Dancing is a wonderfully expressive mix of movement and passion combined with the enjoyment and appreciation of aesthetic and artistic movement qualities. Dance means different things to different people but the most popular reasons for peoples enjoyment of it are..
physical activity
popular entertainment
form of religious worship
profession
an art form
social and recreational outlet.
The popularity of dancing is growing and growing thanks to the influences like programmes such as Strictly Come Dancing, dance schools across the country have reported rising attendances since Strictly Come Dancing started. Even if you think you have two left feet or feel too old to start I am reliably informed that it is never too late to start and those two left feet become twinkle toes by the end of the classes!
Taking a dance class is a wonderful way of keeping fit and at the same time meeting new people and forming new friendships and more!
Such is the popularity of dance classes that new employment opportunities have opened up for people to teach or even open their own dance studios.
Have you ever wanted to learn any of these dances or wanted to know more about the dance? Well now is the time to find out.
The Argentine Tango
Referred to as the 'the history of love in three minutes', the Argentine tango is all about the man's control and the woman's seductiveness. No other dance connects two people more closely, emotionally as well as physically. The Argentine tango is magical, intoxicating, romantic, and passionate. It is much smoother and more sensual than the ballroom tango, with the couple's upper bodies close together and lower bodies apart. Dancers face in the same direction (the woman's right, the man's left) and so dance almost cheek to cheek.
Although the dance epitomises the glamour and elegance of high society, the Argentine tango originated in the underbelly of society - brothels. As immigrants streamed into the outskirts of Buenos Aires during the 1880s, many came toward the houses of ill repute. The tango dance originated as an 'acting out' of the relationship between the prostitute and her pimp.
Salsa
There is much debate about where salsa dance has its origins, but it is generally accepted that it stems from salsa music. As Latin music's popularity grew, so did the dances. During 1970s London, there were Latin dance clubs, divided into those playing Cuban music and those playing Columbian music. Visits to London by great Salsa music artists, such as Tito Puente and Celia Cruz, played a large part in the evolution of salsa.
Salsa is a partner dance, with a leader (male) and a follower (female). The follower must always have light but firm contact with the leader. This allows the leader to guide the follower more precisely, and also allows the follower to feel the signals and the directions given by the leader. Salsa is usually danced in close contact hold with plenty of sexy swings to the rhythm: it's a very hot, sexy dance.
Ballroom Dancing
The Waltz
The waltz has its history rooted in a peasant dance from the Provence area of France in 1559, from a piece of folk music called The Volta. Partners had to hold each other in such a close embrace that many declared it immoral. Louis XIII (1601-1643) even had it banned from court on this account.
The Viennese Waltz
The Viennese waltz is said to be a derivation of 'The Landler' – a dance developed in Bavaria during the 12th and 13th centuries. The French dispute this, saying that like the traditional waltz, the Viennese waltz was also developed from The Volta. The Tango
The gauchos (cowboys) of Argentina wore chaps that hardened from the foam and sweat of the horse's body, causing them to walk with flexed knees. At night they would go to crowded nightclubs and ask prostitutes to dance, but since the gaucho hadn't showered, the lady would dance in the crook of the man's right arm, holding her head back. Her right hand was held low on his left hip, close to his pocket, looking for a payment for dancing with him.
Foxtrot
During the summer of 1914, actor Harry Fox was appearing in shows in New York with Yansci Dolly. People at the Jardin de Danse, on the roof of the New York Theatre, soon started to copy the act that Harry was putting on downstairs, leading them to refer to the dance as 'Fox's Trot'.
Quickstep
During the 1920s many bands played the Foxtrot too fast and some couples couldn't keep up. Over time, a faster version was born, absorbing extra elements of ragtime such as the charleston; this led to the creation of what is now called the quickstep.
American Smooth
American Smooth is a form of ballroom dancing with more elaborate moves - think of what you'd see in a typical Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musical.
All the basic principles and technique of ballroom dancing still apply, however there are less restrictions: partners only need to be in a hold for 40 per cent of the dance. This allows the dancers to incorporate lifts, spins, shuffles and turns and much more into their routines, wowing the judges and audience
with creative and original choreography.
Latin American Rumba
The dance relies on the age-old premise of the lady trying to dominate the gentlemen by means of her womanly charms. Incorporating all the elements of teasing and withdrawal, it is considered the most sensual of the Latin dances.
Samba
It's believed that the word samba is derived from a West African Bantu word, meaning to pray or invoke the spirits of their ancestors. Rumoured to be a dance that can excite people to such an extent that it sends them into a trance, it is danced annually at the Rio Carnival in Brazil.
Swing
The term "swing dance" commonly refers to a group of dances that developed concurrently with the swing style of jazz music in the 1920s, '30s and '40s, although the earliest of these dance forms predate swing jazz music. The best known of these dances is the Lindy Hop, a popular partner dance that originated in Harlem and is still danced today.
Swing is Music. The classic swing dance bands were Chick Webb, Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller. Louis Armstrong, ... Swing music does not have a hard beat. It has a strong flow.
The popularity of music associated with the Charleston in the 1920s originated on the East Coast of the US among African Americans.
The next development in swing dancing was the emergence of the Lindy Hop in the 30s, which incorporated many of the Charleston moves. It is considered to be the first “true” representation of swing dancing, as it would develop in the next few decades. The steps were usually simple to learn, though one had to think on one’s feet, as the Lindy Hop called for improvisation throughout the dance.
Jazz music to blues chords, and emerging Rock and Roll developed the Lindy Hop into the Boogie Woogie or East Coast swing. A terrific example of East Coast swing dancing is seen in the movie version of the play, Grease. Though this music was adapted to more traditional mid-50s rock, it is still essentially swing, with elements of the Lindy Hop and the Charleston mixed in.
The term “swing” is now used as a catch-all for a range of dances – lindy hop, jitterbug, balboa, east and west coast swing, boogie woogie... It also inspired jive, rock n roll etc; the dancers adapting to new styles of music.
