VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — We are coming to the end of Hispanic Heritage Month: a month celebrating Latino culture and heritage. In addition to the language, food, and music, dance makes up a big part of that rich culture.
I went out to Virginia Beach to highlight some professionals sharing their love of Latin dancing with Hampton Roads.
Instructors there said if you’re thinking about trying out some dance classes, don’t be intimidated and just give it a spin!
“I had no idea how to dance, I had, like, zero dance skills,” dance student Shagun Adhikari told me.
Adhikari has been taking dance lessons with Bachata Vida Dance Company for two months.
“It's amazing. It's fun,” he says. “Because I learn new things, new moves, every time I come in here.”
He tells me he used to be a bit stiff.
“When I first started, I was doing robot dance!”
But he’s feeling the rhythm now, thanks in part to his instructors!
“They are not just here to like teach,” Adhikari told me. “They are here to make you feel comfortable, be friendly, be social. They care about you and every time, when you like mess up or do something wrong, they come in [and] they correct you.”
And that might be because they’ve danced a mile or two in their students’ shoes.
“I was the one in the family that couldn't even clap on beat,” said Alvin Bachatero, one of the co-owners and codirectors of Bachata Vida Dance Company. “So, I just never thought I would ever be able to dance. [It's] just something I would never be able to do. And then, here I am.”
“I couldn't dance. I was stiff as a board. Alvin was my first dance instructor actually,” said his partner Helena Bachatera, the other co-owner and codirector of Bachata Vida Dance Company.
Their love of Latin rhythms led them to learn about different types of dances, like salsa and bachata.
“The culture is rich, and the history is really rich of bachata and salsa. And so, especially as non-Hispanic people, we really take it to heart that we honor the tradition and the culture,” Helena told me.
They said along the way, they’ve also learned about themselves.
“It was just the music, the sound, the culture. I grew up with Latino friends. And I was always around them,” said Bachatero. “And so, I decided to take lessons and eventually got better. And I was asked to start teaching. I love helping others and so I just jumped right in.”
“Being able to have that confidence in your own skin and being able to see something and work hard at it and then feel like, 'Yeah, I got it,'” said Bachatera. “That's really exciting to feel that.”
Now celebrating their 6-year anniversary as a dance company, they don’t just teach classes, but they also host dance socials with free dance lessons where people can practice what they’ve learned.
“Going to a class just out of the blue can be very difficult. It's very intimidating. But doing it at like, you know, a restaurant or a party where we're having a free class [and] you can just kind of stand in the back and kind of blend in, is less intimidating, more welcoming for people, I think,” said Bachatero.
It’s why they encourage people to try something new, even if it might make you uncomfortable at first!
“You almost don't have words, like, to really describe the joy that you get from seeing someone... blossom like that. We always liken it to a flower that's about ready to bloom,” said Bachatero. “To see them come and dance [and] not only get better through dance, but also grow as a person, is a really a beautiful thing for us to see."
“Our slogan is, 'Dance makes life better,'” said Bachatera. “And it truly does.”
If you would like to take some classes and get your groove on too, just check out Bachata Vida’s website.
