Alex is a Cuban street dancer who dances with the Havana-based Loyal Dance Company. LDC is a dance group under the Planet Records label and performs in music videos and concerts of local reparto artists, as well as at various clubs and other events. In addition to LDC, Alex has taught at dance schools around Havana.
Alex has gained experience in several different dance genres. He is most passionate about different street dance styles such as popping, reggaeton and Cuban reparto, but he also dances Cuban salsa and kizomba.
As a teacher, Alex is thorough and patient while maintaining a relaxed atmosphere. His sunny energy quickly rubs off on others, and there is no shortage of laughter or fun in his classes.
Reggaeton as a musical genre, like the dance, is a fusion of different genres. Reggaeton originated in Puerto Rico, but its roots go back to Jamaica via Panama, where reggae and dancehall originate, and to New York, where hip-hop originates.
In the early days, when people danced to reggaeton at parties, for example, the movement was very hip and middle-body oriented, and was often danced with a partner. As music became more commercialised, so did the dance, and nowadays in dance schools it is known as a solo street dance.
It has no named moves and therefore no precise rules. This allows dancers to express more diverse their background when dancing reggaeton. In Puerto Rico, dancers draw heavily from hip hop, combining a wide range of hip and mid-body movements in their dance. Another characteristic of the genre is the contrast of movement, combining strong and fast accents with a calmer and more fluid movement.
The Cuban equivalent of reggaeton is known as cubato, but many also call it reggaeton cubano. There are subgenres of this music, one of which is reparto.
Reparto originated in the slums and is particularly popular with the lower classes and young people. Reparto is an upbeat style of music with a rhythm based on the clave rhythm of the Cuban rumba, and many of the steps are also based on this rhythm.
Reparto is a movement that is slowly gaining in popularity and has started to spread to other countries. In Peru, in particular, its popularity is currently on the rise.
Schedule
12:00–13:15 Reggaeton (75 min)
13:30–14:45 Reparto (75 min)
Level: open level
Place: Flama Linnankatu (Linnankatu 84, 20100 Turku)
Price: 18 €/workshop
Loyal Dance Company on Instagram
More information about the workshop: info@flama.fi
Registration for Flama’s spring courses is now open! Take advantage of the early bird offer with the code TANSSIKEVÄT and get a 5% discount on all spring courses. The most popular courses fill up quickly, so be sure to register early!
Flama’s spring schedule once again offers a diverse range of dance classes for every taste. Registration for spring courses opens on Tuesday 10.11.—and with the Spring Anytime pass, you can book your places now.
