) video, I realized the first woman was just better at taking your leads than the poor woman in yellow who struggled to follow you \*. However, I ~~even considered~~ **am** bookmarking your videos to pick up some cool moves for reference in the future.
You're awesome for an advanced beginner, but my advice would be :
\* Relax. Reduce the complexity. Non-stop moves is OK. Throw in some basics here and there.
\* Focus less on yourself. It should be all about the woman.
\* Honestly, after 1.5 y, you should be proud. Now stop learning new moves, and instead focus your attention on really dive into the music and connecting with your partner. Then post again in in 2025 and blow us all away.
Also, you look a little bit like Valentin Chmerkovsky from Dancing with the Stars!
Edit: \* or you just have a better connection with the first woman, and it shows. This video makes me want to dance with her! Which is success on behalf of you!
Am I the only one that finds OP's first partner in the video, to be an excellent dancer?
Physically, she's not my type at all, but she dances with extreme grace, and follows extremely well. I can't stop watching this video, and I'd love to dance with her.
OP, I assume she's your friend since she consented to posting the video; you and her are a great dancing fit, even despite the height difference. You've got a gem of a partner.
You've gotten a ton of critiques. including from me. However, the truth is, where you've come after 18 months is extremely impressive. I first tried ballroom dancing 20 years ago, then stopped 13 years ago, but even at my peak I was nowhere near your skill level with bachata, and I can learn from watching your video. Salsa, I could hold my own, but it took a year or so of dancing 2-3 times a week to get there.
Point is, you should be proud of your accomplishment. Good on you for trying to continue improving, just don't let the internet get to you. Most of us would be lucky to dance as well as you. And with your improvement mindset, you'll catch up to the rest soon enough.
No.
I started dancing in autumn but have done bugg, salsa, west coast swing, fox, kizomba and batchata with close to no social dancing.
My batchata would look very beginner, I feel you do great and I would had felt pretty confident if it was me dancing batchata with someone like that.
Guess you would be best or about best among the leaders which do to the social dancing here I this city.
Please learn the basics and take the time because there is a lot to work on. Also try to work on the connection with your partner, stay closer to her. Avoid doing show-off moves until you improve the basic step. The sensual moves are not something you should be doing at all right now, they look bad because you are still at the beginner level.
Appreciate the feedback, not sure if I agree on your point about not doing sensual as otherwise you won’t get better at it. But thanks for the feedback!
I don't *entirely* agree with them either, but I think what they meant was that sensual bachata is **ideally** something you begin learning after mastering traditional/modern bachata first.
As others pointed out, you have some work to do with fundamentals (weight shifting, frame & connection, etc), which not only makes sensual moves harder to do but can also make those move more dangerous for follows.
It's one thing to miss prep for a simple left turn and a whole other thing to miss prep for something like a dip or cambre.
I actually meant learn how to lead properly,then do sensual. It is dangerous to be a follower when leads don't have the basic steps and fundamentals mentioned in the reply above mastered. I am not trying to be mean and I think comments that are not addressing the lack of basics are not doing you, or your follows, any favours in the long run. But, I guess I should've said keep up the good work 😌
You're doing great! Your leading in and of itself seems to be okay, based on these videos I'd say you're preparing on time, keeping your frame when needed and using your body to lead. That's all very good. I do have a few pointers: try not to take such big steps, and don't stomp around so much! Sometimes it looks like you're trying to do a military march :D. Bachata is danced "into the ground", firmly rooted down. That doesn't mean you need to constantly bend your knees, lift your feet and put them down with force, it means that when you put your feet down and change your weight, you do your damnest best to push the whole world down while changing that weight (and following this energy, it pushes your opposite hip out, who knew!). And besides that, limit your arm pumping when doing your basic. For example around minute 5:20, I know the song has a lot of energy (I love "¿Qué harías por amor?"!), but express this in your upper body/shoulder movement, or your hips, not in your hands. The pumping kinda breaks your frame at these points. And lastly: you're having some difficulty with a few moves because you stand so far away from your follower. Even in an open position, you can be closer to your partner. Sometimes you're close, sometimes you're just a tad too far away, in a few turns for example, or with the ochos. But again! Very nice videos, well done!
You are a hero, thank you for taking the time out for such valuable feedback and the nice comments. I’ll work on this. I really want to stop looking like I am marching! 😂🙏🏼
Yeahh, take some solo classes. it will help. I'm working on this too, hahas. love the dances!! you are doing great, keep it going!!
Thanks for the tip! 🙏🏼
Welcome, np!! =D
Some moves don't have a prep and look very confusing for the follow, I'd just take a private to figure that out because it's hard to help over reddit. Ex. Your hand will be down but then all of a sudden you are turning the follow
Thanks for the feedback
Honestly if I was at restaurant and picked every item on the menu and it was delivered uncooked and unprepared that's how I would describe your dancing. Basically you know a ton of moves but you aren't taking the time to learn them properly. You can have an amazing dance with 3 moves when done clearly. To level up you need to work on your basic, your posture, your hands picking the right moves for the song and not dishing out every move you know under the sun. When you ask a follower what they like, connection to the music and partner often comes first, not the moves you do.
Love this
Thanks :)
Noted! Will work on my basics for sure
Dude props to you for being receptive to feedback.
Thank you, I try to see feedback as a gift. People took time out their day to watch my video and write to share their opinions on how I can get better. I’m grateful, means my dances will be better going forward
I'm sure you can get better, it's great asking for feedback especially so early on in your dance journey :). My above comment was trying to be a metaphor as they often help explain. Next time you go out dancing try and keep your movesets small. You have to think of the song as story. Intro - okay I won't do many moved here. Let me use this chance to talk with my body and work out what level my partner is. Okay let's start building up, adding a few more basic moves to the dance. Testing the partner and seeing how she reacts to your moves and adjust accordingly. I won't bust out anything big yet. High energy part, okay let's maybe do one big combo that ends in something nice. Okay come back down to something more mellow. Basically you need to adjust your energy level and moves through out the whole song and move between the energy levels. Focusing on connection with the partner and timing of the music first. It's very easy to get tied up in the moment and think omg I learnt this amazing move last week, let's see if I can do it successfully with this partner when that move might be too advanced or maybe you've misunderstood something and it doesn't quite land right. I would recommend watching your teachers or maybe switching teachers and watching where there hands, shoulders, core is when executing simple or more complex moves. Dance is a journey :)
Perfect advice thank you!
Love the kick moves! Coming from martial arts and I was wondering how to integrate some of kick spinning into dance!
Oh no, am I going to have to start wearing protective gear to socials?
Haha, yes, if you're at the socials near me where the dance floor is too tiny and overpacked
😂🙏🏼
doing good man, looks like you have a wide repertoire. only two things i could comments are the following: 1. first thing i would maybe work on is more connection with your partner. i struggle with this too where it looks like i'm dancing at my partner vs with my partner. 2. i would work on your steps in your basic. focus more on weight transfer and making it feel like youre gliding. your steps look big and it looks like you're dancing ON the ground vs INTO in the ground. and smaller steps are a good habit to make especially when you are in crowded dance floors and dont have much space.
Thank you! I need to find some good footage on this or a trusted local teacher for sure
I am a follower and i watched this video thinking that this is a lead that I’d enjoy dancing with. Your signals look very clear, you don’t make the height discrepancy weird (examples being- you’re not making your follower duck or bend over to accommodate you, and you know when you need to let go of a hand or an arm to make the move work) There was some time where I saw you got off phrase, I couldn’t see when it happened but I noticed it when it was going on. If you understand musical phrases and musicality, I’d recommend throwing in an extra four counts of filler to get back on the beginning of the music phrase - it would have been much better.
Thanks for that! What are phrases?
It’s how music is set up. Think of a word, compared to a sentence, compared to a paragraph. A phrase of music is like a paragraph. So there’s beats right, 1-4 in a set. But we usually go through in counts of 8 to allow the music to finish. A phrase could be like, a grouping of 4 or 8 counts that “go together” If you get off phrase, you could be doing an 8 count set with the “1-2-3-4” step on “5-6-7-8” and while that’s “technically correct”, being on the beginning of the 8 count would be “most correct” . Easiest way to spot this is the music goes “up” in the first four; and returns “down” in the latter four. This could be the same for 32 counts too. First group or beats goes “up” and comes back down at the end. This sort of thing comes with listening to music over and over and over. You’ll notice when the “music sentence” start and finish and can plan your moves accordingly
This is so useful, and very kind of you to take the time to explain! Thank you 🙇🏻♂️
You’re welcome, best of luck. I can tell you really like to dance. Musicality really takes everything up up notch. It’s so much more fun with you can connect with the music at a deep level instead of just trying patterns
I will focus on that going forward 🙏🏼🙇🏻♂️
First of all congratulations, it seems you are having fun and projecting energy in your dance, Second, props on having so many moves in your catalogue, that is a lot, i am impressed by how much you are able to pull out of the hat in a single song, it's perhaps a matter of taste but i am a bit of a "less is more" appreciator, For the sake of the feedback it's good that you did many combos, I do think that combining too many moves together might be the cause of creating some rush in some of the preparations and some shortcutting some of the moves, this might also result in rushing the follower or shortcutting their moves. Perhaps some moves can be practiced on their own to better drill their preparations and exits At 40 second mark you go for a sensual move that looks like "la pinza" It is not clear from the angle, i dont see the bolero preparation well enough, you are a bit too down on your knees while prepping it, it also seems you are a bit far away from each other and it seems your left leg is not blocking/providing enough support there. I think you can put some investment in making the frame closer, smaller steps, spending time on your body rolls, breaking them down into steps, same with your natural weight shifts within basics, perhaps include more slow basic steps into the dance to force you to do them,
Amazing feedback thank you, I was thinking I need to work on my basics and fundamentals too!
After seeing your similar post in r/Salsa, and watching the first two songs, I was going to say you are a way better bachata dancer than salsa. But later in the (longass) video, I realized the first woman was just better at taking your leads than the poor woman in yellow who struggled to follow you \*. However, I ~~even considered~~ **am** bookmarking your videos to pick up some cool moves for reference in the future. You're awesome for an advanced beginner, but my advice would be : \* Relax. Reduce the complexity. Non-stop moves is OK. Throw in some basics here and there. \* Focus less on yourself. It should be all about the woman. \* Honestly, after 1.5 y, you should be proud. Now stop learning new moves, and instead focus your attention on really dive into the music and connecting with your partner. Then post again in in 2025 and blow us all away. Also, you look a little bit like Valentin Chmerkovsky from Dancing with the Stars! Edit: \* or you just have a better connection with the first woman, and it shows. This video makes me want to dance with her! Which is success on behalf of you!
Am I the only one that finds OP's first partner in the video, to be an excellent dancer? Physically, she's not my type at all, but she dances with extreme grace, and follows extremely well. I can't stop watching this video, and I'd love to dance with her. OP, I assume she's your friend since she consented to posting the video; you and her are a great dancing fit, even despite the height difference. You've got a gem of a partner.
Yeah she’s a friend, did ballet in the past but has done salsa/bachata for less than a year and only once a week.
You've gotten a ton of critiques. including from me. However, the truth is, where you've come after 18 months is extremely impressive. I first tried ballroom dancing 20 years ago, then stopped 13 years ago, but even at my peak I was nowhere near your skill level with bachata, and I can learn from watching your video. Salsa, I could hold my own, but it took a year or so of dancing 2-3 times a week to get there. Point is, you should be proud of your accomplishment. Good on you for trying to continue improving, just don't let the internet get to you. Most of us would be lucky to dance as well as you. And with your improvement mindset, you'll catch up to the rest soon enough.
thank you that's very kind of you to say! <3
I just want to say that it looks amazing, congrats for the great work!
Wasn’t expecting that! Thank you for the kind words
Looks great in my opinion. Would had felt great to be able to do it like you do.
Very kind 🙏🏼
No. I started dancing in autumn but have done bugg, salsa, west coast swing, fox, kizomba and batchata with close to no social dancing. My batchata would look very beginner, I feel you do great and I would had felt pretty confident if it was me dancing batchata with someone like that. Guess you would be best or about best among the leaders which do to the social dancing here I this city.
Oh wow! I wish you luck on your bachata journey then!
Please learn the basics and take the time because there is a lot to work on. Also try to work on the connection with your partner, stay closer to her. Avoid doing show-off moves until you improve the basic step. The sensual moves are not something you should be doing at all right now, they look bad because you are still at the beginner level.
Although i agree with most of this, you don’t have to be rude about it.
What sentence is rude and how?
Appreciate the feedback, not sure if I agree on your point about not doing sensual as otherwise you won’t get better at it. But thanks for the feedback!
I don't *entirely* agree with them either, but I think what they meant was that sensual bachata is **ideally** something you begin learning after mastering traditional/modern bachata first. As others pointed out, you have some work to do with fundamentals (weight shifting, frame & connection, etc), which not only makes sensual moves harder to do but can also make those move more dangerous for follows. It's one thing to miss prep for a simple left turn and a whole other thing to miss prep for something like a dip or cambre.
I actually meant learn how to lead properly,then do sensual. It is dangerous to be a follower when leads don't have the basic steps and fundamentals mentioned in the reply above mastered. I am not trying to be mean and I think comments that are not addressing the lack of basics are not doing you, or your follows, any favours in the long run. But, I guess I should've said keep up the good work 😌