Baile Sopresa 101: Yes, You Can Dance!

It doesn’t matter if you’re the first one on the dance floor at a party or if the thought of dancing in front of an audience scares you silly. Your Quinceanera surprise dance can still be the most fun you’ll have at your reception. We’ve got tips and tricks and great ideas to help you create a killer baile sopresa that will wow your guests. Here are 2 easy tips and 8 great suggestions to help you create an awesome surprise dance.

Part One: 5 Tips for a Great Presentation

1. Choose your Quinceanera Choreographer Carefully

The right choreographer can make anybody look great. Even if you have three left feet, with a good routine, you can easily master the steps. Do a little research and interview at least 3 dance pros. You want to find one who will listen to your ideas, alleviate your fears, assess the talent of your group, and make everyone in your court look good.

2. Make the Song Meaningful

What song out there sparks your heart and makes you want to move your feet? What have you always wanted to learn to dance to? Ask your dance pro to create a mix that will let you lose yourself in the steps and the music. You and your court having a good time is what will really entertain your crowd.

Tip: Choose no more than 3 songs, and unless you have your dance class in your court and can keep the energy going, limit the performance to 3 ½ to 4 minutes.

3. Coordinate the Outfits with the Choreography

Costumes make all the difference. Obviously, you won’t want a long dress for hip-hop, but you also don’t want tattered blue jean shorts for a sexy bachata. Ask your dance pro for some suggestions, then follow this one super important rule:

Make sure the outfit fits! You do not want to be pulling up your strapless top or tugging down your short skirt!

Tip: We know it’s popular to dance in sneakers, but if you want to look really sharp, wear amateur ballroom dance shoes.

Closed toe dance shoe: http://www.lightinthebox.com/leatherette-upper-dance-shoes-ballroom-modern-shoes-for-women-more-colors_p213004.html?category_id=1278&prm=1.2.1.0

Classic medium heel salsa: http://www.lightinthebox.com/women-s-dance-shoes-latin-velvet-sparkling-glitter-paillette-taffeta-synthetic-cuban-heelblack-blue-silver_p5005483.html?category_id=1278&prm=1.2.1.0

For a flat shoe, you still want something with a little more style than a sneaker: http://www.lightinthebox.com/yoga-women-s-split-sole-canvas-with-gore-dance-shoes-more-colors_p1931979.html?category_id=1278&prm=1.2.1.0

4. Practice, practice, practice

Your guests really will be looking forward to your surprise dance, and while they don’t expect a Dancing With the Stars level performance, you don’t want to make them cringe, either. We don’t have to tell you how uncomfortable it makes an audience to watch a performance where half of the dancers are a step or more behind the others, or turn the wrong direction and crash into each other.

You’ll also have the video of your dance to watch over and over, and while a mistake or two can be charming if handled well, you don’t want to cringe every time you watch your video. You and your group really do need to practice with the goal of doing it perfectly.

So first, make sure that everyone in your court can make all the practices and only miss one if they’re sick or something else disastrous happens. Second, you need to make a real commitment to the practice schedule yourself. After all, just like the devotion you show at your Quinceanera Mass and the time you take to write a good speech, working hard to make your surprise dance as good as it can be is another way for you to show your family and friends that you’re taking your new young adult status seriously!

5. Always Remember: A Few Mistakes are Charming!

Most of the time, your crowd won’t even know if you skipped a step, just as long as you don’t freeze up and just stand there. Practice making a show of looking charmingly confused, then catch up when you can and carry on.

Hint: We’re not kidding when we say that you can make a total mind freeze look like part of the planned routine. Just ask your pro for some things you can do—maybe a pose to strike if you get lost.

Part Two: Fusion Makes a Baile Sopresa Great

The best way to make your surprise dance a real crowd pleaser is to create a combination. We scouted around for the best fusion examples out there. Just click on the YouTube link for each one to see the dance and the choreography and see what you might want to do to wow your crowd.

To get a sense of which styles of dance steps you like best, check out this amazing compilation video. It cycles through eight different classic Quinceanera dance moves! You’re bound to find a combo you like:

Pop

Salsa

Cumbia Texana

Volados

Bachata

Tango

Rock ‘n Roll

Hip-Hop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV5U2-5eH4A

Once you get an idea of what you want, you can mix it up. Here are some very simple combinations:

Fusion #1: Start with a Solo

Face it, girl—if you’re a good dancer, then dance! This is your chance to shine so go for it. Open with a solo then bring in your troupe. Nothin’ wrong with that!

One note: As a general rule, a 7-minute surprise dance like this one is a little long. But if you can hold the crowd’s attention with variations like this Quinceanera and her court, go for it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8Q6trxL3Zk

Fusion #8: Simple steps plus plenty of fun!

It is perfectly fine if you’re not much of a dancer. You can still have a lot of fun with your friends!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykmPbNLWpG0

Dance On, Girl!

These are just a few of the combos you can put together for a killer surprise dance. So pick your court, choose your style, then ask your choreographer to create something unique that’s perfect for you.

Baile Sopresa 101: Yes, You Can Dance!