What is..
The Style Your Dancing?
Semba is like Kizomba a dance originated from Africa, a rhythmic dance, with a variety of tempos created in the 1970’s, together with the influence of European and traditional African dance. It’s energetic rhythm is one of the main contributors to the kizomba dance. In Angola semba was played by bands, at mostly social events.
Semba is sometimes confused with Brazilian samba, since their names are so similar. People say the word ‘semba’ comes from “massemba” what means “a touch of the bellies” (a touch of the stomachs)– one of the most recognizable movements in the semba and kizomba dance.
Semba is a danced based on walking. The dance has a range of tempos, from a slow and relaxing tempo to fast and energetic movements. The dance can be both linear or circular, depending on the dancers creativity.
The position of the hands is similar to ballroom dancing, the men lean forward or bend slightly to the back at the waist, and ladies bend their knees a little during the dance.
semba is not only a very energetic dance, but also a very playful one. with fun tricks to get the ladies they are dancing with, or the dancers standing on the side laughing.
Kizomba is a dance that like Semba originated from Africa.
Kizomba the dance derived from Semba. the meaning of kizomba is “Party” in Kimbundu, an Angolan language.
Kizomba is just a different way of semba interpretation on zouk music.
Kizomba is a close partner dance, that is being danced in a circular motion, and the connection is like semba a ballroom arm hold, with a connection with the stomach.
One of the most common technical steps in kizomba, is the saida, that means “exit” that is performed by either the man or the lady stepping to the side of their dancing line.
The evolution of the kizomba dance is constantly changing, as every person around the world interprets music in there own way with input of their own dance backgrounds, what results in many different styles with their own technics that derive from Kizomba.
Some styles are easy for one to learn, then others.
Kizomba is a close sensual connected dance, that’s often confused with a sexual dance, that it is not.
Urban Kiz is a couple dance that derived from Kizomba, and is danced in a linear motion.
According to the rules, Urban Kiz is every so called style that is been danced in the kizomba scene, that is “NOT” the traditional way of dancing. So the (French Style, Kizomba 2.0, Urban Kizomba, New Style Kizomba, Kizomba Fusion etc) all fall under the Urban Kiz style.
The result of all these changes of the kizomba dance, is that every person around the world will feel inspired and add there own dance background and creativity into their dance, what result in even more Urban Kiz styles.
The Urban Kiz dance has been around for a while, but the name Urban kiz was created in 2015. The dance style was influenced by the Ghetto zouk music together with remixes from R&B, Rap, and Hip Hop music.
These days the new dance is still called Kizomba although it changed from the original Kizomba. And after lots of fighting between the semba, kizomba and urban kiz dancers and teachers. Some of the most influential dancers and teachers decided to give the new style another name. so in 2015 the new name Urban Kiz was born and publicly announced on Facebook in a live video. “Urban” stands for the RnB or Ghetto Zouk music it was danced to, and “Kiz” stands for the influence of Kizomba.
Some of the main differences between Kizomba and Urban Kiz are:
-The distance between partners, with no chest connection in Urban Kiz. as in the chest to chest connection with Kizomba.
-Urban Kiz is being dance in a linear motion, as in a circular motion in Kizomba. to be compared as Salsa LA style (linear) and Salsa Cuban (circular)
-The music of Urban Kiz is more R&B and Hip Hop like, with breaks in the music, as more in a flowing motion in Kizomba.
Dancers dancing Urban Kiz have a more stiff movement as to a more flowy movement when dancing kizomba.
The Urban Kiz Music can also be slower with many dynamic changes from slow transitions, accelerations and breaks during the song.
More styles like Conpa, Taraxxa and Taraxxo coming soon!