Luis y Andrea

“If you're not generating energy through your breath, up and down, you'll never get supple movement. Just breathe.”

Explaining the relationship between movement and breath, framing breath as the key to fluid movement

“Learning body lead means learning two things at once: the movement you can see, and the invisible force going the opposite way. It's not just where and how you move — creating that opposing energy is the key.”

Explaining the physics of resistance and stressing the importance of the counter-directional force

“Honey, water, air — three kinds of resistance, and they let you express the same movement in totally different ways. Even within one combination, mixing up the resistance opens up all kinds of expression.”

Introducing the three resistances used in bachata (honey, water, air) and how to give the same move a different texture

“My leading is great. But where's my dancing?”

Calling out a long-standing problem in bachata sensual — leaders who only lead and never actually dance

“Every position has its own movements. Leaders, when you're not sure what to do, use these three — closed, middle, open. Each one has a job.”

Stressing that the three positions each serve a different purpose, with a practical tip for leaders

“There are three basic positions: closed position, where body meets body; medium position, holding just one hand; and open position, for combinations and turns.”

Explaining the three basic positions of bachata sensual (closed / medium / open)

“There are two connection points. One is where the center of my hips meets the guy's hips, and the second is the upper body, where we connect through breath.”

Explaining the body's two connection points in the basic position

“Bend your elbow, so the energy coming from your hand travels to the elbow, from the elbow to the shoulder, from the shoulder into your upper body.”

Explaining how energy travels through the elbow

“Always stay at the same level as your follower. She goes down, I go down with her. She comes up, I come up. Never stay on a different level.”

The second rule of body lead — why you always have to stay on the same level as your partner

“Lead with your body! I want to lead with my body.”

First introducing the core principle of body lead

“Dance like you're inside a honey jar — keep the resistance in your muscles high.”

Explaining the concept of resistance, using a metaphor for the feel of 'honey' resistance

“If you don't give me this energy, I can't give you any changes. If we just keep dancing mechanically with the same resistance, it gets boring.”

Feedback after the social — when a partner doesn't send energy, the lead ends up running on autopilot

“Controlling myself, controlling my movement — that's what you have to train. Solo training is a must.”

Explaining why every class starts with footwork, stressing the importance of solo training

“Don't move your arms — just change the direction of your body. That's the only way you'll never lose the mirror position.”

Demonstrating the Madrid step (diagonal), explaining that you have to keep the upper body and frame locked and change only your body's direction to hold the mirror position with your partner.

“Without an angle in your arm you can't even stop, and if you straighten your arm out you can't do anything at all.”

Explaining that you can only send energy to the follow if you lift the elbow and keep an angle in the frame — the moment you straighten the arm, leading becomes impossible.

“Your upper body is going down, but you have to feel the energy shooting up.”

Coaching upper-body movement — the direction of the body and the direction of the energy can be opposites.

“Your elbow should always sit at the line of the woman's chest. Never lift it up — stay relaxed.”

Explaining the basic principle of elbow frame

“Breathe in as the elbow goes up, breathe out as it comes down. The elbow is connected to your lungs.”

Explaining the connection between the elbow and your breathing

“The mirror drill takes away the physical connection — the hand hold — so the leader is forced to lead with nothing but his own body. It's training for the body lead of a leader who actually dances.”

Introducing a drill led purely through visual connection (mirroring), and explaining what it's for

“When you practice a movement, don't make it small. Push it all the way to the limit of your body.”

Advice from solo body training — take your range of motion as far as it goes

“Really feel every point of the movement, use every muscle, feel the tension in each part. Always go to the limit and come back.”

Explaining how to practice movement using the whole body

“The core is where the upper body and lower body connect, and it's where the connection between the man and the woman happens. You have to hold that core as much as you can.”

On the core — the hardest part of the wave

“Pushing your core forward until the very last moment as you go back — that's the moment of resistance.”

Explaining exactly how to create resistance in the wave

“Don't finish the movement — wait here, then start the next one. Don't come back to your original position.”

Another rule of body lead — how not to break the flow between movements