Each of these 7 INSANELY great dancers brings a unique flair to their dance style (focusing on Latin and Hip Hop here!). Let’s take a look and see what we can learn from each of them. Be prepared to have your mind blown and be wildly inspired!
1. Joanna Leunis - International Latin
Joanna Leunis is undeniably one of the most incredible dancers in the International Latin style. Why? Because most dancers are remembered or admired for one skill, but with her, there are so many!
Who is the fastest dancer (guy or girl) on the dance floor? Joanna. Who is the most flexible girl on the dance floor? Joanna. Who is the most precise girl on the dance floor? Joanna. Who does the most intricate and creative choreography? Joanna.
What we can learn from Joanna:
Embrace your uniqueness and be a perfectionist at honing the particular skills you want to be good at.
2 & 3. Les Twins - New Style Hip Hop
Perhaps you have the same question as I had: “Are they really twins?” or “Am I just bad at telling people apart?” Well, having met them in-person, I can confirm that they are identical twins!
What I love the most about this duo is their musicality, ability to play off each other, and also the personalities that they bring onto the dance floor. Sometimes they are mischievous, sometimes fierce, sometimes cheesy, sometimes sexy, sometimes badass. But it all works because it’s sincere. The commitment to everything they do, that’s what makes them such great dancers!
What we can learn from Les Twins:
Be reactive and in the moment with the music. Importantly, pay attention to your partner.
4. Yana Kremneva - Bellydancing/ Popping Fusion
You know it! She made everyone who watch this video go: “I wanna learn Belly-dancing!” The way she has combined the popping/waving styles with her belly/tribal dance style is so fluid and natural. If you think about it, combining these 2 styles is really a no-brainer, because both utilize isolations as the foundational movement, but in different areas of the body. Still, it’s sooo cool and sexy! Don’t you think?
What we can learn from Yana:
Borrow concepts from something else that you like to do, and incorporate it into your dance style. You may surprise yourself in how creative that can make you!
5. Miriam Larici - Argentine Tango
I first saw Miriam perform live back in mid 2000 and I still remember being just blown away by all that flicking and effortless lifts. It was Argentine Tango on a different planet and with steroids! I have never quite taken an interest in Argentine Tango because it never quite seems exciting to me, but I guess I just hadn’t seen her version yet. Even the simple moves look amazing on her. Woozies!
What we can learn from Miriam:
Making simple actions look good. That’s the magic sauce!
6. Lexy Panterra - Twerking
If you are asking: WHY??? I simply have to ask you: “WHY NOT?” 😉
If you have never tried it, twerking is amazingly tough! Yes – even for me! It’s crazy isolations, not just about the tush, but the back, the abs, the quads, thighs etc. Now, if you think figure 8s in Latin dancing are hard… did you see her butt circling action in the video??
What we can learn from Lexy:
Do one style and do it damn well! Enough said.
7. Karen Forcano - Salsa
Having seen so much great dancing, it’s not easy to impress my now-somewhat-snobbish expectations of “Great”. The first time I saw Karen dance, I remember her doing a particular flip that made me go “WOW”! Not only are the tricks difficult, but they are also wildly innovative. Lots of times, I’ll see dance tricks in partner dancing that have been “popularized” – meaning that they are often done. With this couple, every routine seems to have something I’ve never seen before. It takes crazy trust in your partner to perform acts like that, so hats off! Of course, credit also goes to her partner. What a pair of insanely great dancers. It’s always exciting to see what they come up with next. You can follow them here on Facebook.com/KarenForcanoyRicardoVega/
What we can learn from Karen:
Instead of learning tricks that others have already done, experiment with coming up with your own creations. Make others say “WOW” instead of “I’ve seen that before”.
Honorary Mentions
Fikshun - Hip Hop
Benji Schwimmer - West Coast Swing
Derek Hough - Latin/ Contemporary
When Derek was young, his mother said to him: “I don’t care what you do… you can be a garbageman, a mechanic, a plumber… whatever it is, just be the best at it!” I’m certainly glad that he ended up picking dance, instead of any of those professions. Not only is Derek a veteran on American’s Dancing with the Stars, he is now also a judge along with J.Low and Neyo on “World of Dance”. Follow Derek Hough on Instagram
Who is on YOUR list of INSANELY GREAT dancers?
Leave us a message below and share with our community, so we can all check them out!
Comments