Great dancers are not great because of their technique - they are great because of their passion

What is Hip Movement?

Isn’t Latin dancing all about the hips? Not exactly. One of the first things an experienced coach or judge notices isn’t how much your hips are moving, but why they are moving.

One of the biggest misconceptions in International Latin is that Cuban action comes from consciously swinging or rotating your hips. So many dancers try to “add” hip movement by pushing their pelvis from side to side.

The result? The movement often looks exaggerated, disconnected, and unnatural. It can throw off your balance, disrupt your timing, and make your dancing feel forced rather than effortless.

An Effect—Not a Cause

Here’s the secret: Cuban motion is an effect—not a cause. Think of the relationship between the hip—a very large joint—and the knee—a much smaller joint. Pushing or forcing a hip action is likely to put the knee joint out of alignment and cause injury.

Instead, simply straightening the knee and settling your body weight into the floor through the supporting foot allows the hip to move naturally. In other words, don’t chase the hip action. Build the technique that creates it safely:

• Place your foot accurately
• Straighten the supporting knee
• Settle your body weight completely

The world’s best Latin dancers don’t spend their time thinking, “Move my hips more.” They focus on posture, foot pressure, leg action, balance, and timing. The beautiful Cuban action you see is simply the natural consequence of excellent fundamentals.

Trust the Technique

When you stop forcing the action and start trusting the technique, your dancing becomes smoother, easier, more balanced, and far more authentic.

The next time you’re practicing Cha Cha, Rumba, or Samba, ask yourself this:

“Am I trying to make my hips move… or am I successfully creating the movement that makes them move?”

Corta Jaca Dance

Website last updated August 18th 2026

©  Corta Jaca Dance - all rights reserved