Description
What if I can’t participate every week?
Absences from classes can be made up during the same term in any other class or drop-in session. This way, no dance session will be wasted! Read more.
What should I bring with me?
Wear comfortable clothing that allows you to move freely and feel good.
You can dance in indoor sneakers, dance shoes, or socks. Also take a water bottle with you and remember to drink enough after class.
Couple Bachata
Bachata is a sensual and emotional dance and music style that originally comes from the Dominican Republic. Today, bachata is an extremely popular dance with several different styles, including traditional Dominican bachata, sensual bachata, bachata moderna, and bachata fusion, which combines different styles. In bachata classes, you will learn bachata step variations and footwork technique, body movement, styling, and musicality.
Couple bachata is a social dance, which means it is danced freely with different partners without pre-set choreography. In class, you learn the skills of leading and following and that is, how dancers communicate through movement: the leader guides the dance using subtle body movements and hand signals, and the follower responds to them naturally. This allows for improvisation, being present in the moment, and dancing with anyone – even if you have never practiced together before. In bachata classes, you don’t just learn patterns; you also learn proper technique for executing movements and receive tips for social dancing.
The sensual bachata style taught in this course originated in Cádiz, Spain, and its development is commonly attributed to Korke Escalona and Judith Cordero. Sensual bachata emphasizes sensuality, flowing body movements, and a close, connected partnership. Characteristic movements include body rolls, head rolls, and various dips.
Pinja Simola
Pinja has danced a wide range of different dance styles since childhood, but ultimately bachata captured her heart. She has dedicated herself to studying bachata and developing her skills by actively training with world-class bachata dancers abroad.
Since 2015, Pinja has been working as an independent dance and group exercise instructor throughout Finland and has visited several events and festivals abroad to teach. Pinja currently teaches dance regularly in Helsinki, Turku, and Kouvola.
In her classes, Pinja emphasizes the importance of understanding the right technique and the safety of movements, while of course not forgetting good rhythm and a joyful atmosphere either. As a trained physiotherapist, Pinja wants to focus on natural and healthy movement in her teaching.
Love for bachata and the music itself has led Pinja to also work as a bachata DJ both in her home country and occasionally outside of Finland. Over the years, Pinja has organized several dance events in the capital region, the most well-known project being the collaborative event Helsinki Bachata Blast.
More information about the course: info@flama.fi


