Partners shift their weight from one foot to the other as they take steps backward and forward, all based on movement below the waistline. Kizomba dance, pronounced kee-zumba, is an African, social partner dance taught in Bloomington by Jess Hayes and Jeff Slone.
Hayes and Slone opened their Kizomba dance club, located at 1101 N. Dunn Street, in June 2016. They call it “Btown Kiz.”
Kizomba was developed in Angola about thirty years ago. It is a new dance form compared to some classical dances like ballet. Hayes first learned of Kizomba in 2013, and Slone learned the dance in California, but both began their love of social dancing through swing dance.
“In social partner dancing, you could do it at any gathering or venue,” Slone said.
This is what makes Kizomba different from swing or ballroom, which are competition based.
Hayes said Bloomington didn’t have a Kizomba scene when she and Slone first moved to the area. They traveled hours away every weekend to find dancing festivals or clubs where Kizomba was popular. They still wanted to bring the Kizomba dance to Bloomington, despite not many people knowing what it was.
“There is always a market for someone wanting to learn how to dance,” Slone said.
Now that their club has been open for nearly 10 months, they have somewhere between 20 and 30 people at their lessons every Wednesday night.
One of these dancers is IU student Andria McHugh.McHugh has been dancing for two years now and said Kizomba is her favorite type of dance.
“I’m more connected to my own body and the beat of the music than I’ve ever been.” McHugh said.
Btown Kiz also throws “House Parties” once a month on the weekends, and they take over the Serendipity martini bar for dance nights.
“It’s a sizeable group to get together and dance,” Hayes said.
On Wednesday nights they teach a progressive lesson at 8 p.m., an open lesson at 8:45 p.m. and a social dancing session at 9:30 p.m. The entrance fee is $5. The classes are beginner-friendly. They go through the basics and then they give people time to practice.
“Anyone can do it,” Slone said. “Kizomba is a very easy dance to learn.”
Slone said that in the United States, most people don’t discover social partner dancing until after high school. She said it can be a great way to have fun and relieve stress.
Slone said that many of their dancers have come from the community, some with a dance background and some without. He said many people just want to learn about the dance. Btown Kiz also has dancers from IU, mostly graduate students and faculty.
“The Kizomba culture is incredible,” McHugh said, “I’ve met people from all around the world.”
McHugh said she has enjoyed getting to know her fellow dancers in the community.
Hayes said they would love to have more IU students join them in learning Kizomba.
“We do this to build a community of people who love to hang out together, love to dance together and love to have fun together.” Slone said.
