Hello all!
I was wondering if anyone could help me... I seem to have a lot of trouble moving my ribs and hips without moving my shoulders (the way latin dances are supposed to be danced.) I'm not exceptionally flexible, but I don't think that is it. Thank you for your input!

It's not so much that your shoulders don't move, it's that they move less than your ribs and hips. The main thing is that they don't go up and down..it's impossible to move your ribcage without moving your shoulders at all! For practice, try sitting in a chair and stretching only your upper body...to the left side, left ribcage forward, right ribcage forward, to the right side, back...then back the other way. Then, try holding a wall or dresser to hold your upper body still while you do weight changes or something to work on the lower body. Then try all these motions without anything restraining you, so you learn to do it by muscle power. Think about stretching your ribcage in the opposite direction from your hips. Good luck!