Rising star Soo drops her private lessons from Spain!!! Break down the hottest bachata trends and learn them yourself! feat. Aitor & Adrian Ros

“Look at the moon, not the finger.”

CONTEXTHis point: don't get buried in the detailed move you're learning today — see the big principle behind it

“If you split the beat up fine and connect the end of one move to the start of the next organically, you can fit three moves inside eight counts.”

Aitor breaking down his beat-splitting technique

“To get organic movement out of beats this short, you have to blend everything — the hand connection, the hip connection, the energy, the breathing — so it works even when the follower's level isn't that high.”

CONTEXTAitor explains the approach he worked out to build beat-splitting moves that land even with beginner followers

“You have to understand it as precise, separate actions — there's no smooth flow from one move into the next. You need the technique and the exact movement together.”

CONTEXTExplaining why Aitor's beat-splitting moves have to be understood as precise, separated actions

“Ross is always experimenting — what if I use this joint instead of that one, would the same move still come out if I held here? He researches a lot.”

CONTEXTExplaining Adrián Ross's way of researching — testing the same move with different joints and grips

“The move stays the same, but you get way more options for how to receive it. You have to stay open to every way of leading.”

A summary drawn from comparing hand lead, body lead, frame lead and other approaches

“If you use your body as much as you can and keep the energy going, the leader can lead without any unnecessary intervention.”

Sharing his idea of the ideal lead while summing up the different ways of leading

“Followers need to put more focus on movement training too.”

CONTEXTNoting what followers need to train as the range of leading styles keeps growing these days

“Aitor always goes for body contact first, but the second the body lead doesn't land, he steps in with the hands. He always has a plan B.”

Explaining Aitor's lead philosophy — making it so anyone can follow

“On the outside it looks like the same move, but the way it's led is completely different.”

CONTEXTComparing Jero & Migle's move with Ross's move — the same action can be led in different ways

“Whether you use the back of your hand or your palm completely changes how the lead works. Palm to palm, even a little pressure gives you a solid pull; back of hand to back of hand, it's actually easier to push.”

Sharing a personal tip on how the grip — which side of the hand you use — changes the lead

“If you switch the grip so one hand takes the back of the hand and the other takes the palm, she won't get pushed off in either direction — that cuts down on mistakes.”

Explaining the tip of holding each hand with a different grip during turns

“There's a technique where you scoop the hips from the bottom up, like an ice cream scoop. If you just drag her waist, she folds right over.”

CONTEXTExplaining how to use the hips in the basic move of the elegancia style

“Sensual bachata emphasizes curves, and elegancia emphasizes straight lines as much as possible.”

Summing up the aesthetic difference between elegancia style and sensual bachata

“With a momentum lead, she isn't aware of exactly where her own feet are going. You just give a strong impulse and turn her.”

CONTEXTExplaining the momentum lead concept in modern bachata

“You're deliberately making the follow's body uncomfortable. If you reach your hand out and take the frame away, she has no choice but to stop her body.”

CONTEXTExplaining Los-style deliberate frame-blocking technique

“When you practice, always practice pushing it all the way to the end. Even doing it on purpose, you barely get half of it out at a social.”

Emphasizing the importance of practicing a move all the way to completion

“When the leader brings his hands as close as possible and adjusts the angle, she has to work to fill that angle. That's how this movement gets made.”

CONTEXTExplaining that the move where you tilt the follower is completed by effort from both leader and follower

“The moment she realizes she could do it better herself, that's often exactly when she lets go of the following.”

CONTEXTExplaining how students with a lot of dance background — ballet, jazz — can end up hurting their following

“You should only layer your own styling on top once your following is 100% there.”

Explaining the principle he teaches follower students — finish the following before the styling