The Bachata world is changing, are you joining?

Debriefing the first edition of the Rhythm Vibes Marathon Experience | Madrid, Aug 2025.

I was invited to work as a coach in Rhythm Vibes Marathon Experience that happened from August 22nd to 24th in Madrid.

Jesus and Cesar, the organizers, came up with a new concept in the Bachata world: an event focused on inner work and social dance.

The overwhelming feedback from hundreds of participants show that it was a special event.

So what made it different?

1. A focus on personal growth and inner work

“A space where the only thing you need to be is yourself”: this was the context of the event. And these are not only words. The only workshops happening during the event were coaching workshops, for the participants to explore what it actually means to be yourself and what are tools to get closer to this sensation of « being yourself ».

I was impressed by the participants’ vulnerability and willingness to go to the edge of their comfort zone. And it is a clear indication that the Bachata world is ready for the next step. Thank you to each one of you for journeying with us coaches!

Jesus & Andrea’s workshop on “Boundaries and Feelings as tools”

2. A team of 5 coaches holding space TOGETHER

This for me was the main game changer. A team of 5 coaches holding space TOGETHER for Magic to come through. I am highlighting TOGETHER because it wasn’t just about delivering our own workshops and moving on. We were a team.

We all gathered before the event, to create the ground between us, to show ourselves, to align our Purpose, to ask for what we need and support each other.

We were working almost non-stop during the day, attending each other’s workshops, giving each other feedback, emotionally supporting each other.

This made a huge difference in the energy we created, the power of our individual workshops and also how we showed up for the participants, in and out of the workshops.

Thank you Jesus, Fiorella, Antonio and Omar, it was pure Magic to create this space with you.

The coaching team: @anthonio.laguna.coach @andreakallab @the.dancing.psychologist @omarnpcoaching @yesusdelamo

3. Focus on social dance

The “marathon” part of the event. There were pool parties during the day, the best social dancers as guests and no cameras allowed during the night socials. It felt like an honoring of the art of social dance as a practice of Presence and Connection, rather than performance and technique. What a gift!

4. A higher level of Responsibility

This is a game changer. By inviting a context of Responsibility and inviting participants to take Responsibility of their own experience, RV Marathon Experience gives the opportunity to every participant to truly be a co-creator of the space, to consciously choose what they each create.

A personal hightlight is that RV Marathon Experience was one of the first (the first?) bachata events to speak about the current genocide happening in Gaza, Palestine. And you might be thinking: “And what does this have to do?”. Well, the organizers have taken a higher level of Responsibility by taking Responsibility for their inevitable involvement in politics. And instead of claiming to be “neutral” as most organizers choose to do, they have done their research and took a stand before and during the event.

During the opening circle on Friday, one of the participants said “I am curious to see how you guys bring this concept to Bachata”. Let’s be honest, it is a challenge, because of many reasons (the rhythm and energy of the music, the current culture, the popularity,…). And we definitely made it work!

Monday’s social is for me a clear proof of this: the monthly invitation-only Mystery social in Madrid, also organized by Cesar and Jesus. It was the only social I could personally fully enjoy as I had time to rest on Monday.

And it was probably the best social I’ve been to (Brazilian zouk included), not regarding the individual dances I had, but regarding how we were ALL on the same frequency. It felt like we were one organism. The level of Connection, Presence and High Level Fun. The sparkles in everyone’s eyes. The way we deeply embodied Bachata each within our own universe and in communication with our partner.

This is what Bachata is for me.

What an experience Rhythm & Vibes Marathon Experience was!

Thank you Jesus and Cesar for taking a stand for what you believe in and for what you want to exist!

Don’t miss out next year (check out their instagram @RVmarathonexperience)!

If you want to go deeper, the Beyond Experience is holding an exclusive event from 2nd to 5th October 2025: The Beyond Initiation. It is 3-day training in a retreat center in the nature of France (2 hours from Paris), a bridge from the current social dance culture to a Radically Alive dance culture. If you feel the call, reach out to me — Andrea Kallab.