Rishabh y Amanda

“The difference between an advanced dancer and a beginner comes down to fundamentals. There's really nothing else.”

Explaining what they learned from studying traditional bachata

“If you want to change that, you bend the knees a little and press down. And you have to use your hips. Push and push and push, so the body doesn't bounce.”

Getting specific about how to fix a lazy basic

“We're not just dancing to the music — we're trying to become the music itself.”

Explaining their philosophy on their dance style and musicality

“If you jump in halfway, you get confused about what you're fusing, how, and where. But if you start from the ground up, you build a solid base.”

On the order of learning styles and why the basics matter

“We want to teach people how to listen. I think that's the part that's really missing.”

Explaining the philosophy they emphasize in class

“A lazy basic is when your feet are flat on the floor and you're not really using your whole body.”

Demonstrating the basic step and explaining the "lazy basic" he sees a lot among Korean students

“In everything we do, you have to hear it and move instantly.”

On their philosophy of dancing in immediate response to the music

“For us, training your ears is just as important as training your body. You have to sync the two up.”

Stressing the balance between musical training and physical training

“When people learn a move, they just keep repeating that move no matter what's happening in the music.”

Pointing out the problem of dancing without listening to the music

“If I'm an advanced dancer, it's because my fundamentals are solid.”

Stressing the importance of fundamentals

“Learning traditional bachata gave me the freedom to dance to the music.”

Looking back on learning traditional bachata from Ace Fusion

“Traditional bachata is all about the hips. Feet, hips, grounding — that's the core.”

Explaining the difference between traditional and modern bachata

“The musicality you see actually comes from understanding the genre and traditional bachata.”

Explaining how studying traditional bachata shaped their musicality

“You hold this pretzel in the chest, not the waist. You're just passing it along.”

Explaining where to hold the pretzel during a straight-line windmill pattern

“When the direction changes, you have to stay connected to the lead — as long as the lead is guiding the motion.”

Explaining the connection a follower needs to maintain the moment a turn changes direction

“In our classes, we start the movement big and exaggerated at first, but later we shrink it down. That way you understand the natural connection between the arms and the body much better.”

Explaining the teaching method behind making arm movement look natural

“Modern bachata is more about hand patterns and salsa-style combinations.”

Comparing the traits of each bachata style

“Sensual has that flowing, top-to-bottom feel, and fusion is sharper.”

Comparing bachata's different styles (sensual, fusion)

“It has to move up and down. Don't travel forward. It's more like moving up and down.”

Correcting the common mistake of twisting the hips forward, and explaining which direction the hip movement should go

“What matters to us isn't a particular style — it's what the music is asking for.”

Explaining their philosophy on their dance style and musicality

“With patterns that travel in a straight line, you can get away with sloppy arms — but in patterns that change direction, your shoulder line has to stay precise. It can't collapse like that.”

Explaining the difference in arm usage between straight-line patterns and turning patterns

“You're not gripping the follower's hand tight. It's not about making her hold on like this — you're just passing the connection through.”

On how the lead transmits connection instead of forcing the follower to grip

“Your hands can't go slack. They have to stay active — that's what makes this move possible.”

Emphasizing the hands' role in holding frame and creating the move

“When you're keeping the frame, your wrist has to stay soft and loose, but your shoulder and this part right here — that's where the strength goes.”

Breaking down which parts to engage and which to relax while holding the frame