This isn't about me. It's about you.
Here's what dancers in my first online series told me they wanted
"I want to know what being grounded feels like."
"I want it to feel easier in my body, so I'm not in my mind."
"I find myself losing balance when I dance, which usually stops me from being able to execute movements."
"A pathway to train, knowing how to actually train alone."
"Knowing how to do something 4 weeks from now is more valuable to me than actually being able to do it."
If any of that sounds like you, you're in the right place. Most classes teach the next combo. That's fun, but it leaves a lot of good dancers stuck, knowing plenty of moves without really understanding what their body is doing.
Belong in Bachata works the other way round. We start with how you step and push into the floor, and connect everything up from there.
Dancers have already trained with me online from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Perth, Singapore and Honolulu.
The Ground Up Method™
Build. Explore. Apply.
I developed The Ground Up Method™ to give structure to my own learning. It's now how I teach. It respects the traditional roots of bachata, while making you versatile enough to dance other styles and fusions.
You'll learn how your basic hip movement comes from the ground rather than being a separate isolation, how that energy carries into your upper body, and how your weight shifts through every movement. Once you understand that, you've got the freedom to change your movement for your own expression.
Build
Rebuild the basics. See how your basic step, traditional footwork and sensual movement all flow from the ground up.
- Automate your basic
- Organise your body
- Ground yourself
Explore
Build the body awareness to make the foundations your own. Learn to troubleshoot by sight and by feel. Advanced dancers still make mistakes. They just know what went wrong and why.
- Calibrate your movements
- Gain body awareness
- Troubleshooting
Apply
Give your home training a structure that actually shows up in your social dancing.
- Beyond Bachata Conditioning
- Mindset
- Structured training
Where they meet: belong with confidence
The 12 weeks
What we work through
- Goals and outcomes assessment
- Conditioned for growth
- Connect your hip movement from the ground
- Effortless movement
- Creating body awareness
- Your guide to troubleshooting
- The mindset reset
- Organise your body
- Dance with freedom
Remember
This isn't about making you a carbon copy of someone else
Or the flashiest dancer on the floor. The Ground Up Method™ is principles, body mechanics and concepts that let you:
- Troubleshoot when something goes wrong
- Dance more effortlessly
- Have the foundations in place to keep growing
- Be more creative and let your personality shine through
- Have the versatility to dance any style or fusion of bachata
- Belong with confidence on the bachata social floor
What's involved
Everything you need to keep progressing between classes
Onboarding assessment
We check in on where you're at now and where you want to improve before we start.
12-week online program
Built on The Ground Up Method™, in order, on Skool.
Live weekly group coaching
Wednesdays 4–5pm AWST. Feedback, troubleshooting and collaboration.
Group chat
Connect with dancers you might not otherwise meet, from around Australia and overseas.
Unlimited access for 12 weeks
Consistent training guidance whenever it suits you.
Support 24/7
Practising something from this program or another class and need help? You've got a whole community to ask.
How we'll work together
What I'll ask of you
Move slow
Rushing hides our mistakes and the bits we're not so sure of.
Be intentional
Set focus points, in class or in your own training. Doing everything at once means nothing gets done properly.
Stay curious
How does it feel in your body? Where do you need to engage? What if you changed something?
Interact
Ask questions. Post videos in the chat. If something doesn't make sense, or clashes with what you've been taught before, raise it.
Train
This takes time to become automatic. Be kind to yourself and be consistent. The work you do outside the sessions shows.
Keep it private
What's shared in the group stays in the group.
Is this for you?
For bachata dancers who are feeling stuck
This is for you if
- Your progress has stalled, or you want more variety
- You've realised how much a solid foundation matters
- You want to practise but don't have a partner to do it with
- You're thinking about competing in Jack & Jills and want a point of difference
It's probably not for you if
- You're after a new combo every week
- You're not willing to put in some training on your own
- You've never done a bachata class. Start with beginner classes first
Who's teaching
Hi, I'm Gemma.
For a long time I heard "I get my energy from the ground". After comps and at socials people would tell me I was so grounded. I never understood what that meant or how to apply it, even though I was apparently doing it.
It started to click when DJ York came up to me after the Pro Jack & Jill in India and said it was very obvious I'd built my dance from the ground up. That gave me something tangible to work with.
I live in Perth, the world's most isolated city, where access to quality classes and socials was very limited until recently. Training alone in my living room is what gave me the tools to connect and flow with dancers around the world. Now I'll show you exactly what that looks like.
I don't have all the answers. I'm still learning too. So let's stay curious and grow together.
- Social dance competition wins nationally and internationally
- Solo dance competition wins
- In the first cohort of instructors certified in Traditional Bachata by Carolina Rosa
- Australia's first ConRi Style certified instructor
- Trained with G Madison on performance quality, mindset and conditioning
- Invited to teach interstate and internationally
- My students have placed at interstate competitions
Join the October intake
Launches Monday 19 October
Live group coaching is on Wednesdays, 4–5pm AWST (Perth and Singapore), which is 7–8pm in Sydney and Melbourne.
Starts at less than $60 a week ($715 ÷ 12 weeks = $59.58). Paying upfront saves you $65 compared with monthly payments.
Monthly payments
3 × $260 AUD / month
The same program, spread over three monthly payments ($780 total).
Pay monthlySecure checkout with Stripe. After you pay, you'll get an email invite to the Skool community.
Questions
Before you ask
What is Belong in Bachata?
Belong in Bachata is a 12-week online bachata coaching program with Gemma Jordan. It rebuilds your bachata foundations from the ground up so you can troubleshoot your own dancing, move more effortlessly and dance any style of bachata with confidence.
What is The Ground Up Method™?
The Ground Up Method™ is the framework Gemma Jordan developed to structure her own bachata training, and it's how she teaches. It has three pillars: Build (your basic step, footwork and movement from the ground up), Explore (body awareness and troubleshooting) and Apply (structured solo training that improves your social dancing).
How much does it cost?
$715 AUD paid upfront, which works out to less than $60 a week, or 3 monthly payments of $260 AUD ($780 total). Paying upfront saves $65.
When does it start and how long is it?
The program launches on Monday 19 October 2026 and runs for 12 weeks, with live weekly group coaching calls on Wednesdays, 4–5pm AWST.
Will it help my social dancing?
Yes. Everything we do is aimed at your social dancing. Training alone in my living room is what gave me the tools to connect and flow with dancers around the world, and my social dance competition wins are proof it works.
Do I need a partner?
No. It's made for people who want to practise but don't have a partner to do it with.
I'm not in Perth. Can I still join?
Yes. It's fully online. Live calls are Wednesdays 4–5pm AWST, which is 7–8pm in Sydney and Melbourne and 4–5pm in Singapore.
What level do I need to be?
This is for dancers who've been doing bachata classes for a while and want to go deeper. If you're brand new, beginner classes are the better place to start.
Where does it all happen?
On Skool. The program, the group chat and the links to the live calls are all in one place.
Still not sure it's right for you?
Send me a DM on Instagram and tell me where you're at. I'll give you a straight answer.
Ready to get more grounded?
Grow, connect and move with other dancers without leaving home. Twelve weeks, launching Monday 19 October.