Raquel

“You have to understand that the movement comes from the lead. It's a completely different thing.”

Stressing that head movement originates in the torso/lead, and explaining how it differs from moves that aren't bachata

“The power comes from pressing into the floor with your legs — Raquel has said this about a hundred times.”

Explaining the mechanics of the swing basic and where the power for the press/push actually comes from.

“Working with contraction and quick release, over and over, builds amazing control and intention in your movement.”

Explaining what the contraction–release training of Graham technique does for you

“The technique I use is the Graham technique — it comes from modern dance. The contraction comes from your organs, from deep inside.”

Explaining the principle behind the 'contraction' movement in the choreography

“See how my torso is leaning to the right? That's what you need for the slide. When the torso's over here, the weight's over here too — so the torso is helping you slide.”

Demonstrating the slide step at a bachata workshop, explaining how the upper-body lean relates to weight transfer

“You can't just watch what the bloggers are doing, take that movement as is, and drop it into bachata. That's not a bachata movement.”

Explaining hair-whip styling and calling out the bad imitations you see all over social media

“Bachata actually has a lot of contracted movements that mark a change of direction — we've just never thought about them that way. So we put a lot of contraction in there.”

Explaining why she brought Graham-technique contraction into the basic bachata step

“It's not just the footwork — the upper body matters too. There's a technical reason for using your feet and giving your upper body freedom at the same time.”

Explaining why the feet and the upper body work together in the intro section