Kizomba: On African beats!

On a cold Sunday morning, young IT professionals from the city came together for a day-long dance session of Kizomba. This African dance from Angola was taught at a two-day workshop by London-based Nelson Campos who mostly trains professionals. He found it amusing to see not-so-professional dancers pick up the moves swiftly. “I’ve been to India for quite a few times to teach Kizomba but it’s my first time in Hyderabad. The participants here are quick to pick the nuances of the dance,” says Nelson and adds, “Kizomba is a partner dance and many people call it Afro-Tango. It is because the hold and the movement are very similar to Tango but it is a mix of Samba and some other African dance forms.”

Megha Kalya, an IT professional from Accenture, participated in the workshop. “Although I have been learning Salsa and Bachata for quite some time, this is a new and good experience for me. Since it’s a beginner’s workshop, we got to learn only the basics, but I am looking forward to learn it professionally,” she says. Dance enthusiast Rishikesh, who invited Nelson to Hyderabad, adds, “We all have been part of Salsa socials on every weekends. This Kizomba workshop adds more to my passion for dance. For me, making people fall in love with different dance forms is important.”

A day-long workshop in Kizomba can often be exhausting, but one can follow a few tricks to stay enthusiastic throughout. “In Kizomba, trusting the partner is very important, the cues from the partner makes the dance perfect. Both my husband and I are dance enthusiasts and we try to learn new dance forms whenever we can,” says Paarijat Bose, an IT professional from Infosys.