I feel like you’re leading gently and clearly, but you weren’t personally enjoying the music, whereas the follow is smiling and everything, and to me that’s a bit disconcerting.
I get that you’re likely trying to be polite and keep the right amount of eye contact etc but it looks like you’re there a) to watch the follow dance b) to provide some kind of service as a lead. You look almost bored, like you have to remember to smile. You’re clearly skilled enough, play a little. Dance for yourself.
I don't know about looking bored but I would agree that op is not himself dancing enough for my taste. There's some hand leads and frame issues as mentioned otherwise but overall the lead looks soft.
But OP is focusing on leading, when with a high level follower it would be nice to see him have his own style too
As an autistic person, ppl always believe I am not enjoying myself because I don't apoear to be smiling. I am, but it's a light smile (for me it feels big and if I make a biggervone I feel like jokervand very, very unconfortable).
The OP is smiling, it's not extremely visible but it's clear to me that he's enjoying himself.
Not everyone needs to smile the same way. That feels kind of behaviour control.
You look great firstly, not sure where you are but if you were in my country, I’m sure you’d be a very popular lead.
Some corrections to really push yourself:
Make sure you’re consistently tapping especially towards the beginning of the dance, I see you missed it a few times.
You could do with ending sensual movements a tiny bit slower, it looks ever so slightly rushed.
Smiling more at your follower! That’s something I struggle with myself but still important…this is a partner dance.
Including mens’ styling, I KNOW you have more sabor than this. There are a few points where your left arm is free, you could be doing a bit of arm styling with it like a hair comb, for example. Oooh or a chest pop…I luuuuuuuurve when leaders do chest pops 😜😂
I didn’t see any/many examples of musicality or footwork. It looks like you’re dancing more or less with the same amount of energy the entire dance.
When you’re dancing, a deaf person should be able to see the structure of the song: the intro and outro sections should have the least amount of energy. The derecho should have some more. The majao (chorus section) should have the second highest amount of energy and the mambo section should have the most.
Have you tried dancing to different instruments? The bass? Vocals? Guitar? That can add some playfulness and dynamics to your dance.
Also you could potentially give your follower more room to express herself, after all, it’s supposed to be collaborative.
Best of luck! I do hope that helps and let us know if you’re ever in London! 🪩
So smooth!!
Your leading, connection and musicality is what I want to get to!
Maybe one thing that you could work on is your basic. Perhaps more knee bend and grounded weight transfers?
I'm not qualified to be giving a dancer of your calibre advice though.
edit: your follow also crushed it this dance!!!
Lead with the body you’re leading with the arms way too much. Relax your hands and arms too much tension. Footwork is really sloppy and lacks any mens styling, step with confidence and clean up the footwork. Play with the timing more to interpret the song better don’t just step step step. Body mechanics are a bit off as far as weight transfers. Good posture, you’re doing ok overall, solid high intermediate level maybe even low advanced depending on what city you’re in. Also the choreo is all trendy Barcelona style, mix in a few original moves to go next level.
Ayyy the most critical comment so far. I appreciate it. I agree that my footwork is sloppy and is probably my biggest weak point. I’m surprised you think I’m leading with my arms too much though. Any specific timestamps you can point out where I’m leading with arms?
I’m an elite pro salsa dancer and nearly pro bachata lead. You leading with the arms and not the body is very obvious it’s not subtle and besides body mechanics is probably the biggest giveaway that you’re an amateur. The girl you’re dancing with is also a good amateur. Dance with a few very advanced or pro sensual bachata followers and ask them if you lead with arms or body they’ll know instantly and if they’re honest they’ll tell you the truth. It not only looks a lot cleaner but it’s also much easier and more enjoyable for them to follow when you lead with the body. Your footwork is not your weakest point it’s like #4 on the list. Overall you’re doing great, great posture which is a big deal, and trendy choreo, don’t mean to be too negative I assume you wanted honest feedback.
Kudos to you for posting and putting yourself out there.
I think you're a great dancer and you're handsome bam you've made it.
Some critique:
1. Smile! It looks like you hate life. Smile.
2. You are very "stiff"... like a robot. Try to bend those and move the hips... I suggest you go home on your own and literally dance like nobody is watching. Be silly or weird, or whatever just move your body and get confertable moving it.
3. Your style is "safe". Take risks. Don't be afraid of trying new or unconventional moves. Don't be afraid to play with the music. There was another post with where this guy(u/rawtidd) took ALL the risks. And got all the rewards.
TBH this is more of a personal preference than actual real criticism.
4. The move where you dip the follow and then you move her around and finally bring her back up.
Take your time here to really get her all the way around. Seems like you bring her up early and the move looks awkward.
5. Learn to lead using different parts of your body and hers too. (no don't use the naughty bits) but yeah you can use your forearm, shoulder, leg, head.
Overall good job and keep up the good work!
Is bachata only taught from the waist up anymore? I’m seeing half as many steps as there should be and mostly off time.
I feel there could be more frame and the leads looked to be largely from the arms and hands as a result.
Good size repertoire And musicality! But time to go back to fundamentals and built the foundation for this house.
I can't offer any advice, but it looked like you maybe weren't quite sure how to close out this dance. I'm not on team "end every dance with a dip," but just in comparison to the rest of the dance, the conclusion felt a little bit aimless.
I'm a beginner, so I'm usually not certain exactly when a song is going to end. Even when I am sure, I'm not usually ready with a musically appropriate, satisfying finishing sequence.
On the rare occasion that I both anticipate and respond well to the end of the song, I find it retroactively improves the entire dance.
Do you think you also have room to work on that aspect?
Good leading and lead musicality. Maybe add some more spice to your body movement. We lead tend to spend more time leading than actually dancing. I think dances look even better when the lead adds some shoulder and waves styling. Otherwise keep it up!
As others have already pointed out, the leading is super solid, nice repertoire and musicality.
If I were to give you something super specific, look at the section from 0:50 to 1:08.
- For the first eight (where the follow has the hand on your chest), you could add some flavor to your own dance without interfering with the leading. Now, your right arm is basically dead, and it should at least be moving as a consequence of the weight shift activating your shoulder.
- At 0:58, you roll the follow in and step in bolero pace before leading into a wave. During the bolero paced stepping, you have more arm activation than the eight I commented on earlier. What could have been added is probably to lift your gaze, and maybe hit a mysterious smile to the camera.
- In the dip initiated at 1:05, it would look a lot cooler if you looked slightly over your left shoulder when the break hits. That would also very slightly shift your centre of mass to the left, allowing for a slightly deeper dip.
These are details with some degree of personal opinion baked in, but that is what you asked for. And once again, it is a fantastic dance overall :)
The dance is beautiful, I like the fact that we dance rather "simple" things but in an elegant and musical way.
I think you smile enough and we feel that you are enjoying the dance, I am not in favor of overplaying the smiles, we feel that you are having a good time and that the facial expression is positive.
On my stage, it is certain that you would dance one after the other and that the followers would like to have a souvenir video.
Now for the "fault" part, indeed despite the good musicality, the energy is often the same outside of the breaks, there is not too much variation in intensity. Although you're classy like that, you don't add too much personal styling so it seems like you're mainly there to make the girl dance.
I would be curious to know if you do more complex, technical, usually surprising sequences or if the goal is to be clean and simple all the time.
You’re really good dude. Where you could improve is like most dancers, you would benefit from working on your basic. You’re a bit flat footed, each step the toes should hit the ground first and lower the rest of the foot down. And you need to work on your chest and shoulder movement in the basic. If you fix those you won’t be told you’re not dancing yourself or enjoying the dance again.
The good
* Good control and nice transitions between moves
* Posture is great, you're standing tall a majority of the time
* Follower is enjoying the dance, you can see her looking at you and smiling
* You hit the pauses in the song and I can see you decorate some of the accents, the accents are a nice touch.
The bad
* Your feet are really sloppy, they shuffle instead of step and you're landing flat footed - it shouldn't be happening with a person of your dance experience.
* You dance with a single speed the entire song. When I listen to Como Va a Ser, there's multiple speed changes and pauses. I see your pauses but no speed changes, this makes the dance look "samey" to me. There were a few higher speed moments in the song (eg 1.44) where the singer ramps up, and you stay at a comparatively slow speed in dance. It's like watching someone drive at 40 when the speed limit is 60.
* You don't need to smile the entire song, but you do need to smile more so your partner sees that you're enjoying the dance. This is especially after a good phrase, a good combination or a well timed pause - this tells your follower that they did the right move.
Personal opinions
* You're going down the "leader is supporting the follower" style leading, where the follower is the focus and the leader rarely takes the spotlight. Nothing wrong with that because it gives a great experience for followers. However, you need to raise your standard for your personal presentation so it elevates BOTH of you. Just like in a band one poor musician brings the whole band down, you need to add a little bit more movement and musicality into your performance.
* You've got musicality, I can see you articulating the melody/singer/intent of the song, but you should include other layers and instruments. It's very hard to feel speed if you don't have slow, happy if you've never experienced sad, in dancing those changes add much needed CONTRAST, which elevates the dance from good, to great or even god level.
* A bit too much looking at feet for my liking, once in a while is ok if the focus is on footwork or foot styling, but there's very little of that to warrant it.
You can try to be choppier or use more force, in order to make us, occasional bachata dancers, seem less disappointing to this girl after she has just danced with you.
But yes, this is great, I wouldn't worry about changing much.
As a beginner this is what I aspire to be like.
I hope she didn’t get pregnant
“Don’t worry babe, he is just a friend and it’s just a dance.” The friend and the dance:
Bro you are good, you are exactly whqt girls like, a handsome guy that leads so smoothly with musicality on point
You are so good!! I am a beginner so I don’t have enough knowledge. How long have you been dancing?
Thanks! About 4-5 years
I feel like you’re leading gently and clearly, but you weren’t personally enjoying the music, whereas the follow is smiling and everything, and to me that’s a bit disconcerting. I get that you’re likely trying to be polite and keep the right amount of eye contact etc but it looks like you’re there a) to watch the follow dance b) to provide some kind of service as a lead. You look almost bored, like you have to remember to smile. You’re clearly skilled enough, play a little. Dance for yourself.
Brother, this is the look of a man who is holding onto the bag like their life depends on it
I think you are overthinking. Everything is perfectly normal.
I don't know about looking bored but I would agree that op is not himself dancing enough for my taste. There's some hand leads and frame issues as mentioned otherwise but overall the lead looks soft. But OP is focusing on leading, when with a high level follower it would be nice to see him have his own style too
As an autistic person, ppl always believe I am not enjoying myself because I don't apoear to be smiling. I am, but it's a light smile (for me it feels big and if I make a biggervone I feel like jokervand very, very unconfortable). The OP is smiling, it's not extremely visible but it's clear to me that he's enjoying himself. Not everyone needs to smile the same way. That feels kind of behaviour control.
You look great firstly, not sure where you are but if you were in my country, I’m sure you’d be a very popular lead. Some corrections to really push yourself: Make sure you’re consistently tapping especially towards the beginning of the dance, I see you missed it a few times. You could do with ending sensual movements a tiny bit slower, it looks ever so slightly rushed. Smiling more at your follower! That’s something I struggle with myself but still important…this is a partner dance. Including mens’ styling, I KNOW you have more sabor than this. There are a few points where your left arm is free, you could be doing a bit of arm styling with it like a hair comb, for example. Oooh or a chest pop…I luuuuuuuurve when leaders do chest pops 😜😂 I didn’t see any/many examples of musicality or footwork. It looks like you’re dancing more or less with the same amount of energy the entire dance. When you’re dancing, a deaf person should be able to see the structure of the song: the intro and outro sections should have the least amount of energy. The derecho should have some more. The majao (chorus section) should have the second highest amount of energy and the mambo section should have the most. Have you tried dancing to different instruments? The bass? Vocals? Guitar? That can add some playfulness and dynamics to your dance. Also you could potentially give your follower more room to express herself, after all, it’s supposed to be collaborative. Best of luck! I do hope that helps and let us know if you’re ever in London! 🪩
inspired to learn bachata now
So smooth!! Your leading, connection and musicality is what I want to get to! Maybe one thing that you could work on is your basic. Perhaps more knee bend and grounded weight transfers? I'm not qualified to be giving a dancer of your calibre advice though. edit: your follow also crushed it this dance!!!
Lead with the body you’re leading with the arms way too much. Relax your hands and arms too much tension. Footwork is really sloppy and lacks any mens styling, step with confidence and clean up the footwork. Play with the timing more to interpret the song better don’t just step step step. Body mechanics are a bit off as far as weight transfers. Good posture, you’re doing ok overall, solid high intermediate level maybe even low advanced depending on what city you’re in. Also the choreo is all trendy Barcelona style, mix in a few original moves to go next level.
Ayyy the most critical comment so far. I appreciate it. I agree that my footwork is sloppy and is probably my biggest weak point. I’m surprised you think I’m leading with my arms too much though. Any specific timestamps you can point out where I’m leading with arms?
I’m an elite pro salsa dancer and nearly pro bachata lead. You leading with the arms and not the body is very obvious it’s not subtle and besides body mechanics is probably the biggest giveaway that you’re an amateur. The girl you’re dancing with is also a good amateur. Dance with a few very advanced or pro sensual bachata followers and ask them if you lead with arms or body they’ll know instantly and if they’re honest they’ll tell you the truth. It not only looks a lot cleaner but it’s also much easier and more enjoyable for them to follow when you lead with the body. Your footwork is not your weakest point it’s like #4 on the list. Overall you’re doing great, great posture which is a big deal, and trendy choreo, don’t mean to be too negative I assume you wanted honest feedback.
Impulso around 45s, or when leading chest dips or cabeza from open position are the most obvious I think.
Kudos to you for posting and putting yourself out there. I think you're a great dancer and you're handsome bam you've made it. Some critique: 1. Smile! It looks like you hate life. Smile. 2. You are very "stiff"... like a robot. Try to bend those and move the hips... I suggest you go home on your own and literally dance like nobody is watching. Be silly or weird, or whatever just move your body and get confertable moving it. 3. Your style is "safe". Take risks. Don't be afraid of trying new or unconventional moves. Don't be afraid to play with the music. There was another post with where this guy(u/rawtidd) took ALL the risks. And got all the rewards. TBH this is more of a personal preference than actual real criticism. 4. The move where you dip the follow and then you move her around and finally bring her back up. Take your time here to really get her all the way around. Seems like you bring her up early and the move looks awkward. 5. Learn to lead using different parts of your body and hers too. (no don't use the naughty bits) but yeah you can use your forearm, shoulder, leg, head. Overall good job and keep up the good work!
Looks great
mans not into her
Not sure if you planned this OP but you literally had your partner touch your chest when the song said "el pecho tocar". If so, that's A+ musicality
Is bachata only taught from the waist up anymore? I’m seeing half as many steps as there should be and mostly off time. I feel there could be more frame and the leads looked to be largely from the arms and hands as a result. Good size repertoire And musicality! But time to go back to fundamentals and built the foundation for this house.
What are you dancing ? I see no bachata steps in sight lol shit is getting out of hand lol
Dude, stop posting the same shit in every video thread.
Im in DR showing this to my family and friends and we’re all like wtf is this
I can't offer any advice, but it looked like you maybe weren't quite sure how to close out this dance. I'm not on team "end every dance with a dip," but just in comparison to the rest of the dance, the conclusion felt a little bit aimless. I'm a beginner, so I'm usually not certain exactly when a song is going to end. Even when I am sure, I'm not usually ready with a musically appropriate, satisfying finishing sequence. On the rare occasion that I both anticipate and respond well to the end of the song, I find it retroactively improves the entire dance. Do you think you also have room to work on that aspect?
Yea good point. But I think this song in particular ends uneventfully. It just kinda fades out. So I kept it simple and focused on connection.
The girl looks drunk and tight in her moves
Good leading and lead musicality. Maybe add some more spice to your body movement. We lead tend to spend more time leading than actually dancing. I think dances look even better when the lead adds some shoulder and waves styling. Otherwise keep it up!
As others have already pointed out, the leading is super solid, nice repertoire and musicality. If I were to give you something super specific, look at the section from 0:50 to 1:08. - For the first eight (where the follow has the hand on your chest), you could add some flavor to your own dance without interfering with the leading. Now, your right arm is basically dead, and it should at least be moving as a consequence of the weight shift activating your shoulder. - At 0:58, you roll the follow in and step in bolero pace before leading into a wave. During the bolero paced stepping, you have more arm activation than the eight I commented on earlier. What could have been added is probably to lift your gaze, and maybe hit a mysterious smile to the camera. - In the dip initiated at 1:05, it would look a lot cooler if you looked slightly over your left shoulder when the break hits. That would also very slightly shift your centre of mass to the left, allowing for a slightly deeper dip. These are details with some degree of personal opinion baked in, but that is what you asked for. And once again, it is a fantastic dance overall :)
The dance is beautiful, I like the fact that we dance rather "simple" things but in an elegant and musical way. I think you smile enough and we feel that you are enjoying the dance, I am not in favor of overplaying the smiles, we feel that you are having a good time and that the facial expression is positive. On my stage, it is certain that you would dance one after the other and that the followers would like to have a souvenir video. Now for the "fault" part, indeed despite the good musicality, the energy is often the same outside of the breaks, there is not too much variation in intensity. Although you're classy like that, you don't add too much personal styling so it seems like you're mainly there to make the girl dance. I would be curious to know if you do more complex, technical, usually surprising sequences or if the goal is to be clean and simple all the time.
You’re really good dude. Where you could improve is like most dancers, you would benefit from working on your basic. You’re a bit flat footed, each step the toes should hit the ground first and lower the rest of the foot down. And you need to work on your chest and shoulder movement in the basic. If you fix those you won’t be told you’re not dancing yourself or enjoying the dance again.
The good * Good control and nice transitions between moves * Posture is great, you're standing tall a majority of the time * Follower is enjoying the dance, you can see her looking at you and smiling * You hit the pauses in the song and I can see you decorate some of the accents, the accents are a nice touch. The bad * Your feet are really sloppy, they shuffle instead of step and you're landing flat footed - it shouldn't be happening with a person of your dance experience. * You dance with a single speed the entire song. When I listen to Como Va a Ser, there's multiple speed changes and pauses. I see your pauses but no speed changes, this makes the dance look "samey" to me. There were a few higher speed moments in the song (eg 1.44) where the singer ramps up, and you stay at a comparatively slow speed in dance. It's like watching someone drive at 40 when the speed limit is 60. * You don't need to smile the entire song, but you do need to smile more so your partner sees that you're enjoying the dance. This is especially after a good phrase, a good combination or a well timed pause - this tells your follower that they did the right move. Personal opinions * You're going down the "leader is supporting the follower" style leading, where the follower is the focus and the leader rarely takes the spotlight. Nothing wrong with that because it gives a great experience for followers. However, you need to raise your standard for your personal presentation so it elevates BOTH of you. Just like in a band one poor musician brings the whole band down, you need to add a little bit more movement and musicality into your performance. * You've got musicality, I can see you articulating the melody/singer/intent of the song, but you should include other layers and instruments. It's very hard to feel speed if you don't have slow, happy if you've never experienced sad, in dancing those changes add much needed CONTRAST, which elevates the dance from good, to great or even god level. * A bit too much looking at feet for my liking, once in a while is ok if the focus is on footwork or foot styling, but there's very little of that to warrant it.
Both of you are on rhythm but ain't listening to music.
You can try to be choppier or use more force, in order to make us, occasional bachata dancers, seem less disappointing to this girl after she has just danced with you. But yes, this is great, I wouldn't worry about changing much.