Takes two to Kizomba: A boot camp in Mumbai will teach you the close dance form

So you think you can dance? How about for five hours at a stretch? Here’s your chance to find out

With multiple dance workshops being conducted across the city every week, there’s no longer any novelty factor in the day-long salsa, bachata or jive sessions. But Kizomba is not your run-of-the-mill dance form. So, we head to House of Wow in Bandra to meet Swedish artist Kristofer Mencak, one of the proponents of the dance form. This weekend, he will host a five-hour-long boot camp on Kizomba.

Surprisingly, the 41-year-old confesses that he didn’t train to be a dancer. “I have a business degree and I was a marketing professional. But I always enjoyed dancing. In fact, there came a point in my life when I was too tired to do my job. That’s when I decided to quit and make dancing my career,” says Mencak, who also claims to be “the most-travelled dancer in the world”.

Kizomba is different from salsa and bachata, as the couple uses their upper body to lead instead of their hands.

Kizomba originated in Angola, South Africa in the 1980s. The close dance, Mencak says, is different from salsa and bachata, as the couple uses their upper body to lead instead of their hands. Over the years, the performing art spread across Europe, and is now making its way to Asia. “It’s peppy, fast and the beats are easy to love. Besides, it’s an intimate dance. Imagine hugging a person for five hours. Who wouldn’t love such a dance form?” laughs Mencak.

Dancer Kristofer Mencák

Ibox: Kizomba Boot Camp by Kristofer Mencák will be held on December 3, between 2pm and 8pm
At House Of Wow, Bandra (W)
Entry fee: Rs 3,500.

Check if there is web element