Urban Latin0

Spirited | Freeing | Fun-filled

Dances From The Street

Urban Latino dancing makes you feel good. From the social party world of Salsa, to the slow seductive realm of Bolero, these beats hit you where you live. Whether you’re dancing solo, in a group, or that special someone, these feel good rhythms are always welcome. Urban Latino dances are spirited and beautiful. Whether you’re dancing them for exercise, meditation, the social contact, the intellectual challenge or just the fun, there’s something for everyone.

Urban Latino, or Street Latin, is a group of Latin American dances that are not standardised for International Competition in the same way the Ballroom Latin American dances are. Because of this nearly any dance style originating from Southern and Central America can be classified as an Urban Latino dance. Some of the more well known around the world include Salsa, Mambo, Merengue, Bachata, and Bolero. Most Urban Latino dances are danced freestyle with a partner but, true to their adaptive nature, they can also be danced solo or in a group. They also don’t need a lot of space - they were designed for a busy club dance floor, not a spacious ballroom. The different dance styles are closely linked to a particular style of Latin music, and a good ear for the music will help your dancing immeasurably.

In a nearly identical way to the other standard Latin American styles, the Urban Latino set developed from local folk dances in several different regions around the South American continent. But, unlike the Latin American styles we see in world wide competitions, the Urban Latino dances continue to grow in an organic culture-driven way. Fad style popularity of certain dances in this group is an example of this; over time different dances in the Urban Latino set become popular, while others take a break.

Because of their folk dance roots, all the Urban Latino dances are full of a dynamism that gives the floor a party-like atmosphere and makes them fun to dance. They are also usually very eclectic in nature, borrowing moves from each other and changing the rhythm to make it work. Salsa is a perfect example of this eclectic style as it is an amalgamation of Cuban dances such as mambo, pachanga, and rumba as well as American dances such as swing and tap.

The hold for the Urban Latino dances is arguably even more relaxed than their Latin American counterparts, with nearly any hold being acceptable. Often true “open” holds are avoided as these dances are being danced on a crowded dancefloor and in many cases no hold is needed at all as nearly every dance in the set has a fully fledged solo equivalent. The extra loose holds, eclectic and adaptive natures, and true solo options in the Urban Latino dances make them appealing to dancers of all ages and accessible to dancers of all abilities. They are incredibly fun to dance either with a partner or by yourself.

Learn from scratch, no prior experience needed. Learn with confidence in a fun and safe environment. Learn how you learn best, either in the classroom, or by private tuition. Everyone has to start somewhere, you don’t have to know how to dance, to learn how to dance Urban Latino.

 

More on Urban Latino
Bachata | Bolero | Mambo | Merengue | Salsa