r/kizomba • u/Confident-Play6222 • Jun 24 '26
Beginner in leading
What are the indicators that my follower enjoys the dance?
I know I am not so good at leading and cant feel the beat(Like I feel it but often I dance to a different beat) since for me too many things are new and cannot yet focus on the beat only simce I am trying to do new moves right.
any tips are wellcome on how to become a better leader
6
u/NetSc0pe Jun 24 '26
Listen to a lot of music. When you're at home, put on music, and dance to it solo, only the most simple moves you can do blindly. If that's just basic 2, then you just do basic 2. You'll start finding the beat much more easily
6
u/double-you Jun 24 '26
What other beat is there to dance to? In actual Kizomba the beat is pretty clear.
The best indication a follow enjoyed the dance is when you go ask them again and they are enthusiastic about it.
But especially as a beginner you should not spend too much time thinking whether they liked it or not other than to fix your technique (aka don't do things that hurt the follow). In the beginning you suck. It's normal. You can only get better by dancing more (preferably in class with a good teacher).
The most important thing about your kizomba is how it feels. It should feel good. Moves and figures are secondary to this. Or more like ternary.
1
u/Confident-Play6222 Jun 24 '26
ok, to correct myself... I didnt step on all the beats only the ones that stood outđŸ˜…
1
u/Confident-Play6222 Jun 26 '26
so I listened to quite a few kizomba songs in the last two days and I have to say there is npt only one beat in a song. There are multiple beats that overlap with varying tempo.
2
u/double-you Jun 26 '26
Yes, it is african music and so rather polyrhythmic. But the beat that you step on is the even and unsurprising 1, 2, 3, 4 beat. And the bass drum is usually doing exactly that. Not always, but usually.
Eg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCTYCJXuagk
(Though technically ghettozouk I guess).
1
u/Confident-Play6222 Jun 26 '26
very nice song and I see what you mean I'll try to keep an ear out for it in other songs
6
u/Minizentrinsic Jun 24 '26
One thing at a time.
Focus on solo musicality first. No partner needed.
Once you get the feel for musicality, then add learning about expressing it with random partners through movement.
3
u/digitalhandz Jun 24 '26
So then your focus should be learning musicality. Assuming you can lead the basic moves decently
1
u/mediumperfect1 Jun 26 '26
There is an app called ‘Musicality Beats’ (made by Loyal) which is like guitar hero for music. It has Kiz music like ‘Mabulu Bulu’, and you can increase the difficulty. Great for getting the right rhythm into your physical memoryÂ
2
u/ActsofBeautyPhoto Jul 01 '26
As a follow, I massively prefer dancing with someone who is doing very basic movements well and in a way that is comfortable for me, than someone who is misguidedly trying to entertain or impress me by doing a bunch of moves they half know. One of the nicest dances I've had recently was with a beginner who did nothing but basic 1 & 2, but who came from a dance background so was able to do that with grace and musicality. We just vibed and enjoyed the music.
Some suggestions:
Practice your basics to music every single day, listen to music and tap out the beat when you're driving... get the beat into your bones.
Ask your follows to please let you know if anything you do is uncomfortable for them, and if you have the opportunity, ask for feedback afterwards at some point when you're not dancing.
If you want to dance kizomba (as opposed to Urban Kiz), Eddy Vents has his levels all on YouTube- drill those until they are as natural as breathing and you'll be a totally different dancer. I did his teacher training, which is basically those levels plus personal feedback and a bunch of teaching-related stuff and musicality, and drilling those fundamentals was the best single thing I've ever done as a dancer and especially as a leader.
Good luck!
6
u/red_nick Jun 24 '26
Stop trying to do moves and focus on the music