Aitor y Angelica

“As a follower, I'm always trying to understand where the leader's energy is going. Is the lead coming from the hips, or from the upper body? But when both happen at the same time, it's just way too confusing for me.”

During a merengue frame drill, describing when a lead gets confusing from the follower's side

“The movement starts from the shoulder blade. Not just from here — it starts at the shoulder blade and keeps carrying on from there.”

Mid hand-styling demo, explaining where the torso rotation and arm movement actually come from

“No matter how many combinations a leader has, almost none of them have ever moved me with that. Honestly, just playing around and enjoying it is a way more fun way to dance.”

Reflecting on dancing with all kinds of leaders at socials

“You don't need to prove you're a dancer with combinations. If you just know how to enjoy the dance, that alone looks beautiful to me.”

Talking about dancing with different leaders she's met at socials

“It depends on which part of the song you're in. When the musical energy is low, like the derecho part, I just enjoy the dance and the music more, and when the energy comes up, I move differently. Depending on where the song's energy is, you add this step or you add that step.”

Explaining how he decides whether to use the hips on a puyaíto step

“I try to do it at the moment the music asks for it. It's not that I throw that move in all the time for no reason — it's about letting the music and the movement connect naturally.”

Explaining why he uses moves that look like zouk styling, and the principle behind picking a move

“With the speed and the position of his hand, the guy decides how far apart you are and how she's going to turn.”

On how much information the lead's hand carries in an underarm turn

“The heart of good leading isn't just leading my own partner well — it's being able to lead every follower according to her level and the way she dances.”

On the single most important concept he picked up from the Korke y Judith mentoring team

“Sensual bachata isn't always soft and unbroken. To follow the music, you always have to find the balance between soft and sharp.”

On what people get wrong about sensual bachata, name-checking Gero y Migle's style

“If you want to express the music, you have to listen to the same song over and over and over again.”

On why JR's music is hard to dance to, and how to build musicality

“Don't just dance with your head. I want to teach you how to dance with your heart.”

Explaining what he feels he can give to students in the Korean bachata scene

“You lead just the start of the movement and don't put any pressure past that. And you don't lead it super fast either.”

On leading only the beginning of the turn and leaving the rest to the follow

“The basic has to keep going even while you're turning. Same for the guy, same for the girl.”

Stressing that you can't drop the basic step even mid underarm turn

“The girl is spinning, so she has no idea where the guy is. That's why the guy has to keep watching her.”

On where the lead looks during a turn — and whose job that is

“The moment she starts the turn, you use the hand connection to change the height of her shoulders.”

Demonstrating how to tilt your partner through the hand connection as the underarm turn begins

“After one turn, you just end it. And then the girl catches you.”

On how you tell the girl the turn is over

“Once the guy turns her, the girl has to keep turning until he finishes it.”

The principle of who decides how long a turn lasts and when it ends

“If you want to keep her turning, the guy has to give her a little space. With no space, she starts feeling like she has to grab onto him.”

On why space matters for keeping a turn going

“You lead with the guy's body, not with the hand.”

The core principle — lead with the whole body's movement rather than the hand

“In this turn the only connection is this one hand. So the follow has to put a little weight into it — that's how the leader knows what's going on.”

On reading each other through a single hand connection during an underarm turn

“The basics are the root of everything.”

Saying he still takes classes, still learns, still drills and practices his fundamentals

“Every variation of hip movement comes out of basic isolation. That part really matters.”

Asked about his enormous range of hip motion — he answers by demonstrating it

“My dancing is always decided by whatever I'm listening to. I try to pull all my knowledge together and fit the dance to the music in the best way I can.”

Defining his own style, which he calls "Aitor Baredo style"

“Close the chest first, bend the knees, and tuck the hips in. The hips go forward, not back.”

The exact order of body alignment in a tilt