When most people think about African dance, the first thing that probably pops in to their head is the image of the so-called ‘tribal dance’, of curvaceous women and topless men shaking their grass –clad booties to the beat of a drum. A quick Google search attests to this fact, with most dance companies that teach African dance focusing on the rhythmic choreography that we often associate with the form. Rarely do we think of the couples dances that are most heavily linked to Europe and Latin America.
Kizomba, a dance that originated in Angola around 40 years ago, couldn’t be further away from this image. Although it derives from the Semba dance of the 1940s, and has roots in the rural areas of Angola or the ‘Museka’. Kizomba, along with Semba and other similar dances, stems from a group of dances known as Umbigada (bellybutton to bellybutton dances). The early colonisation of Angola by Portugal has meant that, unlike many other African countries which mostly have individualistic dances, partner dances are an integral part of the Angolan culture.
Iris de Brito, award winning singer, dancer and choreographer, and founder of Studio Afro-Latino in London, describes it as a ‘fusion between Angolan Semba and French Caribbean music’. The word literally translates as ‘party’ in Kimbundu, which, as Iris wisely points out, is also the translation of the names of many popular dances, such as Rumba.
Kizomba was the first dance that Iris learnt and, although she is trained in ballet, jazz and contemporary dance, Kizomba has always remained close to her heart. In fact her knowledge of Kizomba helped her when learning other dances such as Ballet. ‘When I had to do partner dances in ballet, I was very good at it because I had grown up doing partner dances with my family. I was already used to touching someone and accompanying someone and understanding the balance. Whereas when you’re training in ballet and going to ballet schools, and you start doing your partner work, it’s completely new if you’ve grown up in the West. It’s harder if you’re not used to it. For me it was very normal for me to dance with guy,’ she explains.
The fact that Kizomba is a close partner dance is something that attracts Westerners to the dance. On the flip side, this has resulted in Kizomba being sexualised. ‘In the West, Kizomba has been completely sexualised, which has happened with a lot of Latin and African dances,’ she laments, adding, ‘As soon as something is touchy or close, the first thing that happens is that for people who haven’t grown up with this mentality it becomes sexualised. People want to be doing all kinds of crazy things and call it Kizomba. So now when I teach, my challenge is to teach people that this dance is not sexual. ’
In 2004, Iris opened Studio Afro-Latino to share Kizomba and its accompanying culture with the world. The group have travelled all across Europe, teaching classes and putting on various events. The classes, which she describes as extremely inclusive, attract a wide variety of people from different backgrounds, age groups and walks of life – something that is an integral part of the studio’s objective to reflect the parties that Iris experienced back home in Angola. ‘What I’ve found interesting over the last 5-10 years with this dance,’ she says ‘is that you have ,for example, a lady who is from Australia and nearly 70 and you have people who are 20-something who are at the same party, and everyone is still enjoying it!’
When describing the Wednesday night classes at 229 Portland Street, the word ‘party’ would certainly not be too far off. The class begins with a short warm-up, after which students break off into groups depending on their level of expertise. The dance itself is a medium tempo, male-led partner dance, which, with its fancy footwork, can at first seem somewhat complicated. However, the team at Studio Afro-Latino manage to make even the most reticent of newbies feel at ease. Once class is over, the dance studio transforms into a Kizomba nightclub, where you can put your new moves into practice emboldened by a few drinks.
Studio Afro-Latino doesn’t only teach weekly dance classes. Since 2010 they have put on yearly Afro-Lusodance festival ‘Batuke!’, which features workshops and performances from dancers and musicians. They also make regular appearances at the famous Notting Hill Carnival, reflecting their hopes to make the festival more cultural, Iris says, ‘We want to take our festival to a more cultural place and for people to say if they want to know about Afro-Luso culture , I’m going to Batuke!.’ She also hopes to showcase the little known African Carnival. ‘A lot of people think that African Carnival doesn’t exist – that it’s just in the Caribbean, whereas, in Angola, Carnival is every February and is massive.’
‘Batuke! ‘Festival will be taking place from the August 22nd– August 25th.
Photography by Kaleish Mohammed
