Social Tuesdays: Salsa Bachata Kizomba Zouk (SBKZ) Latin Dance Night

Key Information:

• Date: Tuesdays, 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm
• Location: 11508 Jasper Ave
• Cost: 🎟️ $10 lesson | 🎓 $5 for students (online) | FREE social after class (open to all, just grab a food/drink item!)

Instructors: Irina Feldesh and Kevin Trieu

LOCATION

Social Tuesdays SBK Latin Dance Night is moving to EVO!

• 📍 11508 Jasper Ave, Edmonton, AB
• 🗓 Grand Opening: Tuesday, May 6

OTHER EVENTS

For information on other Salsa, Bachata, Kizomba, and/or Brazilian Zouk events in Edmonton, see the YEG DancerFacebook Page,Instagram Page,Facebook Group, orMeetup Group.

FAQ

Who is the intended audience for this event?

Do you love dancing and/or Latin music? Are you ready to meet new people and be part of a welcoming community that celebrates diversity? Then this is the night for you!

New to partner dancing? No worries! Just ask us to show you the basics of Salsa, Bachata, Kizomba, and/or Brazilian Zouk.

Don’t have a partner? No problem! We typically rotate throughout the night in both the dance lessons and social dancing with many dancers coming alone. Let your partner know you are a beginner and we will make sure you come away with a positive experience.

Can you tell me more about these dances?

SALSA

Salsa is a partner dance with roots in Latin and African cultures. There are many different styles of Salsa being danced around the world with the most popular style in Edmonton being LA Style (On1) Salsa. It is by far the most energetic of the social dances and is highly popular in Latin American countries.

BACHATA

Bachata is a partner dance and musical genre that originated in the Dominican Republic. Over the years, Bachata has evolved into many different sub-styles which fuse elements from Salsa, Brazilian Zouk, Tango, Ballroom, and/or Hip Hop. While Traditional Bachata continues to be danced around the world, the most popular style in Edmonton is Modern Bachata with Sensual Bachata slowly gaining popularity.

KIZOMBA

Kizomba is a partner dance and musical genre that originated in Angola. This dance style is derived from another style called Semba and has also spawned many other styles within the Kizomba dance umbrella, including UrbanKiz.

In recent years, UrbanKiz has become increasingly popular around the world and is now a staple at most Latin dance socials in our city, so knowing the basics of this dance will ensure you can dance all night long.

BRAZILIAN ZOUK

Brazilian Zouk is a Latin dance that began in Brazil during the early 1990s. It originated from a Brazilian dance called Lambada with influences from other Brazilian dance styles (Samba, Forro, and Bolero to name a few).

With the emergence of Sensual Bachata, which is a style that fuses Brazilian Zouk movement elements with Bachata, there has been a renewed interest in learning the fundamentals of Brazilian Zouk to ensure those movements are executed safely/comfortably.

What is this event like?

Every Tuesday, we will have a beginner friendly Latin dance lesson with an experienced instructor on-site to help those new to partner dancing. Periodically, we will feature guest instructors for special workshops (included in your cover), so don’t miss these unique opportunities to learn from a variety of professionals.

Following the dance classes, we will have a Salsa, Bachata, Kizomba, and Zouk (SBKZ) afterparty where you can apply your newfound skills. We will play a mix of Sensual Bachata, Modern Bachata, Traditional Bachata.

What are the expectations from the venue?

Our ability to book premium, centrally located dance venues, depends entirely on whether attendees support the venue with food/drink sales. It is usually recommended to have a minimum $15 per person spend. We have heard from our regulars that food/drink at dance events is an important component for our Tuesday dance nights, so please help us provide you with the best experience by planning to have dinner/drinks on site.

Do I need to bring a partner?

We rotate partners throughout the dance class and the social dancing portion, so we have lots of singles that come out to the events and you do not need to come with a partner. These events are great for both meeting new people as well as a date night.

If you do come with a partner, you have the option not to rotate, though we highly recommend that you do to fully take advantage of the social aspect of the event as well as to enhance your learning experience during the dance classes.

What should I wear?

You can choose to dress up or not, but make sure what you wear is comfortable enough to dance in (not too tight, not too short, not too warm, allows you to move your arms, hips, torso, and rest of the body easily, not a tripping hazard, etc.).

Latin Dance shoes are recommended, but not required. Any clean pair of shoes that is comfortable and not grippy on the floor will work (dress shoes, Fuego sneakers, Taygra sneakers, leather soled ballet flats, suede soled jazz shoes, Toms, etc.).

Note that some workshops, such as any of the hip-hop styles, may be more comfortable to dance in flat soled shoes, so it’s a good idea to either bring a pair or check with us beforehand.

We recommend bringing a pair of clean indoor shoes for dancing during the winter months as the dirt/snow/rocks from the outdoors can wreak havoc on other dancer’s suede soled shoes.

Is there anything else I should know?

While we encourage everyone to arrive early, especially if you wish to participate in the dance lessons, dancers are welcome to join the dance class and social dancing portion of the night as they arrive. This is a safe space, so do as much or as little as you are able — no judgment.

Anyone can lead and anyone can follow, all we ask for is that you stay in your chosen role for the duration of the dance class to ensure you don’t miss important details and assist in maintaining order during partner rotations. During the social dancing portion, dancers are welcome to switch between the lead and follow roles, but make sure you are clear with your partner regarding which role each will have during a specific song as only one of you can lead at any given time.

Rotating partners is highly beneficial to both leads and follows, however, if you arrived with a partner and wish not to rotate during the dance lesson/workshop, simply let the instructors know at the start of the class.