International Latin training guide
Understand the Dance. Build It in the Right Order.
International Latin asks for more than memorized steps. This guide explains the five dances, the level language dancers often encounter, and the way Kye Rivers and Ann-Marie “Anna” Bakanov connect fundamentals to individual expression.
International Latin repertoire
Five Dances. One Technical Foundation.
Each International Latin dance has its own timing, movement quality, musical character, and performance demands.
Cha-Cha
Compact, rhythmically exact, and playful. Clear timing and grounded action keep speed from becoming rushed.
Samba
Layered rhythm, traveling movement, and lots of action that must remain connected through the body.
Rumba
Slower controlled fluid movement and action, showcasing the connectivity through your own body and with your partner
Paso Doble
Intensity, stillness, and drama through your shaping, with posture and musical phrasing creating its unmistakable character.
Jive
Fast and energetic, bouncing between many different rhythms, and characterized by a lively bounce and sharp kicks and flicks
Understanding levels
Levels Describe Material. They Do Not Define the Dancer.
Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Open are common ways to organize figures and competitive development. Exact syllabus rules and category language vary by organization and event.
Bronze
Core figures, timing, posture, balance, and repeatable fundamentals. Strong Bronze work is not “basic” work; it is the foundation advanced dancing relies on.
Silver
Greater complexity, continuity, and coordination. The dancer is asked to connect figures while maintaining technique and character.
Gold
More demanding material and transitions, with increased expectations for control, musicality, partnership, and presentation.
Open
Choreography is less limited by syllabus figures. Freedom increases, but so does the need for technical responsibility and a coherent competitive plan.
The Next Legacy teaching method
Classic Foundations. Modern Application.
Kye and Anna describe their approach as grounded in old-school English technique: protect the principles on which International Latin was built, then use them to create a dancer who is more capable, expressive, and individual.
The method is not a fixed script. It is a disciplined way to see what the dancer needs next.
See the Whole Dancer
Experience, goals, learning style, schedule, partnership, and current movement all shape the plan.
Name the Useful Correction
Posture, timing, foot pressure, hip action, balance, partnering, or musicality is addressed specifically, not as a vague instruction to “dance bigger.”
Connect the Pieces
Technique becomes useful when one correction supports the next and survives inside actual dancing.
Keep the Path Visible
The dancer should know what changed, what to practice, and why the next stage matters.
Common questions
How International Latin Levels Shape Your Training.
Do I need to begin at Bronze?
A new dancer generally begins with foundational material, but the lesson plan should reflect the dancer rather than forcing everyone through an identical sequence.
Does a higher level automatically mean better dancing?
No. More advanced material does not replace timing, balance, movement quality, partnering, or musical understanding.
Can social dancers use this approach?
Yes. Clear fundamentals help social, wedding, recreational, and competitive dancers. The depth and application change with the goal.
How do I know which level fits me?
Kye or Anna can assess what you already know, how consistently it works, and which next step will be most useful.
Put the guide into motion
Technique Becomes Yours Through Use.
Bring your current experience, or begin with none, and receive a plan built around the work in front of you.