Dance Learning Guides

How can you learn a combination that includes contrasting movement qualities without losing the sequence? Give the order and the connections their own practice time. In the Academy’s Bachata Combo with Flashback and Release, Felipe y Tiago bring flashbacks, contractions and releases into a partnered bachata combination.

What does the class include?

The class includes a breakdown of the combination, including footwork, body movement and styling. It also highlights weight transfers, timing and body isolation as part of understanding the movement. Use the lesson recording for the specific technique explanations and demonstrations.

Learn the sequence in short sections

Choose one small passage and identify the action before and after the movement you want to clarify. Mark the order at a manageable pace before adding more detail. When a transition is uncertain, repeat that connection instead of starting the whole sequence again.

Once the order is familiar, return to the same passage with one focus. You might notice the timing of an arrival or the connection between two actions. Keep each comparison specific enough that you can decide what to check in the recording next.

Keep the partnered task understandable

Agree on roles and discuss which section you are practising. Ask your partner about one concrete moment in the preparation or transition. Use the explanation in the class as your shared reference when the task becomes unclear.

Can you study both roles?

You can revisit a familiar section from leading and following in separate attempts. Each perspective may need a different amount of practice. Agree on any within-dance role switch as a separate task, and keep the pace appropriate to the newer skill for each person.

Take the Flashback and Release class online

Explore the online Academy and membership options to take the full class, or visit the Academy homepage to discover the school.

How can you move from understanding a check-turn to using it within a bachata combination? Practise the preparation and the next transition as well as the turn itself. The Academy’s Bachata Combination with Check-Turns (Contragiros) places this turning technique inside partnered dance material.

What does this class include?

The class includes check-turn technique, hand placement, posture and timing. It also connects the turning material with bachata foundations, partner connection, combinations and styling. Use the class recording to follow the specific explanations and examples for this lesson.

Choose a short section around the turn

Identify the action before the check-turn, the turn and the movement that follows. Practise that small section under similar conditions rather than restarting a long combination each time. When one part remains unclear, return to its explanation and choose a narrower practice task.

The exit deserves its own attention. If you can recall the turn but lose the next step, repeat the connection out of it at a manageable pace. A familiar starting point gives both people a clearer way to compare attempts.

How do leading and following fit into the practice?

Agree on roles and discuss the section you are studying. Ask about a concrete moment in the preparation or transition instead of judging the whole dance at once. When you explore the other role, give that perspective its own practice time and revisit the same explanation as needed.

When should you add styling?

Once the basic task is understandable, choose one movement detail to explore while keeping shared timing and connection clear. If the task becomes difficult to read, return to the demonstrated foundation and clarify the sequence before adding another challenge.

Take the check-turns combination class

Explore the online Academy and membership options to take the full class, or visit the Academy homepage to discover the school.

What can you work on when you keep reaching for the next big combination during a social dance? Begin by making your familiar material easier to recall and use. The Academy’s Bachata Fillers for Socials class offers another practice option when you want to broaden the movement you can return to on the dance floor.

Do you need experience with fillers first?

The class welcomes a range of levels and recommends a basic understanding of bachata fundamentals. It states that previous experience with fillers is not required. Keep that starting point in mind when deciding where the lesson fits into your learning.

Practise an entry and a return

Choose one short section from the class. Study how the demonstrated movement begins and how it connects with the next part of the dance. Then practise the same entry and return several times at a manageable pace. Give the transition attention as well as the central action.

When a section is familiar, try recalling it after a simple basic rather than restarting the whole class sequence every time. Use the recording to check details that remain uncertain. A repeatable starting point makes it easier to compare attempts.

How can you use a small vocabulary purposefully?

Choose a few movements you understand well enough to practise comfortably. Before adding more material, check whether you can recall those ideas, connect them and keep the shared timing clear. Repeating a familiar movement can have a useful place in a dance; each moment does not need a newly remembered figure.

Leading, following and shared choices

Agree on roles and the practice task with your partner. Explore the same section from another role in a separate attempt when you both want to. If a role switch becomes the focus, give that transition its own attention instead of combining several new challenges at once.

Take Bachata Fillers for Socials online

Explore the online Academy and membership options to take the full class, or visit the Academy homepage to discover the school.

How can you study a fluid movement together while keeping the shared task clear? The Academy’s Bachata Partnerwork spirals class introduces spirals within a partnered movement sequence. It gives you a setting in which to explore how an individual action connects with the information exchanged between two dancers.

What does the partner-work class cover?

The class includes spirals and fluid movement as its central technique. Use the recording to study the demonstrated sequence and its explanation before adapting the movement into other combinations. Keep each practice attempt specific enough that both people know which section is being explored.

Study the entry, movement and exit

Choose a short section around one spiral. Identify how the demonstrated action begins, how it continues and how the dancers return to the next part of the sequence. If a transition remains unclear, replay that passage rather than adding more movements to the task.

Practise a manageable section under similar conditions several times. Ask your partner about one concrete moment, such as whether the preparation or return to a familiar step felt understandable. Use that observation to decide which part of the explanation you need to revisit.

Practise leading and following separately

Agree on roles before beginning. Give each role its own practice time, since familiarity with one perspective does not automatically describe your experience in the other. When both people want to exchange roles, restart the same small section as a fresh learning task.

How can solo practice fit alongside this class?

The Academy also has a public introduction to the solo spirals class. Individual movement practice and a shared partner-work exercise can each have a place in your learning. Choose the task that matches the detail you want to study next.

Take the bachata partner-work spirals class

Explore the online Academy and membership options to take the full class, or visit the Academy homepage to discover the school.

What can you practise when both arms need to do different things in a bachata combination? Start by making the task smaller instead of trying to copy the complete shape at once. The Academy’s Bachata Arm Technique Combo brings this coordination challenge into partnerwork, with movement involving the wrists, elbows and shoulders.

What does this class focus on?

The class includes a partnered combination in which the arms have different tasks. It offers a specific sequence for studying arm technique in context. Follow the recording to understand the pathway and timing used in that combination before adapting the idea elsewhere.

Separate the pathways before combining them

Choose a short part of the demonstration and identify what each arm is doing. Mark one pathway, then the other, before trying the combined action at a manageable pace. Return to the explanation when the order or the connection between actions is unclear.

Once the separate pathways are familiar, practise the same short section together. Notice the moment where one action begins while the other continues or finishes. That transition can become a focused practice task without repeating the entire combination every time.

Keep the partner-work task clear

Agree on roles and the section you are practising. Distinguish the shared information needed for the movement from an individual styling choice. If the task becomes difficult to read, return to the demonstrated foundation rather than adding more decoration.

Can you learn the combination from both roles?

You can revisit a familiar sequence from leading and following in separate attempts. Give each perspective its own practice time and ask your partner about one concrete moment. A role change within the dance can be a later exercise when both people agree to explore it.

Take the Bachata Arm Technique Combo class

Explore the online Academy and membership options to take the full class, or visit the Academy homepage to discover the school.

Want to begin your bachata lesson with a guided movement sequence? Tiago’s Land of Lola class is a warm-up for the Academy’s bachata lessons. Its description also highlights movement you may encounter later in choreographies and social combinations.

What is the focus of this warm-up?

The class provides an opening movement session before your main bachata learning task. Follow the recording to become familiar with the sequence, then return to a short passage when an action is new to you. Keep your first goal clear: understand the demonstrated order at a manageable pace.

How can you remember a movement you want to revisit?

Choose one recognisable action from the warm-up and note where it begins and ends. Replay the explanation or demonstration and try the same short connection again. A simple note about its direction or shape can help you find the relevant moment when you return to the class.

If you later recognise a similar idea in a choreography or social combination, compare the actual explanation in that lesson rather than assuming the movement works identically in every context. The preparation and the task may differ.

Build a focused session after the warm-up

Choose one next class before you begin: a short styling phrase, a technique detail or a partner-work exercise. Use the warm-up as the opening of that session, then give the selected lesson its own attention. Finish by noting one detail you want to practise again.

Connect warm-up practice with both dance roles

Movement practice can sit alongside leading and following. Before a partnered task, agree on roles and what you are testing. If role rotation is part of the lesson, give the transition between roles specific practice time instead of adding it unexpectedly to every attempt.

Take the Land of Lola warm-up online

Explore the online Academy and membership options to take the full class, or visit the Academy homepage to discover the school.

A familiar opening can make it easier to begin a planned dance session. In the Academy’s Me Too! warm-up, Tiago leads movement to Me Too by Meghan Trainor as preparation for other classes in the online school.

Where does this class fit into your practice?

The class is presented as a warm-up before your next lesson. Choose the class you want to study afterwards, then use this recording as the opening part of that session. Give your main learning task a clear place after the warm-up rather than choosing a new task every few moments.

What if you do not remember the warm-up?

Follow a short section and keep the movement manageable. If a transition is unfamiliar, replay that part and mark the order before continuing. You do not need to remember the complete routine before beginning to learn from the recording.

When you revisit the warm-up on another day, notice whether the same transition is easier to recall. Familiarity gives you a clear point of comparison, even when the class you study afterwards changes.

How do you keep an online practice session focused?

Decide on one task for the lesson that follows: remembering a phrase, clarifying a transition or comparing the same movement from another role. After the warm-up, open that lesson and give the chosen task a few comparable attempts. Keep a brief note of what you want to revisit next time.

Before partnered practice

If your next class includes a partner, agree on roles and the exercise before starting the shared task. Leading, following and role rotation can each receive focused practice time. A clear agreement makes it easier for both people to understand what the next attempt is meant to explore.

Follow the Me Too warm-up at the Academy

Explore the online Academy and membership options to take the full class, or visit the Academy homepage to discover the school.

If you are looking for another styling combination to study beyond your foundations, the Academy’s Seis Nueve class provides a specific musical reference and a repeatable sequence. Tiago Adegas teaches a bachata styling combination to Seis Nueve by Alejandra Feliz.

Who is this class aimed at?

The class includes the material as intermediate and above. Use that as a guide when deciding where it fits into your current practice. If a passage is unfamiliar, concentrate on a smaller section before trying to match the full combination.

How can you break a styling combination into sections?

Choose a short phrase from the demonstration and identify its beginning, end and direction changes. Practise the order at a manageable pace, then join it to the next phrase. Give the connection between phrases its own repetition if that is where you lose the sequence.

Once you can recall the order, return to the same phrase with a different focus. You could notice the timing of one arrival or the transition between two shapes. Keep the comparison narrow enough that you can describe what changed after an attempt.

What if the complete combination feels too demanding?

Use the recording to review the explanation instead of repeatedly attempting a section that remains unclear. A small, familiar part can be a useful practice task on its own. Return to the full combination when the connections you are studying feel more understandable.

Styling alongside leading and following

A styling class gives you movement material to explore alongside partner-dance practice. When adapting an idea for a shared dance, keep the partner information and timing clear in whichever role you are practising. Agree on a role switch when it is part of your shared exercise.

Study the Seis Nueve class at RoleRotation Academy

Explore the online Academy and membership options to take the full class, or visit the Academy homepage to discover the school.

Looking for a bachata warm-up you can follow before an online lesson? Tiago leads the Academy’s All You Wanna Do! warm-up as preparation for a dance practice session. It gives you a familiar starting point before choosing the technique, choreography or partner-work task you want to study.

What is this warm-up class for?

The class is presented as a bachata warm-up. Use it as the beginning of your practice rather than treating the whole session as a test of how much choreography you remember. Follow the demonstrated movement at a pace and range that feel manageable.

How can you study an unfamiliar movement?

The supplied description mentions video speed controls for looking at movement more slowly. When that option is available in the player, use it to clarify a short passage. You can also pause, watch the same part again and mark the movement before continuing.

Separate understanding the order from matching every detail immediately. Choose one small part that is unfamiliar, identify its starting position and watch how it returns to the next movement. Then try that connection again within the warm-up.

Choose the class that follows your warm-up

Before beginning, decide what your main practice task will be: a movement detail, a short choreography phrase, or a partnered exercise. After the warm-up, give that task its own attention. A clear next step helps you use an online class session purposefully.

Can you use it before practising either role?

You can choose a warm-up as part of the preparation for the learning session you have planned. When the next task includes a partner, agree on leading, following and any role-switching exercise before starting that task. Keep the warm-up and the shared exercise clear as separate parts of your session.

Take the All You Wanna Do warm-up online

Explore the online Academy and membership options to take the full class, or visit the Academy homepage to discover the school.

Learning a dance movement involves more than remembering its outline. It also helps to notice what moves and how the different parts of an action connect. In Anatomy for Dancers, Felipe Ramírez introduces anatomy principles relevant to dance and relates movement awareness to basic actions dancers practise.

What does this class introduce?

The class focuses on frequently used body parts and how they move. It offers a place to study the relationship between an explanation of movement and what you notice while practising it. Use the recording to check the terminology and examples given in the lesson.

How can you approach a theory-based dance class?

Choose one concept from the explanation and write a short reminder in your own words. Return to the demonstrated example before trying to connect that idea to other movements. Keeping the first task narrow makes it easier to notice whether the explanation is clear to you.

During a familiar, comfortable action, observe one detail at a time rather than trying to monitor the whole body. Compare that observation with the explanation in the class, then return to the recording if the relationship remains uncertain.

How does movement awareness relate to partner dancing?

Leading and following each give you information about your own movement and the shared task. When practising with a partner, agree on a simple exercise and discuss what each person notices. Describing a concrete moment is more useful than making a broad judgement about the whole dance.

Where can this fit into your learning?

You can revisit a theory lesson alongside your technique and choreography practice. Choose one relevant idea, explore it with a familiar action and keep a note of anything you want to clarify. You do not need a new combination every time you return to the class.

Take Anatomy for Dancers online

Explore the online Academy and membership options to take the full class, or visit the Academy homepage to discover the school.