Elisa Cano and Arturo Garcia teach dance in the style of bachata, a genre that originated in the Dominican Republic, to members of the student group Stop Pretending You Can't Dance every Wednesday night. Photo courtesy of Elisa Cano.
“Spiced” can describe a lot of things: a dish, a drink or
even the Wednesday night Latin dance classes at UTD hosted by Stop Pretending
You Can’t Dance, a student group that promotes various music and dance genres
including the widely popular bachata style. Two dance instructors and performers,
who launched and run a local dance studio, partnered with SPYCD to teach
bachata, which originated in the Dominican Republic, at UTD.
Though bachata has its roots in the Caribbean, dancers
today practice the rhythmic style worldwide. Elisa Cano and Arturo Garcia — the
two dance instructors who teach bachata at UTD — met nearly nine years ago at a
concert and said they didn’t know how to dance back then but were drawn in by
the rhythm of the music. After becoming dance partners, they decided to dance
full-time and open their own dance company, Ritmo Sensual Dance Company, or
“Sensual Rhythm.”
SPYCD President and healthcare studies senior Michael
Nguyen said he first took notice of Cano and Garcia at a performance because of
their unique and appealing approach to bachata.
“At Stratos Greek Taverna, one of the performing groups
was Arturo and Elisa, and I really liked the technique of their dance,” Nguyen
said. “They have extensive background in ballroom which they incorporate into
their bachata, which makes them so great.”
Nguyen began taking classes at the performers’ dance
studio before inviting them to teach at UTD in the fall of 2017. Cano and
Garcia taught bachata for two semesters and salsa during another and said they
have been surprised at the motivation of students.
“Usually we work with adults, and it was our first time
with younger people, so for both of us it was a great experience,” Cano said.
“A highlight is that the energy is completely different — the energy everyone
has is great. It’s fun for us — that’s why we really like it and continue with
it.”
Nguyen said he thought the duo would make excellent
instructors when he first invited and that a year later, they’ve lived up to
that expectation.
“They are beginner-friendly, communicative, welcoming and
have an atmosphere (that is) great for college students who are totally new to
dancing,” Nguyen said. “They are approachable and talk to everyone, and they
taught in a way that got beginners to understand the concept and the movement
really quickly.”
Cano said that she and Garcia work full-time training and
teaching dance, but they used to have Wednesdays as their only day off.
“Michael contacted us about teaching on Wednesdays and was
really nice, and we said, ‘Okay, let’s try one semester,’” Cano said. “We don’t
have any days off now, but we really, really like teaching.”
Computer science junior Andres Uriegas, SPYCD’s historian
for the spring 2018 semester, started dancing with the group at the beginning
of his freshman year. He said he loved classic bachata-style music since he
first heard it on his favorite Latin radio station, so learning its
characteristic dance was special for him.
“The dance is more relaxed, not quite as upbeat as swing
dancing or salsa, and you can make it meaningful and pretty, or calm and cool,”
Uriegas said.
Garcia and Cano taught Uriegas more steps throughout the
year, and he said he grew more comfortable every week. The two teachers invited
their class to their dance studio lessons for further dance classes and
encouraged dancers to attend the Dallas Bachata Festival. Uriegas and several
other SPYCD members attended the event in November 2018 to dance and socialize.
“My first year was pretty rough because I wasn’t confident
and only knew a basic step and two turns, but I’ve learned a lot this
semester,” Uriegas said.
Uriegas said Cano and Garcia are quick to notice what
their dancers need.
“A lot of the time people are a little afraid to speak up
about a problem they have, but as teachers they won’t move on until they’ve
helped everyone in the class,” Uriegas said. “They even notice the people who
might be anxious to speak up.”
The dance partners also host social nights — Sensual
Socials — every first Saturday of the month and are currently working on a new
website, clothing line and studio space.
“When you are passionate for something,
if you work hard for it you can get anywhere,” Cano said. “If you are
disciplined and persistent, it doesn’t matter what you do as long as you have
passion.”