All the right moves

More and more New Zealanders are discovering the joys - and health benefits - of social Latin dancing.

- JENNIFER LITTLE

In a parallel universe, possibly near you, there's a bar full of couples immersed in ritualised sensual body movements and co-ordinated footwork to percussive music. They may not know each other's names. They change partners to switch between salsa, bachata, kizomba, reggaeton and merengue. No strings attached, no sleaze, no complications. These and other Latin, Afro-Cuban and African social and street dances have been captivating Kiwis from all walks of life. Many have never danced before, let alone close up with a total stranger.

Does a form of foreign street dance offer a different paradigm for how we socialise - something that's long been problematic with our binge-drinking culture and taboos around touching?

"It's a real good feeling," says 64-yearold Brett South, from Whanganui. "You forget about everything else. You're in the moment. Since I've been dancing, my social life has exploded - I've got more and more friends through dancing."

South, who quit hiking as a hobby to pursue salsa dancing 9 years ago, is among the 600 or so enthusiasts at the 18th New Zealand Salsa Congress. Held each King's Birthday Weekend in Wellington, the congress is a highlight in the calendar of Aotearoa's thriving Latin dance scene, which began in the mid-1990s. At that time, Auckland band Kantuta started playing music that stirred the latent Latino souls of a few Kiwis and lured South American migrants onto the dance floor to reconnect with their roots.

The movements are freewheeling yet subtly co-ordinated. It's hard to tell who's leading and who's following. Learned step combinations with head flicks, shoulder rotations and hip-swings are embellished with individual style.

TECHNICAL & SENSUAL