Learn how to Belly Dance, move to a hip hop rhythm and many others. Join the modern dance workshop on October 24th. Anyone who is ready to wiggle their hips to popular rhythms and dances can register at the University of Panama the same day of the workshop. Tickets to see the competition are now available at Super Deportes in Albrook Mall, Super Centro El Dorado and Multiplaza in Panama City. They will be sold at $10.00 and if you are interested in the modern dance workshop you can attend for only $30.00. For more information, go to www.glintsartspanama.ning.com. Don’t miss out on this chance to get to know the Panamanian culture through music and dances. We`ll see you there!

In this television show, the contenders are coupled with national and/or international stars to dance and win the chance to fulfill the contestant’s dream. Many different dances are presented throughout the show, such as: mambo, tango, bolero, salsa, samba, hip hop, pop, rumba flamenco, disco, merengue, Reggaeton and many more.

Each couple has a choreographer who trains them all week long until the day of the show. Each season lasts about 8 weeks and each episode are presented among 1 to 3 different rhythms. There was even a special show dedicated to Celia Cruz on the last season of this contest.

As we all know, the dance in Panama has achieved great popularity; reason why contests such as “Bailando por un Sueño” are a total success in our country. There is no doubt that dancing is the biggest form of sensuality, eroticism and expression worldwide.

For more information about this contest in Panama, log into http://www.telemetro.com/bailando

The Bullerengue is maybe one of the dances who puts more emphasizes on the black race culture. The Bullerengue is a ritual dance. This is a special dance that is danced especially when young people have the higher age. The Bullerengue also symbolize women fertility and its music was created for the pregnant women who couldn’t assists to the different dances. The costume is made up of “polleras” or skirts, barefoot women and a flower on their hair.

The American Style bolero is a low Latin ballad, very popular in the United States. Is a unique dance style that is considered a cousin of the Rumba and both dances share many figures. The bolero is usually played in 4/4 time with a slower tempo than that of the Rumba. While Rumba music is very rhythmical, the lyrical Bolero sounds more like a Latin Ballad. It was introduced in the United States some time in the 1930’s and is distinguished by its slow, sweeping, and with romantic motions.

Bolero is one of the five rhythm competition dances in American style ballroom dance competition. The basic step of bolero is a long, sweeping step to the side on the slow beat, followed by a step forward or backward. Because bolero is one of the most beautiful, graceful and romantic dances ever created, it is danced slowly with a romantic music, it gives dancers the opportunity to cling close to their partner and sway or make sensual movements. When dancing bolero, you must have a amount of body control due to the balance required to dance at this slow tempo. Learning the Bolero can be easy and fun.

From all the dances, merengue is the easiest to learn, if you can walk you can dance merengue. One important rule of all Latin dances is “feel the music”, is important to enjoy the music in order to make your movements look natural. The music indicates what to do, just feel the music, because dance is based in listening and moving to the rhythm of the music. Another important rule is the tempo of the music, the tempo indicates dancers how fast or pause they should make the movements, displacements or turns. The tempo is the important component that differentiates merengue from salsa, mambo and other kind of dances. The music tempo is about 120 – 160 beats per minute.

Here in Panama City, Panama merengue is one of the most popular dances and there are many academies where you can go and learn in the different workshops, more of how to do the merengue dance, the important steps and movements such as the position,  the correct posture, and men’s and women’s basic steps. Learning how to dance merengue is a great way to start familiaring with Cuban Motion.

In these workshops we learn 2 different types of style: the Puerto Rican style, the most common when we talk about dancing with a partner and “La Rueda” originally from Cuba. There also is “cha-cha-cha”, that is even more sensual; its basic steps are 1-2-3 cha-cha-cha 5-6-7 cha-cha-cha. The modern salsa has elements of jazz, ballet, hop-hip and reggae.

The workshops are divided in three groups, the basic level, the intermediate level and the advance level.  In the basic level we find amateur people who are learning the basic steps that are, the forward steps 1-2-3 and the backward steps 5-6-7, the displacement and the lateral steps, and people dance alone the classic “rumba”. In the intermediate level people usually put in practice what they have learned in the basic, but here they are going to dance with a partner. In the advance level people learn the different turns, new steps of “rumba”, and also the famous cha-cha-cha.

Salsa dancers can dance on style 1 and on style 2, the difference of the two is that when people dance on 2, the leader steps forward are done with the left foot on count 2 and when we dance on 1, the leader steps forward are done with the left foot on count 1.  Here in Panama when people are learning how to dance, they usually begin dancing on 1 and then they learn how to dance on 2, something they cannot do, is dance 1 and 2 at the same time because then there are not going to be on tempo and when you are not on tempo you are not dancing salsa. In salsa the men are the one in charge of guiding the partner and memorizing the choreography because if it is a contest the women most follow him, he’s  the leader and the women is the one who excel the couple.

Kuna are spirited and vivacious. They have ancient myths and perform exotic dance ceremonies. The dance ceremonies serve as a means of communicating these myths.

These dances are a cultural legacy that has a metamorphic meaning, because during the performance they recreate animal movements, wind, seas and rivers, creating a natural bond between mother and the Kuna people.

At the Dance Kuna we can appreciate a large quantity of musical instruments made of wood, bones, shells and skeletons of marine animals.  Each one of these instruments produces an special sound of percussion, wind, string and brass instrument.

In this culture the most popular dance is called “Chachachá” or “Noga Gope” where six men and six women participate. Each village selects the best dancers, getting them together during an afternoon before new year´s eve to perform in front of the people. Men play the flute or “Kammu Burwi” and women play the “Onassis” or maracas.This dance is taught from generation to generation. It is a high honor to win for their village.

In special events, as the puberty initiation, there are specialized singers known as “Kandures” that sing to welcome adolescent to the adult world and the village´s musicians play the “Tool” another type of flute. The entire village prepares a party to receive the new members of the village, cause from now on, the will be considered as decision making individuals.

Most of these dances have no religious sense but it is part of their culture and they carefully celebrate each one of them. Kunas indigenous are very proud of their own customs, laws, and legislation enabling them to preserve their natural environment and heritage.

Thus, the islands lying within San Blas province are rich in tradition, following their own Dedicated Kuna have managed to start a grassroots movement, known as Project for the Study and Management of Wild Areas of the Kuna Yala (PEMASKY), to help protect endangered species along the Caribbean coast and to prevent outsiders from settling on their land.

Kuna take pride in adorning themselves elaborately. Doing so thru vibrant dress and bright jewelry, including tight strings of beads around their legs and forearms as well as gold rings in the bottom of their noses. Kuna tend to have striking, relatively short figures, on top of having the highest rate in the world for albinism. Kuna also speak with a unique dialect known as Kuna.

The breathtaking scenery and unique indigenous culture encompassing the San Blas Archipelago make it a truly unique place to travel to in Panama. The Kuna have stood up for their beliefs, enabling them to live the life that they believe is best for them. The Kuna and their islands are undoubtedly vibrant, colorful, culturally rich and unforgettably hospitable.

Let`s explore my passion for night clubs, strippers clubs, discotheques, gentlemen club and bar. We will enjoy this process and will definitively learn more about Panama´s night life.