I had the pleasure of being on BBC Radio Norfolk for half an hour playing Dance tunes from the dance scene. Although the recording is no longer available on catchup, below are my notes for the show!

Bachata

We start with Bachata today. This is a dance from the Dominican republic which is taking the world by storm. There are multiple different types of it including Dominican bachata and sensual bachata. I am happy to say that myself and my partner Jack from Jack to basics Bachata teach the classes here in Norwich and we have classes for different levels, beginners all the way through to intermediate bachata dancers. We also a host a Latin social party at Last Pub Standing in the city centre every month where you will hear the music we play in a moment. And, every Thursday night we are at Revolution de Cuba enjoying the Latin music there.

Song 1: Yo Mismo La Vi by Luis Vargas – means ‘I saw it myself’ (traditional Dominican)

About the song: Released mid-2001. Is about his wife cheating on him and the grief and pain he is experiencing. A lot of Bachata songs are about either heartbreak or love.

About the Artist: When Luis Vargas began, he was considered to beone of the Dominican Republic’s most popular bachata musicians. He sings and plays his own lead guitar – usually an electric guitar.

Song 2: Blinding lights by Dani J (Modern)

About the song: Really enjoy this one, you can hear the strong metronomic Bachata beat in the background, which makes it a really nice one for new Bachata dancers to dance to

About the Artist: Dani J is from Seville in Spain and he has a lot of Bachata songs, we actually have two on the playlist today. This one and the next one.

Song 3: Entre Tu y Mil Mares by Dani J (Sensual)

About the song: released a few months ago. Translates to ‘Between you and a thousand seas. The song is about a man who is away from him true love and he can’t bare it anymore.

About the artist: Again, a song by Dani J as was the previous one. (Dani J is from Seville in Spain and he has a lot of Bachata songs, we actually have two on the playlist today). This one and the next one.

Kizomba

Kizomba stems from Semba which a dance from Angola, in southern Africa. It’s made it’s way into the UK Latin dance parties, and the dance itself has a lot of rhtymic hip motions.

When you listen to the music, you will hear a strong beat which is the beat we often dance on, and then it might slow down and stop which the dancers will then use to change up their tempo.

Song 4: Danca Kizomba by Stony

About the song: a classic popular Kizomba track, any regular Kizomba dancer would have heard this one.

About the artist: Doesn’t have too much information out there. But her Instagram page looks quite busy, so that’s @stony_musik

Song 5: All of Me by K-Pro, Rico Manual

About the song: This one is a cover you might recognise, the original song is by John Legend.

About the artist: Both K-pro and Rico Manuel does a lot of covers, specialising in Kizomba covers, you can find a lot of these online.

Salsa

Salsa comes from Cuba and is danced everywhere and there are different styles of Salsa, examples would be Cross-body Salsa or Cuban salsa. It’s much more mainstream than Bachata and Kizomba likely due to Strictly Come Dancing, however the other two are catching up!

Song 6: La Rebelion by Joe Arroyo

About the song: The first song I have chosen today is a classic. The kind of song, when it comes on, everyone rushes to grab a partner to get on the dance floor and dance. It’s a classic salsa song, its an old one, it was released in 1985.

About the artist: The artist is Colombian and was considered one of the greatest performers of Caribbean music in his country

Song 7: La Gozadera by Gente de Zona and Marc Anthony

Another crowd pleaser, more modern version of salsa. The song itself is actually a celebration of the countries of Latin America and is about the party, the food and dance which is great!

And we end with a Salsa cover of Adele’s song ‘Hello’ by Mandinga. If you enjoyed the music today, please find me on Instagram @NorwichLatinDance.