(Bachata) 'Bachazouk' straight from the founders themselves — Carlos y Paz full-team workshop & interview Carlos y Paz Bachazouk workshop

“Creating direction matters, but I don't push her. I create the direction with my whole body, not with my hand.”

CONTEXTDemonstrating the difference between pushing with the hand and creating direction with the whole body when leading, at a workshop

“In this part, the important thing for the guy is to focus on creating the sense of direction first.”

CONTEXTStressing the lead's core job while teaching turn leads

“If she has to turn on one foot in place, that's hard for her. Give her the space to take a step.”

CONTEXTExplaining why you need to give the follower room to travel on a turn lead

“When I turn, I'm always looking for the 'parallel position.' That's my balance point.”

CONTEXTExplaining his own reference position for finding balance in turns

“Even when you lead through a full forearm connection, the important thing is still to create the direction with your whole body.”

CONTEXTThe principle he emphasized while demonstrating forearm-connection lead technique

“If you lead with just the arm, her head drops forward. I want her head to open up like this.”

CONTEXTExplaining the kind of lead that creates bachazouk's signature head movement

“Make your body square like a guy's, and go down and come up using your knees. It's not something you do with your arms.”

CONTEXTDemonstrating how to use the knees in the down-and-up movement

“I try to keep as much bachata as I can. Then I add zouk technique on top. I use bachata as the base.”

Answering a question about the bachata-to-zouk ratio in bachazouk

“You respect the bachata basics, and you have to match songs you can actually dance that to. Bachazouk didn't start from zouk music.”

Explaining that bachazouk grew out of a bachata foundation

“I try to keep as much of the bachata basics as possible, so it keeps feeling like bachata and looking like bachata.”

Explaining his principle of protecting bachata's identity even within bachazouk

“We really don't want a closed-off mindset — about people making their own personal interpretations.”

On respecting the personal interpretations of people learning bachazouk

“Some people might do more zouk, more body movement, and less bachata. They're expressing themselves within that movement.”

Acknowledging that everyone reads the bachata-zouk ratio differently

“At the end of the day, we dance to the music. Whatever we hear, we translate it into our dance.”

Explaining the relationship between interpreting music and expressing it in dance

“It depends on what the music gives us. It's not a question of right or wrong.”

Answering how he adjusts the bachata-to-zouk ratio depending on the music

“Bachata has evolved so much in the last few years. A lot of hip hop and urban elements came in. We always try to keep up with that.”

On how the bachata genre has grown, and their openness to it

“Rather than trying to define what the dance is, we should be more open to what our bodies are asking for.”

Following the body's instincts instead of drawing lines around genres

“I don't want to put any limits on art. Not on dancers, not on anyone doing any kind of creative art.”

A personal belief about freedom of artistic expression

“Do more of whatever you're feeling in the moment. Honoring every emotion — that's what matters most.”

The bachata-zouk ratio is a feeling, not a fixed rule

“Train both, so you have options. That way you can say, 'This is what I want to express.'”

Advice on why you should train both bachata and zouk

“I want to take the information I've gotten from all kinds of genres and use it to express what I'm feeling.”

On pulling elements from multiple genres to express yourself

“Zouk isn't just head movement. Doing a turn while you're doing a head roll takes counterbalance and axis rotation — there's a lot of information you need to know in there.”

Clearing up common misconceptions about zouk and bachazouk

“There's no such thing as a rule in bachazouk that says 'this is allowed, this isn't.'”

Closing thought on how open bachazouk is