[CHOA's Shortterview 22] A Jack & Jill judge on basics & Dominican bachata feedback by Rishabh & Amanda

“The basic isn't just a step — it's the fundamental of grounding and weight transfer.”

On the criteria used to judge the basic at a Jack & Jill

“If your energy is scattered all over the place, your technique can't be clean. Clean technique brings more calm and more control to your movement.”

On what separates people who do the basic well from those who don't

“Traditional bachata is really connected to the ground. You have to keep using the floor and using your hips — and not many people were using their hips.”

CONTEXTOn competitors bouncing around like they were jumping

“Traditional bachata isn't footwork, it's hips. How you use your hips with the music is the core of it, and a lot of people mistake that for footwork.”

Pointing out that competitors used a lot of footwork instead of hips in traditional bachata

“When people use a lot of footwork, they're not recognizing that the music is in a low-energy section. You really have to feel the music and use your hips with the instruments and the emotion.”

Explaining why footwork-heavy dancing clashes with the energy of the music

“The real essence of bachata is 'amargue' — bitterness. Bachata is about the feeling of hardship and heartbreak, that bitterness.”

On the emotional heart of traditional bachata

“If you dance too bouncy, all pop-pop-pop, you're ignoring the singer's emotion. Instead of thinking "I have to do footwork," you should be using your hips and the feeling, right along with the instruments.”

CONTEXTPointing out what the high-energy dancers in the room were getting wrong

“When it comes to dancing traditional bachata, it's really important to understand the culture — where bachata came from.”

Watching participants barely show any of the traditional bachata wave