African Healing Dance

with Wyoma and the Dancers and Drummers of Damballa

Of my small collection of dance fitness videos, this one is perhaps the most enjoyable. Wyoma must be a brilliant teacher. The programme was recorded in 1997 but it does not look dated in any way. The picture quality, however, is not that great. The whole DVD appears to be little more than a direct transfer of the original VHS tape. But don’t let this spoil your experience.

Also, don’t be confused or annoyed by the word “healing”. No matter what your relationships with African deities are, the dances are guaranteed to make you feel better.

The body teaches. The more you learn about your own natural body rhythms, the healthier you can be.

The workout is fun. It starts with Wyoma teaching some body isolations. Then she proceeds to show — and explain the origin of — the traditional African dance moves: imitation of animals such as snake, elephant, birds; the elements (air, fire, water and earth); and daily routines (picking berries, grinding grains and so on). The warm-up is just the right length and effort level. In the DVD booklet (a nice touch, by the way) it is explained that the warm-up is not traditionally done in Africa as the “dancers there have already spent much of the day walking miles to gather food or water or to attend school, so their muscles are typically loose and ready for the joys of more rigorous movement”. Then we are taught the real African dances.

The African-Caribbean Dances section includes only two dances, both of them are loa dances of Haiti, of Benin origin. I was especially impressed by Yonwalu. On the video, it is danced first at slower pace, with Wyoma breaking down the moves, then at the faster tempo.

The Healing Journey is some sort of free-style dance/meditation:

Bring your curiosity, freedom from judgement, and sense of play to the dance floor... Dance a dream or fantasy, or dance with no thought at all.

Oh, did I mention the open-air setting and live drumming? It’s all there too!

Finally, in the very end of a short cool-down, Wyoma encourages you to take whatever you’ve learned and share it with someone. Isn’t it wonderful?

African Healing Dance

• Dance as a means of healing body, mind, and spirit
• Body Isolations
• Animal-based movement
• Dance based on everyday movements
• Dance based on the four elements
• The warm-up
• Traditional African Dances
  • Sowu — “The Dance of Life” (Ghana)
  • Gbêgbé — Journey to find a new home (The Ivory Coast)
  • Focodoba — Post-initiation basket dance (Guinea)
  • Umoya — Bringing energy from heaven and earth (South Africa)
• African-Caribbean Dances
  • Nago — The warrior dance (Haiti)
  • Yonwalu — Dance for Damballa, the Serpent Deity (Haiti)
• Improvisation: The Healing Journey
• The cool down

The Dancers

• Nii Armah Sowah
• k. osiris wade
• Lisa Wittner

The Drummers

• Clifton Robinson
• Heidi Alina
• Eric Robnett
• Saphyre

A year on Fuerteventura

One year ago this day, I came to live on this island, without much of a clue what I am going to do. By that time, my old job was already fading from memory; not that there was any chance (or desire) to find anything similar on Fuerteventura. On the other hand, I was freshly qualified as a Zumba and Aqua Zumba instructor and, according to the Zumba web site, there were no other instructors on the island. The phase transition from an unemployed scientist to an unemployed fitness instructor was almost complete. Here are a few things that I’ve learned, Zumba-wise:

1. People are not exactly queuing to attend Zumba classes here
2. I can give a 90-minute class of Zumba and stay alive
3. I can give four Zumba classes a week and still stay alive
4. If nobody turns up for the class, it is not the end of the world. The beach is nearby
5. It is unlikely that Zumba classes will pay my bills

Is one year a long time? Not really. Not on Fuerteventura anyway. Things do not happen fast on la Isla Tranquila, and if they did, it won’t be la Isla Tranquila any longer. With or without Zumba, I’m here to stay.

Now he raps too

I will be honest with you: I’ve seen worse than ZIN 39. Sure, the music is, to put it mildly, not the best — and not very diverse, even by Zumba standards. (Do we need that much electro merengue?) The only happy exception is Indian Moonshine, where I liked both live class and one-on-one versions. But it is nice to see Beto in good form and enthusiastic about the whole thing again, perhaps for the first time since ZIN 33 (and that was published a year ago! Incidentally, that was the first ZIN volume I have received, and the most last useful one.)

I like the new one-on-one format, presented here by ZES Steve Boedt. The breakdown of steps now goes on top of (rather than before) the demonstration. On the other hand, after hearing it once, you may want to switch the commentary off — and you can!

There are three bonus videos on the DVD: Baila mi Son by Ensamble, Crazy Love featuring Mara and not particularly good rap from Beto, and Sweet Girl by Zumba Fitness. (For the last time: there is no such artist as Zumba Fitness. Why would anybody call oneself after a fitness company?) As is the case with most of bonus material, it is completely disposable.

Song List

1. Pégate Más – Electro Merengue *
2. Sweet Girl – Merengue House ◊
3. Baila mi Son – Salsa – by Ensamble
4. El Rey – Cumbia *
5. El Jefe — Latin Hip-Hop *
6. Ella me Copia – Techno Bachata / Rumba Flamenca ◊
7. Indian Moonshine – Bhangra Folk Fusion ◊
8. Party Rock Anthem – Electro House *
9. Dueño de Nada – Urban Merengue – by Mara
10. Crazy Love – Electro Merengue – by Mara

* Covers
◊ Zumba Fitness originals

Big Dance Video and MegaMix 29

OK people, if you haven’t seen it already... you didn’t miss much. Here’s the official top secret song and Zumba^® choreography for the UK Big Dance Week 2012: Es Tiempo De Bailar. Why did they make this video “unlisted”, I know not. The song is thoroughly boring (at just over four minutes, sounds like eternity to me), the choreography... As Beto didn’t even break a sweat (see, his top is still on), I figure he is dead bored too. Big yawn.

As for MegaMix 29: actually, on the second listening, it’s not as bad as the previous compilation. (Then again, should one even attempt to replicate that?) It is worth keeping for De Una Vez Gozando by Sonora Carruseles alone. Then I really liked the cover of Gabriel Romero’s La Subienda. But the rest?

Merengue El Pollo is one of those patience-testing songs: they really should try and change a chord once in a while. Reggaeton Latino may have been Don Omar’s major hit back in 2005. Now it sounds terribly dated. Frankly, it never was that good in the first place. And, with all respect to Dido, what Thank You has to do with Zumba? (Just checking, I know the answer. Zumba wants to become even more mainstream by catering for those who does not listen to Latin, African or Asian music... basically anything that is not sung in English.)

Song List

1. Anderlecht Champion (Euro 2000 Olé Olé Olé mix) — Warm Up — by Eurostars
2. El Pollo — Merengue — by Amarfis y la Banda de Atakke
3. Mete Bronca — Axé — by Ceceu Muniz
4. La Subienda — Cumbia *
5. Hybrid — Caribbean Hip-Hop — by K-liber4life
6. El Party — Merengue House — by Proyecto Uno
7. Reggaeton Latino — Reggaeton — by Don Omar
8. De Una Vez Gozando — Salsa — by Sonora Carruseles
9. The Sign — Pop *
10. Thank You — Cool Down *

* Covers

Zumba, as seen in Gran Hermano

Where is everybody? I mean, everybody? OK, let’s see, there was Semana Santa, then Feria de Abril, then Día del trabajo... But that’s it. Is it? There were very few people attending recently. And when I say very few, I really mean very few. You know that even if just one person turns up, I give a class. During the last two weeks, three classes were cancelled. Not a good sign.

If you remember, two months ago I did my first fundraising Zumba class in CEIP “Antoñito El Farero”. Which I thought was a success: local people were talking (at last!) about Zumba. So I did expect a little bit more turnout for our second Zumba event on 7 May 2012. Obviously I was wrong. Maybe it was too short a notice, but there were far less people yesterday.

Could it be that everybody was watching Gran Hermano instead? For some time, my fellow Spanish Zumba instructors were discussing Zumba being promoted on The Big Brother. Personally I do not subscribe to a view that every publicity is good publicity. Zumba, “as seen in Gran Hermano”? If I never heard about Zumba, I would probably say “no, thank you”.

Still, I got my endorphins going wherever they go, couple of new songs were learned for the occasion, and there were children who apparently enjoyed Zumba too (especially the fact that some of them got to wear hip scarves). Tamara did two songs with me, Hecha Pa’lante and La Gota Fría. All in all, I think it was not a bad class.

Song List

1. Mbube — Warm-Up (1) — African song — by Miriam Makeba
2. Samba De Janeiro — Warm-Up (2) — Samba Dance
3. Chillin’ — Merengue
4. Vivre — Salsa — by Zap Mama
5. Alegria Pa Zumbar — Samba
6. Busamba — Salsa / Cha-cha-chá
7. La Peinada — Quebradita
8. Hecha Pa’lante — Bellydance
9. La Gota Fría — Cumbia
10. Hindu Cumen — Indian Fusion / Cha-cha-chá
11. Mambo — Rumba Flamenca — by Bandoleros
12. Caipirinha — Brazilian Dance / Bellydance
13. Aña Pa’ Mi Tambor — Salsa — by La Excelencia
14. Zorba — Sirtaki
15. Vuelvo al sur — Cool-Down — Tango — by Gotan Project

Aqua Zumba Vol. 7

This is the fourth and probably the last Aqua Zumba CD/DVD set I am getting (and therefore reviewing). I suppose I still will be able to purchase the follow-ups but frankly I don’t see why I should.

Music: not especially bad, but nothing remarkable. I heard Hola my Friend already on MegaMix 25 (although there it was called “Pacific Rhythm” rather than “Polynesian Rhythm”, even though it sounds like calypso to me). And of course, Daler Mehndi’s bhangra is always a welcome addition to the usual merengue/salsa/cumbia/reggaeton programme.

The choreo... once again, not bad, but nothing to write home about. Also, I have nothing against using the bench, but hanging on the frame looks like an extravagance I can live without.

Song List

1. La Mujere Quieren Más — Merengue *
2. Cumbia de mi Tierra — Cumbia *
3. La Extranjera — Reggaeton — by K.L.C. Clave Cubana
4. A Gozar Timbero — Timba / Cha-cha-chá *
5. Hola my Friend — Polynesian Rhythm ◊
6. Tú Tienes — Merengue *
7. Me Enamoro de su Piel — Cumbia — by Periko
8. Oxígeno — Salsa *
9. Ho Jayegi Balle Balle — Dance / Bollywood — by Daler Mehndi

* Covers
◊ Zumba Fitness originals

Wish you weren’t here

The brand new ZIN newsletter (April 2012) says:

First Zumba^® Instructor Conference Is a Worldwide Hit!

Top-notch media from all over the world traveled to London, England in February to visit the first-ever Zumba^® Instructor Conference. Reporters were blown away by the passion and off-the-charts energy of our instructors.

And what could be the best way to commemorate this historic event? Two scenarios spring to mind.

• The truly cunning: to present the highlights of the Conference in such a way that anybody (both attendees and those who did not find either time or money to go there) would not just think that it was half grand well spent, but also ready to part with such (or larger) sum come the next conference.
• The really nice: to give back something useful to ZINs whose hard-earned cash made this conference possible in the first place. (But frankly, I wouldn’t put much money on it).

Guess what? Neither of these. Instead, we are sent just another £@€%!#$ CD/DVD set.

On ZIN 38, the music keeps hitting new lows, what with annoying trademarking, imaginative lyrics like “Dancing the salsa, Zumba te llama” (Dancing Salsa), misinformation (Zumba Time!! is not a calypso) and even a house song. And did anyone notice the small print on the disc:

All songs PPL & PPCA free except track #6.

That’s new. I just checked all ZIN CDs and DVDs I have: none of them has exceptions like this. I don’t care much about Pitbull’s song but this sets an unpleasant precedent. After all, thousands of instructors are using Zumba’s covers or even so-called “originals” instead of the real thing precisely because they are free to use without paying additional licenses.

On DVD: another masterclass by Beto, no better (to put it mildly) than Beto’s classes from the times when ZIN volume numbers were in their twenties and the man himself still did care about stuff. The choreography is rather tired, with the only exception of The Trip. Wait a minute. Is this really Beto or his avatar from Zumba Fitness Rush?

Another novelty is that there are three different instructors in one-on-one class, each presenting three songs. This may be not a bad thing, considering that you are bound to dislike at least one of them. As an icing on the cake, we are reminded that we are not supposed to break down the steps for the class. Nice.

Song List

1. Bunda — Merengue — by Watatah
2. Dancing Salsa — Salsa ◊
3. The Trip — Arabian Reggaeton *
4. Loco — Cumbia ◊
5. Eva Maria — Quebradita *
6. Hey Baby (Drop It to the Floor) — Hip House — by Pitbull feat T-Pain
7. Zumba Time!! — Calypso — by Watatah
8. Balans — Caribbean Hip-Hop — by K-Liber4life
9. Stereo Love — House *

* Covers
◊ Zumba Fitness originals