Anna Kan is a bachata dancer who is no stranger to being in a cultural minority at dance events. In her open and welcoming way, Anna offers us a window into her rich cultural background and talks us through her bachata journey, including how it felt when she met her local east/southeast Asian bachata teacher, as well as experiencing places where other people of her culture see bachata dancing as the norm.
Shout out to Melody Wills of Bristol and Pierre Henry of London for the inspiration they have provided Anna and so many others in their dancing journeys.
What to expect in this episode:
(01:08) - Connecting to bachata through the music
(02:25) - Anna’s asian cultural experience + dance
(05:02) - Bachata from a vulgar perspective?
(07:08) - My teacher in Bristol is also Asian!
(09:14) - Bachata can remove barriers such as age, skin colour, culture and we connect
(11:14) - Bachata to hot air ballooning - our hobbies can remove cultural barriers
(13:22) - Are you paying attention to your partner?
(14:38) - A lesson from Pierre Henry
About Anna Kan
Anna is Bristol-based dancer with Russian, Mongolian, and Korean backgrounds and moved to the UK at 11, adopting a new culture. Dance has always been a core part of Anna’s Mongolian and Russian traditions, and it is present at any social gatherings. Although bachata has become a significant part of her life, Anna still makes time for her other passions, which include hot air ballooning , cooking and acting.

About Bobbie Miles:
Bobbie Miles is a social dancer and empowerment coach in the salsa, bachata, and kizomba scene. Dancing is a happy place for Bobbie, as it is for so many. In order to foster safer dance spaces for all dancers, Bobbie is on a mission to promote more accountability and responsibility surrounding boundaries, consent and safety within the community through education and conversations that matter. Bobbie is a coach and advocate for speaking up, boundary setting, and promoting respect in the dance scene. Through The Empowered Dancers Podcast, she promotes transparency, understanding, and accountability and as a coach and public speaker, she focuses on boundary setting and respect in practice, both on and off the dance floor.
Resources:
Download my 5 Top Tips to boost your confidence on any dance night! https://empowereddancers.com/5tips
Practice saying NO on the dance floor: empowereddancers.com/no
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