Today’s video features Ben and Ana dancing Kizomba to Stezy Zimmer’s and Tal’or Gasy’s “The One”. To the untrained eye, it looks like they’re just dancing the tango in a less intense and softer way to contemporary music, but Kizomba is actually an African dance, with a strong Angolan influence.
Kizomba is both a musical genre and a dance genre that originated in Angola, Africa in 1984. It means “party” in Kimbundu, a language spoken by the Ambundu in Angola. As a music genre, its roots are traced to 1970s Africa. It features a slower, more romantic, and more sensual rhythm than the traditional Angolan music, Semba. It’s a fusion of Semba, Kilapanga, Angolan Merengue, and other Angolan music influences, slowing the cadence of songs down and adding a strong bass line to their composition.
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As a dance genre, its roots are traced to the 1950s Angolan Semba. As Kizomba music became more popular in the 1990s, Angolan Semba dancers adapted their Semba steps to the slower tempo of the Kizomba music beats, so the Kizomba dance emerged.
It is a couple dance, where the body and the man guides the woman across the floor with his right arm across the floor. The goal is perfectly synchronize as a couple through their smooth body movements, elegant footwork, and an attitude called Ginga for women and Banga for men.
Later on, as the kizomba dance was adopted in many parts of the world, it was mixed with other dance styles like acrobatics, hip-hop, lambazouk, latin, and tango, creating subcategories like Urban Kiz, Urban Kiz Sensual, Urban Kiz Tango, and Kizomba Fusion.
Dancing the kizomba is quite intricate. It is danced in a closed frame, with the bodies of the dancers often in close contact with each other. The basic step is not symmetrical; what the right and the left foot do are not mirrors of each other. It’s also a walking dance, where you have to lift your foot fully before you step on the floor. It is best to learn kizomba correctly from a good kizomba dance instructor.
Dance Life Map helps you find a kizomba dance class nearest you here.
If you liked this article, feel free to share it with your friends! As online learning becomes more popular, we’ve added a new section for online dance classes. Online classes are a fun and easy way to learn dance from the comfort of your home. You can take lessons from world-class teachers, practice at your own pace, and it’s super affordable too! Online dance classes are just great if you want to get moving and learn new dance styles, check it out.
