SHALL WE DANCE, BALLROOM?

Part 1: Shall We Dance, Ballroom?

The word Ball, in Ballroom dance, is derived from the Latin (also Italian) word, ballare, which translated means “to dance.” Since ballroom dancing is done in a hall or room, the word “room” was added. The term eventually referred not only to the hall where dancing occurred but also to type of dancing as in ballroom dance, ballroom dancer and ballroom dancing.

Early historical records trace the origins of ballroom dance to the late 16^th century but the most notable dance, the Minuet, emerged in the middle 17^th century and was popular until the end of the 18^th century. During the Victorian era, waltz dancing emerged but was originally considered scandalous because of the closed dance position used in the waltz dance versus the more open positions of the minuet. Strauss waltz music was instrumental in spreading waltz dancing across Western societies. The Viennese waltz is done in both International and American styles of ballroom dancing across the globe.

During the 20^th century, ballroom dance flourished due to several factors including the wide popularity of jazz and big band plus the importing of many dances from other countries. Many new ballroom dances emerged during this time and other dances evolved with popular music including cha cha, rumba, samba, mambo, foxtrot, tango, quickstep, waltz and all of the swing dances, as well. Professional dance organizations like the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing in Europe and Arthur Murray in the U.S., documented, analyzed and codified the various ballroom dances, organizing them into categories like International and American styles, and the sub-categories of Latin/Modern and Smooth/Rhythm, respectively.

American smooth ballroom dances include waltz, foxtrot, tango and Viennese waltz. American rhythm ballroom dances include rumba, cha cha, mambo, bolero, samba and East Coast swing.

International modern ballroom dances include waltz, foxtrot, tango, Viennese waltz and quickstep. The International Latin ballroom dances include rumba, cha cha, samba, jive and paso doble. International style ballroom dancing has been highly standardized for competition and in order to qualify as a sports category in the Olympics.

Ballroom dance is often used as an umbrella term for all partner dances including social dancing and competition dancing. There are other forms of partner dancing, which fall into the category of social dancing sometimes referred to as the nightclub dances like Argentine tango, West Coast swing, Country Western dancing, Blues dancing, Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, Cajun dance, Hustle dance, Lindy Hop, Balboa and Night Club Two Step. Also, Hip Hop is a social dance that is not a partner dance.

Square dancing, round dancing and folk dancing are also social partner dances but not included in the category of Ballroom dance. Also, vintage dancing while considered social is not included in ballroom dance. Vintage dance groups are often involved in the preservation of the original dance forms.  Round dancing is ballroom dance sequences for couples to practice their dancing in a group all doing the same routine. 

Over the years, Ballroom dance split into three distinct categories, social dancing, performance dancing and competitive dancing. The latter category of dance is often referred to as Dancesport. Each dance category has its own distinctive features and qualities that fit the particular needs of the dancers involved in these unique areas of dance. Here, I will summarize the three groups but the focus will be on social dance, social dancing and social dancers. The other forms will be discussed in upcoming Dance Talk blogs.  

I believe that performance dance should be considered an art or art form, competitive dance is a sport and social dance is a combination of non-verbal communication, spontaneous creativity and relationship. These are broad categories and there is overlap in each type of dance. Each category fulfills the needs and motivation of different people. Performance dance attracts people with an artistic temperament who want to both express and impress. People who enjoy sports and competition take to Dancesport where connection is not as crucial as in social dancing. Others might enjoy an activity that is both social and healthy that provides a means of expressing oneself creatively with music through dance connection. It is wonderful that dance can provide people who are motivated by different needs, a vehicle to express themselves through music. All three categories contribute to the flourishing dance communities.

Every song danced with a partner is like a short relationship. It involves agreement to the types of rhythm units and variations used, e.g. in rumba a slow followed by two quicks, put another way, a single unit (one weighted step for two beats) followed by a double unit (two weighted steps in two beats). Each partner has a role, either lead or follow. Communication, non-verbal, is essential for the dance to be enjoyable and memorable. It is two people moving to the music in synchrony with varying amounts of spontaneous creativity depending on the dance genre. The dance is not choreographed. The dancers movements respond to the music. Dancing to a piece of music could be considered a form of Ekphrasis, where one medium of art responds to another medium of art by defining its essence and/or form, e.g. a poem about a painting.

As such, social dancing is the artistic expression of two people together, non-verbally communicating to a piece of music using an agreed upon rhythm unit(s) and guidelines for a particular dance genre but allowing for spontaneous creativity as a response to the music. Dance genres vary in the extent that they allow creativity while dancing. Most social dance genres allow dancers to break from the usual rhythm or structure. American style Ballroom dancing is very fluid in its guidelines for creativity, partly by allowing an open position. Nightclub dance genres take creativity even further by allowing dancers to break out of the standard rhythm units like West Coast swing, Argentine tango and Blues dancing.

In recent years, various organizations have attempted to standardize and codify American style dancing. There are certain benefits to standardization like adjudicating at competitions and the creation of national organizations to train dance teachers. However, this push toward standardizing American style dancing is an attempt to structure and conform a style of dance that historically has been open and allows for a variety of patterns, directional alignments and more flexibility for the individual dancers. Since International style ballroom dance has already been standardized, I’m not completely convinced that standardizing American style Ballroom dance is beneficial for social dancing in general, although it does increase the resources available for dance instruction across the country.

Ballroom dancing generally uses music from Western cultures in a Ballroom or hall where everyone dances counterclockwise or in a spot for some of the rhythm dances like cha cha, rumba, mambo, East Coast swing and bolero. Many ballroom dance studios offer strictly Ballroom dance venues and some offer a ballroom and nightclub mix of music for their social dance parties. Generally, certain dance groups prefer to have their own music mix like West Coast swing dancers, Lindy Hoppers, Country Western dancers, Blues dancers, Argentine Tango dancers, Jitterbug/East Coast swing dancers and Hustle dancers. Often the best music mixes include some variety of retro and contemporary music selections and a dash of different dance genres.

I recently read an article published on the BBC website suggesting that Ballroom dancing is one of the best activities to delay the onset and diminish and/or slow the progression of dementia and Alzheimer’s diseases. Check back to the Dance Talk blog for an upcoming discussion of the scientific evidence that supports dancing your way to better health.

Live long and dance!

More dance info at: http://www.dancetime.com/

About the Author

Pattie Wells hails from San Diego, California where she writes article and video blogs for her world dance resource website at DanceTime.com. Also, Pattie is working on several writing projects including her new website at PattieWells.com, a novel in linked stories and a poetry manuscript titled Fire In Rain.  In addition, she continues to teach a limited number of private dance lessons in San Diego including dance lessons for weddings.

Excerpt from Los Tangueros, a story by Pattie Wells

Excerpt of "Los Tangueros," published in ZYZZYVA literary magazine. 

(It is a chapter in my upcoming collected stories novel CAFÉ OF THE MIRRORS) 

La leccion

The practica tradicional allowed men to practice their leads without embarrassment. The dancers made mistakes, corrected errors, and executed the necessary repetitions without fear of humiliation in front of women. This was not the only motivation. Like Carlos, some men simply preferred men. Others, like Ricardo Reyes Basoalta, simply did not want to be seen dancing with women.

Carlos considered Ricardo the best tanguero at the practica, the best possible teacher for Zanetto. He enlisted Ricardo as Zanetto’s instructor.

“We begin.” said Ricardo in fluent English, “with the salida. It is like walking, but the toes stay close to the floor, catlike, and the upper body tilts toward the partner.” 

He reached his hands out to show Zanetto the abrazo.

“Don’t worry my friend, we start with the open abrazo. Lift your arms and bring your feet together until they touch.” 

Zanetto perceived Ricardo as middle aged, a businessman or banker, who towered over the other men and had a broad torso and thick neck.

Ricardo’s enormous hands held Zanetto’s forearms, firmly guiding his movements. He back-led Zanetto, heels and toes close to the floor, upper bodies leaning in. Ricardo’s cologne smelled of jasmine.

“Argentine tango uses lead-and-follow as non-verbal dialogue. The improvisational nature of the dance can only be realized by the complete absence of anticipation.” Ricardo commenced a series of caminadas, counter-clockwise around the hardwood floor.

Zanetto stopped abruptly: “Ah ha, like poetry, which moves across and down the page.”

“An interesting perspective, amigo.” Ricardo grinned. “The stops are periods; hesitations, commas…”

Ricardo surveyed the room, “Carlos, come here and practice caminadas with Zanetto.”

Carlos dashed over. He moved in close to Zanetto. Ricardo walked beside them: “Now we will spend some time on embellishments. We call them adornos, and tango is nothing without adornos.”

He traced the floor with smooth figure eights. “These are ochos. You can do them forward or back.” He whipped his leg in a circle from the knee, finishing in two beats, a boleo. He hooked the back of his knee around Carlos’s thigh and squeezed. “And this, amigos, is my favorite, the gancho or, as you say, the hook.”

“Now I will show you the close embrace.”

Ricardo moved Carlos toward Zanetto so their chests touched. Zanetto cradled Carlos with his right arm behind his back. Carlos placed his forehead on Zanetto’s cheek. His left wrist rested on the back of Zanetto’s neck. The skin of his wrist felt soft as the belly of a baby. His breath tickled. A strand of hair stuck to Zanetto’s lips. It tasted like aloe and clover. Carlos tightened his abrazo, and Zanetto leapt back. 

“Ah,” Ricardo bellowed. “La parada – the stop.” He laughed. He slapped Zanetto on the back. “Bueno, break time. Let’s get a drink.”

All three walked toward the bar, Zanetto in the middle. Ricardo winked at Carlos and said, “La Mordida.” They both laughed. “A sandwich,” Ricardo translated, “a step where the leader places his two feet on each side of his partner’s foot.

Ricardo pulled a white handkerchief from his shirt pocket and wiped his brow, “Don’t worry, relax, we’re done with the lesson.”

“I begin to understand the passion of tango and its difficulty,” Zanetto acknowledged.  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a yellowed piece of napkin with writing on it.

“What have you written? Are you a journalist, amigo?”

“No,” Zanetto answered. “It is a poem, a tango poem, more or less.”

Ricardo grabbed the piece of paper and began reading. He giggled then laughed loudly, “It’s too sissy, amigo, make it more macho, more earthy. It’s too sentimental, too many flowers and rainbows.”

Zanetto straightened up in his chair, “O.K., that’s enough, what do YOU know about poetry, anyway. I have been writing for almost a year now. My friends and family love my poetry. Give it back.”

“Don’t be so sensitive, amigo, I meant no offense.”

Zanetto snatched his poem out of Ricardo’s hands and pushed away from the bar. He raised his right hand to his eyebrow; saluted Ricardo and Carlos, and strode away. Shaking his head, he muttered under his breath, “Tomorrow at the Café Tortoni, I will meet Pablo Neruda and get a true poet’s advise about my poem.”

Intermezzo  

On his way home, Zanetto stopped at the Church of San Pedro Telmo. He entered a pew and knelt. Pressing his palms together, he dropped his head and prayed—to St. Mary of Edessa, asking forgiveness for the pleasure he’d derived from dancing with Carlos and Ricardo. He also prayed to the patron saint of poets, St. David, for inspiration. And for perseverance in the face of doubt and uncertainty. He ended by asking the Virgin Mary to forgive his vanity and arrogance. He asked for a sign from Christ that his passion for poetry sprung from a divine source and was not the devil tempting his ego.

          That night, he slept restlessly, tossing and tormented by nightmares. As a ray of morning sun pierced threadbare curtains and played on cinnamon walls, he wrapped himself in the coarse Indian blanket and sat at the table. He wrestled with disturbing thoughts about Carlos and Ricardo. He remembered their hard bodies, the coarse hair on their arms, the muskiness of sweat mixed with cologne, brandy and tobacco.

He wrote a love letter to Cici. Then he revised his poem, removing the cicadas and lilies, adding a rifle and a black panther.

Pattie's website: http://www.dancetime.com/

About the Author

Pattie Wells hails from San Diego, California where she writes article and video blogs for her world dance resource website at DanceTime.com. Also, Pattie is working on several writing projects including her new website at PattieWells.com, a novel in linked stories and a poetry manuscript titled Fire In Rain.  In addition, she continues to teach a limited number of private dance lessons in San Diego including dance lessons for weddings.