Here we have Boni Afronovo, Isabelle Crepin, and Adeline Suedois showing us all how Urban Kiz is done! This dance has a really fun storyline to it and the dancers all work together brilliantly while also showing off their amazing Urban Kiz skills. In this video, you can really see the influence of other dance styles on Urban Kiz, as well as its clear background in Kizomba.
So what are the differences between Urban Kiz and Kizomba? Kizomba is a dance that was designed around the Angolan musical style of the same name. Of course, as times change so does popular music, and Urban Kiz developed as a way of doing Kizomba style dancing to newer forms of music, such as R&B, hip-hop, and ghetto-zouk. It originated in Paris and is sometimes referred to as “the French style” of Kizomba.
More Kizomba videos
Sensuality in Kizomba: Where to Draw the Line?- Kizomba 2.0: Evolution of Personalized Dance Style
- Kizomba Flashmobs: Sharing the Beat with the World
Urban Kiz’s Kizomba roots are obvious, but there are some key differences between the two dance styles.
- You dance further apart from your partner in Urban Kiz. This is to allow for more intricate footwork. In traditional Kizomba, the male leads with their torso, hips, and legs but in Urban Kiz, they lead with their arms.
- Urban Kiz has lots of sudden stops and changes in direction, acrobatic movements, and counterpoint steps. This is quite different from traditional Kizomba which has lots of smooth ground movements.
- Urban Kiz is danced linearly, with movements at perpendicular angles and reverses in direction. Traditional Kizomba is danced in a circle.
- The woman stands more stiffly in Urban Kiz to allow for sudden changes in direction and rhythm. In traditional Kizomba the woman holds herself more loosely.
- Urban Kiz is danced more on the tiptoes whereas, in traditional Kizomba, your whole foot stays on the ground.
Of course, all the different Kizomba styles are great fun to learn, and you will get all sorts of benefits from doing so!
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.
