Hey Dancers! This week I fell in love with Latin music all over again. Read below to find out why!

Basics

Class: Latina for Beginners

Studio: The Dance Complex

Teacher: Carolina Sánchez (@coachcaro.latinatribe)

Time: 50 minutes

Category: Teens 16+ and Adults

Cost (Single Class): $22

Background: Latina is an energetic dance fitness class for women that provides a safe space and encourages dancers to feel strong, confident, and empowered. Choreographies are designed to provide full-body workouts and set to trendy Latin music, including pop, hip-hop, and reggaeton (Sánchez, The Dance Complex).

OOTD

I went with comfortable footwear, flare leggings, and a thin and loose long-sleeved top. Many of the dancers dressed similarly, but if I had to do it over, I would have opted for short sleeves. Also, everyone with long hair had it semi or fully up, and you would be wise to do the same because this class will have you breaking a sweat!

Atmosphere & Energy

The class atmosphere is exactly as advertised – fun, energetic, and empowering. Having danced salsa, I was already excited to move to familiar beats, but Carolina’s excited attitude made the class even more revitalizing! She encouraged all 15 of us to smile, express ourselves, and channel our emotions into our movements. She cheered and clapped at the start of each new song and led us in a celebration of Latin music.

But more than that, she empowered us to feel confident in ourselves and our bodies. As the class wound down to an end during our cool down, Carolina asked us to hug our bodies, be grateful for what they let us do, and love them as they are. She even provided a few inspirational words, telling us that whomever we want to be, that person is inside of us, and we can start to bring them out as early as tomorrow.

These may not be original sentiments, but it was touching to be part of a class that not only led us in movement, but also took a moment to acknowledge our relationships with our bodies and inspire us to embrace them.  

Dance Difficulty

While the attitudes of the teacher and dancers are very much beginner friendly, I was surprised that this class was characterized as “for beginners.”

As with every class, we started with a warmup and ended with a cool down. In between, Carolina would teach a short segment of choreography without music and then put on the corresponding song for us to follow her moves. The dance moves themselves weren’t too difficult, and Carolina did a great job explaining how to perform them using different metaphors and demonstrations (“you’re pressing your hands on a wall, and they can’t go through”).

Though we knew how to dance to the specific segment of the choreography she taught, the rest of the dance was a mystery to anyone who was a beginner (she repeats some of the same songs during different classes, so regulars are caught up). To be fair, Carolina clarifies that new dancers won’t know all the steps, and reassures us that it’s okay; I just wasn’t expecting to have that challenge in a class categorized for beginners. I can also see how this is a great strategy to get dancers to attend other classes – the more classes they attend, the more choreography they will know, and the easier it will be to follow along.

In fact, I think another one of Carolina’s classes is more suitable for beginners. Carolina offers two other classes: Latina Power Moves, and Latina Step by Step. Power Moves is 50 minutes of non-stop cardio, with song after song playing and little pause to teach the choreography for each. Step by Step, on the other hand, focuses on a single song for the entirety of the 50-minute class, breaking down the choreography in detail (Sánchez, carodancefitness).

Knowing about all of Carolina’s class options, I think Step by Step sounds the most beginner-friendly and would come in handy when the song learned is later played in the Beginner and Power Moves classes.  

Top Tip

Embrace the opportunity to explore different attitudes and personas in your dancing!

For one dance, Carolina directly requested we put on our “bitch faces,” and she teased not to tell her we didn’t have them, because we must have held the expression at some point when looking in the mirror alone in our rooms. For another dance, Caroline asked for a few volunteers who, toward the end of the song, were to freestyle in the middle of the circle, while everyone else hyped them up.

For some (me included), putting on a sassy persona and freestyling your heart out can be intimidating, but the environment Carolina created was welcoming and supportive, and I think the fact that the class was women only helped us move more freely without fearing scrutiny or judgment.

Awkward

The fact that I only had the opportunity to learn a small part of the choreography for each song led me to trail along somewhat helplessly during the rest of the song. True, choreography did repeat itself, so I caught on eventually, but in general I just prepared myself to not know what I’m doing and be okay with it. Thankfully, that seemed to be the agreed upon attitude among the classmates, and Carolina assured us that we would learn more of the choreography from attending additional classes.

Awesome

Of all the classes I attended, this felt like the most socially welcoming to beginners. Maybe it was the fact that I was the first to enter the room, so I had a minute to talk to Carolina personally, or the fact that Carolina announced that the other dancers were our new sisters at the beginning of class.

Maybe it was my brief conversation with another dancer at the start of class about this being her first time at the studio, or my other quick chat with two dancers about the class as we were leaving. Either way, I felt like the class was about more than just the movements, so if you’re looking to create community through dance, this could be the right class for you!

Final Thoughts

While I was a bit surprised by the pace of a class characterized as for beginners, I had a great time and would definitely go back! The music is energizing, and Carolina fosters a welcoming environment for dancers to feel empowered.

The focus on our attitudes and emotions in this class was refreshing, and indicated that Carolina sees Latina as more than just dance: “It’s a lifestyle that celebrates strength, joy, and self-expression” (Sánchez, The Dance Complex).

If you’re looking for a confidence-boosting dance class led by Latin beats, Latina is for you! Though, if you’re new to the dance world, maybe start with Latina Step by Step.

That’s all for this week! Visit Dance Diaries next Tuesday at 8PM for another diary entry. See you then dancers 😊