Bachata Partnering Workshop

Irina Feldesh and Kevin Trieu will be teaching a special Bachata Partnerwork series, Nov 29th to Dec 20th, 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm at Station on Jasper.

Irina officially started her dance journey at the age of 10 years old in International Ballroom (Standard and Latin) and continues to train in these styles to this day. As part of her partner dance training over the years, Irina cross trained in a variety of partner and non-partner dances including Salsa, Bachata, Kizomba, Brazilian Zouk, Latin Hustle, Hip Hop, Heels, Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, and many others. Irina is known for her role as a community builder and loves sharing her passion with newcomers to partner dancing. A primary follow who also leads, Irina brings a unique perspective to her teaching and is a vocal advocate for training in the foundation of each dance. Her main goal as an instructor is for her students to understand not only the "what" we are dancing, but also the "why" we are dancing to ensure they are taught when to use the content in a real world social dancing scenario.

Kevin has experience both social dancing and teaching International Ballroom (Standard and Latin), Bachata, and Salsa. A primary lead who also follows, he is known for his sense of humour and versatility as an instructor, allowing him to adjust to the needs of his students.

Both Irina and Kevin have a growth mindset, continuing to train with local, national, and international artists in the dances they teach as well as related disciplines, so that they can keep bringing new methodologies to enrich their students’ learning.

Bachata originates from the Dominican Republic with Traditional Bachata being the original dance style. Traditional Bachata can be danced in close embrace, half-open, or fully open positions. The Traditional Bachata style aims to create harmony between the footwork done by the dancers and the musical instruments which is why it continues to be popular with dancers who study Bachata’s history. Over the years, Bachata has evolved into many different sub-styles which fuse elements from Salsa, Brazilian Zouk, Tango, Ballroom, and/or Hip Hop. However, despite the fusion, many current Bachata musical arrangements include what we often refer to as the “mambo section” of the song where the energy picks up and dancers can utilize Traditional Bachata footwork to add flair to their partner work while enhancing musicality.

The series will be progressive, including elements from Traditional Bachata, Modern Bachata, and Sensual Bachata. Two tacos will be included with your registration (redeemable each week after class). The class series is beginner friendly, however, we will have content and technique for everyone that has previously taken Bachata partnering classes.

Your registration will also include entry to the SBK and Taco Tuesday event held afterwards (7:30 pm to midnight) which includes a Kizomba Lesson, Guest Instructor Workshops, and SBK Social Dancing. Feel free to contact Irina Feldesh via Eventbrite if you have any questions.