Friday, November 28, 2014

What is the Kizomba dance?



What is the kizomba dance?

The Kizomba dance is the latest dance craze to hit the Latin and Caribbean dance clubs in the United States. The kizomba mixes African rhythms with sensual Caribbean percussion. It evolved from a faster Angolan dance genre, the semba, in the 1980's in the capitol of Angola, Luana and spread to all the Portuguese speaking countries continuing to evolve, read the complete article at


Kizomba music and dancing has been influenced by tango, zouk , merengue, bachata and salsa. It incorporates movement from many different dance genres. Probably the most influential dances are the Argentine tango, zouk and merengue. It is sometimes called the African tango.


 Watch more videos here:
 As the kizomba spread across the globe, it borrowed characteristics from other dances and became of blend of several other dance genres.  It uses a close embrace with an upper body lean toward the partner and heads touching at times. This is similar to the close embrace of the Argentine tango. There are movements that resemble ochos and walking steps from tango too. Unlike tango, the lower body and hips move freely both forward, backward, circular and in figure eights similar to the Latin motion used in Latin dance genres.

In recent years, it has spread across most of the Western and European countries including Portugal, UK, France Spain, Belarus, Poland, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands. Also, it can be found in the Egypt, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Ghana and the United States. There have been Kizomba Congresses in many countries globally including Ghana, Ireland, Belgium, United Kingdom, Hungary, Portugal, France and the United States.

Sources:
Wikipedia
KizombaLove.com
KizombaNYC.com
Mountain View Patch - Cherly Burke
The Dance Center

Article written by Pattie's bio here, she teaches dance in San Diego, California!
More dance articles at DanceTalk on her website at DanceTime Global!

Saturday, November 8, 2014

The Allure Of West Coast Swing Dancing!

The Allure Of West Coast Swing Dancing! 

West Coast swing is the ultimate dance genre for free expression and musicality for the dancer. However, because of this freedom to express, it is also one of the most difficult dances and takes longer to become accomplished than many other dance genres.
 West Coast swing incorporates a unique set of techniques which create a fluid movement including rolling count, contra movement, action-reaction lead/follow and flexion/extension, read more about the West Coast Swing Techniques here. The West Coast swing is unique among the swing dances. All of the swing dances like the Lindy Hop, Balboa, St. Louis Shag, East Coast Swing, Jitterbug and Carolina Shag share more swing dance elements but also have unique movement that distinguishes each different style of swing dance.



Read about the Differences Between Lindy, Jitterbug & West/East Coast swing here!

The first swing dance was the Lindy hop, which took movements from the earlier Charleston dance genre. The Lindy hop evolved into the East Coast swing, shag, boogie-woogie and Jitterbug during the forties and fifties. During the late fifties and sixties the West Coast swing originated in Southern California; first called the Western Swing.

Read more about the Evolution of Swing Dancing here!

The West Coast swing has been popular ever since the sixties partly because it has continue to adapt along with contemporary music. It is sometimes called a "Living Dance," because of this continual evolution. New generations of swing dancers gravitate toward the West Coast swing because it is danced to contemporary music and incorporated features of other dances including C&W 2-step, salsa, hustle, zouk and Argentine tango. This adds to the allure of the dance as well. All ages of dancers do West Coast swing and since younger dancers continue to learn it, it continues to flourish.

West Coast swing has gone global to places like the UK, France, Australia, Russia, Italy and many other countries. YouTube has been instrumental in spreading the West Coast swing globally. It is more popular than ever in the 21st century and it looks like it is going to be around for a very long time.


Read more articles on West Coast Swing  here!

Article written by Pattie's bio here, she teaches dance in San Diego, California!
More dance articles at DanceTalk on her website at DanceTime Global!

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.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

What dance should I learn first?

What dance should I learn first? I recommend newcomers to dance start with....read more here.

Having taught partner dancing for almost four decades, I have been asked this same question hundreds of times. I will briefly answer this question for partner genres of dancing like American style ballroom including rhythm and smooth, East & West Coast swing dance, Latin dances including salsa, bachata and merengue and Argentine tango. I will also  provide some links for further reading, read dance lessons FAQ here!



Many people have the privilege of starting dance lessons as children, training in ballet, jazz and tap. Nothing is cuter than a group of toddlers dancing the yellow, ducky dance as their first performance. My nieces had this fantastic opportunity to perform and acquire grace and coordination at a ballet school as children, pre-teens and teenagers. This head start in learning dance makes it easier to pick up new dance genres throughout ones life.

Many people start dancing  later in college or after they are secure in their careers or sometimes even after retirement. I started learning formal dance in college with ballet and jazz classes. Later, in my mid-twenties, I walked into a ballroom dance studio and began training in partner dancing and was mentored in dance teaching by numerous experienced, highly accomplished dancers. After three years training and teaching in a ballroom dance studio in San Diego, California, I branched out on my own and have continued to run my own teaching company since 1980.


I recommend starting with one of these dance genres if you have never danced before and/or have no musical background:

Recommended for newcomers to dance!

  • East Coast Swing/Jitterbug  (Read more about East Coast Swing here)
  • American style Waltz (box step, etc.)
  • American style Foxtrot (walking steps)
  • American style Rumba (box step, breaks)
  • Merengue (Latin walking steps)
  • Salsa Dance (Club Latin dance with Basics, Turns)

Recommended after the fundamentals of dance have been learned.
I recommend these dance genres after one has acquired a few basic concepts including the concepts of rock steps (breaking action), walking steps (forward & back) and triple steps (three weighted steps for two beats of music).

  • West Coast Swing (Read more about West Coast Swing here)
  • Argentine Tango (walking and rock steps)
  • Hustle  Dancing (either L.A. style or N.Y. style using rocks & walking steps)
  • Night Club 2 Step (side steps and break steps)
  • American style Cha cha (triples steps and rock steps)

Additional Recommended Dance Genres.
There are a variety of other dance genres to pick up in each of the major groups of partner dances as follows:

Swing Dance (Read about the swing dance styles here)
Lindy Hop
East Coast Swing (triple)
Carolina Shag
St. Louis Shag
Balboa
Charleston

* Read the Differences between Lindy, East & West Coast swing and Jitterbug here.

American Ballroom:
Viennese waltz
Tango
Samba
Bolero
Mambo

International Style:
Latin Dances include Samba, Cha Cha, Rumba, Jive and Paso Doble
Standard includes: Foxtrot, Waltz, Viennese Waltz, Quickstep

Club Latin:
Bachata
Swango
Merengue

Blues Dance:
Improvisational dance to blues music

Country Western Dance:
Country Western 2-Step
C&W Waltz
C&W Cha Cha
Cowboy cha cha
C&W Polka
Pony Swing
Rodeo Swing

The questions of why humans dance and when it started will be featured in future blogs and articles. Please check back and read more articles by Pattie Wells here.


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.


Monday, August 29, 2011

MOTIVATION FOR DANCING: AN EKPHRASTIC ART

“Dance is to express, not to impress.” --- Author unknown 

     This quote got me thinking about why humans dance. Why do dancers, dance? I spent some time pondering this question. Discovering the answer necessitates defining the areas of dance, since there may be different reasons why we dance depending on the type or category of dance.
     The three major areas of dance are social dance, performance dance and competition dance. What motivates people to participate in one of these three areas are different but the answer is not always black or white but rather shades of gray, the borders are fluid, the lines are blurred and they frequently intersect.
Dancing is an ekphrastic art form because it is a response to another art form, music. Wikipedia describes ekphrasis as, “…a device in which one medium of art tries to relate to another medium by defining and describing its essence and form, and in doing so, relate more directly to the audience, through its illuminative liveliness.”
Have you noticed how you remember a song differently when you’ve experienced an incredible dance to that song or watched a fabulous dance routine to a song? The dance responds to the music, ekphrastically. The three areas of dance represent varying degrees of ekphrasis, with performance dance most closely resembling an ekphrastic form of art. The three forms of dance fulfill different human needs, reasons why dancers dance and why people decide to learn to dance. In this article I will discuss briefly, some possible motivations for social, competitive and performance dancing.
Having studied psychology and earning a Bachelors of Arts degree in Psychology at SDSU and teaching dance for over three decades in San Diego, California was helpful in tackling these questions of motivation.
The psychology of social partner dancing includes the pervasive human need for tactile stimulation or put more simply, hand holding, hugging and touching. Years ago, I read that babies who were not cuddled for a certain period after birth were more likely not to survive long in orphanages.
    Also, communication is an essential component of psychological health, dancing uses non-verbal communication. For example, we communicate, at times, by a slight tensing of a hand or shoulder while navigating the dance floor during floor crafting.
Dance floors are the perfect meet-up venues for a safe, comfortable place to meet other people and for social networking. Dancers are not couch potatoes; they do not enjoy sitting alone staring at the TV while channel surfing.
Dancing is great exercise for increasing cardio-vascular, strengthening muscles, increasing flexibility and for stress reduction.
In dance, we create communities, meet new people, make long lasting friendships with people that have a common interest, dancing. Dancing is remedies loneliness, isolation, boredom and inertia.
Competition dancing possesses most of these benefits, reasons and fulfills many of the same needs as social dancing but includes the human need to compete with others and ourselves, to improve, to be ranked and rated, to develop hierarchies and to push ourselves to excel. We all know the importance, in our culture of sporting games, the Olympics, competing for prizes, in business and among nations.
Dance can be a competitive sport and has become very popular due to the television network shows like Dancing With The Stars. Competition dancing is often referred to as Dancesport, which has flourished in the past decade.
Historically, dances are created as a response to music and usually exist in nightclubs or in communities as part of a culture. Hence, Brazil’s samba, Argentine tango, Austria’s Viennese waltz and the United States' swing including West Coast swing started as regional dances but eventually spread worldwide.
Generally, after a period of time, Dancesport organizations begin the tedious process of documenting the rhythm units, patterns, figures of the dances in order to standardize them for competition allowing judges to grade everyone with the same standards of dance, patterns, timing, position, etc. This process doesn’t always serve the dance forms well. At times, the creativity and spontaneity is removed in this process in order to achieve technical excellence and standardization of the form. However, it does make judging and learning the patterns, sequences and amalgamations easier since there are usually a finite number of figures per dance level with a few variations. This restrictive standardization does not exist in performance dancing.
Performance dance is the form that most closely fulfills the human need to express oneself artistically. The Arts include visual, auditory, written and movement/kinesthetic art forms. Some of the visual arts are painting, sculpture, installations and fashion. Auditory arts include music/instruments, voice/singing and oral poetry/stories. Written arts include poetry, fiction, non-fiction and journalism. The movement/kinesthetic arts include martial arts and dance, which expands out to ballet, modern, jazz, hip hop, social ballroom, folk and Cajun. Television, movies, videos, theatre and YouTube blend the arts to include music and dance or performance poetry, etc.
     Partner performance dancing blends the components of an ekphrasis art form, as a response to a piece of music, musicality, and the human need for aesthetics. Good technical dancing and aesthetics add to the experience of social dancing partnerships. With partner dancing, whether social or performance, the needs of the partner are paramount but also the human need of aesthetics, creating beautiful art together is important. There is considerable dialogue among dancers suggesting that aesthetic considerations conflict with attention to ones partner in dancing but I disagree.
     Dancing is organic; it is like an evolving kinesthetic story-telling between two people that is changed when it is observed like the "observer effect" in quantum physics* (see note on quantum physics below). The minute the dance is observed, the observer becomes part of the story. It is no longer a twosome but a threesome, etc. The partners do not lose sight of each other in order to show off but rather re-design the dance to include the observer, to entertain, to please and the evolving dance is permanently changed, transformed into a three-minute play of sorts with music, characters, audience and dancing!
The dialogue about why dancers dance and why people want to learn to dance should be expanded to include the immense complexities of human nature and not limited to what any one individual or group believes are the reasons. I hope the conversation will continue to grow and that new voices will add to the dialogue. It should be an ongoing discovery since no one has all the answers.
     My viewpoint was formed over the years through my deep appreciation and long lasting relationship with the arts. I have played the violin, sang in choruses, worked in an art classroom, performed in dance, taught dancing, choreographed dance routines, written poetry and short stories and acted in plays. I am looking forward to a day when I will have the time to oil paint! 
Dance is an art form. It is “poetry in motion.” It functions as a creative response, ekphrasis, to the art of music. It is a continuing story-telling among dancers that is created by dance partnerships and changed when observed by anyone.

* Quantum Physics’ Observer Effect (Wikipedia): “In physics the term observer effect refers to changes that the act of observation will make on the phenomenon being observed. This is often the result of instruments that, by necessity, alter the state of what they measure in some manner. This effect can be observed in many domains of physics.”

Additional dance info:
http://pwdancetime.blogspot.com/ or 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.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

DANCE KINESIOLOGY: THE ANKLES

       This dance blog article will include a definition and discussion of dance kinesiology followed by a short piece on using the ankles in dance. The study of muscular movement and mechanics of human motion is called kinesiology. It covers areas in sports, exercise, massage, injuries, sports medicine and dance.
       The study of sports kinesiology uses objective measurement like scores, time to achieve a goal or distance measurements while measurement in dance is more subjective with emphasis on aesthetics and expression. Also, the objective for sports is different than for dance. Dance is more of a language that communicates emotions, sensations, experiences and thoughts.
       In social dancing, the communication is between partners, while in dancesport it extends outward to the audience and focus is on aesthetics. Social dancing is communication through connection with attention to technique, form and aesthetics.
       In all forms of dancing, dancers benefit from a kinesthetic understanding of movement and the effect of gravity and force vectors. For instance, our kinesthetic abilities aid in soft landing in leaps but also how to move through our hips, knees and ankles to absorb shock from the floor and prevent injuries. Using the knees, hips and ankles keeps a dancer grounded and contributes to a better connection with the partner. Upcoming dance tips and blog articles will focus on hip and knee action while here the focus is on using the ankles in dance.
       Two ways that muscles work are flexion and extension. The muscles involved in flexion are referred to as flexors. Flexion is akin to bending a limb, e.g. bending our knees can be referred to as flexing the knees or flexing a muscle like an arm bending. In flexing there are muscles that are contracting and opposing ones that are stretching (lengthening). The muscles for extension are referred to as extensors. Extension is like straightening a limb, e.g. a straight leg or arm or pointing the toes.
       A thorough understanding of how the ankles are involved in dancing is essential for proper technique in dance. The human foot is complex and does not land on the floor like a hoof. Generally, it rolls onto the floor moving from the heel, instep, ball, toes or from the toes, ball, instep and heels. We transfer weight from one foot to the other by pushing off of the supporting foot in a peeling action; peeling off a foot and peeling onto a foot. The ankle also can roll inward or outward as in supination and pronation.
       In social ballroom dancing, we use the inside edge to the center blade of the foot and seldom if ever roll to the outside edge of the foot. While there is a difference in the foot action between smooth and rhythm dancing, both use flexion and extension of the feet through the ankle to lift off and land. Using the whole foot in a rolling action accomplishes a softening of the movement.
       The American style smooth dances (except Tango) use rise and fall with the knees flexing evenly so there is no Cuban hip action like the rhythm dances. The smooth dances that use less or no foot rise and fall like the Viennese waltz and tango, still use the ankles to accomplish flight through projection so the movement is lateral rather than vertical.
       The American style rhythm dances including the swing dances most often use a ball-flat footwork with a rolling action and no rise and fall. While the Latin dances like cha cha, rumba and mambo use a Cuban hip action with a knees flexion and extension, the swing dances use a swing hip action. Extension and flexion of the ankles and knees with a rolling footwork is absolutely necessary to achieve good technique in the rhythm and swing dances.
       West Coast swing dancers use flexion and extension of the knees, ankles and feet constantly while dancing to create and maintain good connection and form. Proper ankle action is crucial for establishing and keeping connection in West Coast swing. The aesthetics of West Coast swing is improved by using more flexion and extension in the knees, ankles and feet.  On all the beats, one knee is flexed while the other is in extension and before the weight is transferred the hip flexors are engaged, the foot is in extension as it is placed in position and the knee is in extension as the weight arrives onto the weighted foot.
       Using the ankles improves all dancing including social ballroom, swing, blues, Argentine tango, Latin dance, nightclub two-step, hustle, West Coast swing, country western, salsa, merengue, bachata, rhythm dances, Lindy hop, balboa and jitterbug.
       A synergy between the left and right hemispheres of the brain is necessary when learning to dance in order to merge the science of movement and the art of dance.

Additional dance info: https://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.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

DANCE LESSONS SAN DIEGO

"Selecting a dance studio in San Diego."

         In recent years, televised dancing on “Dancing with the Stars” and other television shows has popularized the world of ballroom dancing, aka, social partner dancing. This has led to a dramatic increase in interest for dancing and dance lessons. While TV shows portray the glamour and glitz of Hollywood stars and Dancesport, there are many people who would like to add dancing to their lives without having to do Olympic type training.
In 1997, the International Olympic Committee recognized the International DanceSport Federation as the sole body for dancesport. However, it has not been included in the Olympics to date. It is important to establish which arena of dance you are interested in before taking your first dance lesson in San Diego.
There are three arenas of dance lessons: social dance lessons, performance dance lessons or competition dance lessons, aka, dancesport. So first make a decision as to why you want to learn to dance. Social dancing is a good way to socialize, exercise and meet new friends. Some people prefer sports and the challege of dancesport, other prefer a more artistic endeavor as can be found in performance dancing. An important distinction to learn early is that dancesport is not social dancing. When you watch dancesport, remember it is NOT social dancing, it is a competitive sport.
Here are some tips for selecting a quality dance studio and/or dance instructor for social partner dance lessons in San Diego. There are several types of dance lessons including: private (individual) dance lessons, group class dance lessons, semi-private dance lessons, workshop dance lessons and warm up dance lessons (workshops) at dance parties.
There are several dance genres including American style rhythm and smooth dance, Nightclub dancing, International style Latin and standard dancing, Country Western dancing and even Cajun or Blues dancing.
American style dancing is done socially, competitively and for performances. It includes two divisions: rhythm and smooth dancing. The rhythm dances are rumba, cha cha, mambo, bolero, East Coast swing, samba and West Coast swing. These are the classifications used at competitions and by some dance organization. I like to separate the swing dances into their own category including Lindy hop, shag, West and East Coast swing and jive. The American style smooth dances include: foxtrot, waltz, tango and Viennese waltz.
The Nightclub dances include the Hustle and NightClub Two Step but other Latin and swinng dances are often included like salsa, bachata, merengue and the East Coast swing, West Coast swing, Lindy hop, Carolina shag, St. Louis shag and balboa. Argentine tango dancing is often included in the Nightclub dance category.
The International style dance lessons in San Diego are divided into two categories. Latin dance includes the rumba, cha cha, samba, jive and paso doble. The standard dances include the waltz, foxtrot, tango, quickstep and Viennese waltz.
Cajun dance lessons in San Diego include Cajun waltz, jig and zydeco.
After you have decided what type of dancing you are interested in, it is important to look for the right type of dance studio and/or professional dance instructor. The various dance studios in San Diego specialize in different areas of dance.
Some of the dance studios feature mostly dancesport with an emphasis on International Latin and standard dance lessons. There are a few San Diego dance studios and/or dance instructors that specialize in performance dancing with dance lessons, dance workshops and rehearsals geared toward a particular performance. A few dance studios in San Diego specialize in social dance lessons featuring American style rhythm and smooth dance lessons, nightclub dance lessons, swing dance lessons and country western dance lessons.
Once you have determined the right dance genre for yourself then it’s time to check out the dance lessons offered at the San Diego dance studios. The local dance studios are spread out across the county so you can find a dance studio in La Mesa, North County Inland and Coastal plus in the heart of San Diego including Kearny Mesa, Hillcrest and Baypark.
I recommend you choose a storefront dance studio and not a room in an apartment, converted garage or someone’s living room.  Check out the dance studio’s on the web, look at their websites and their online presence including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.  Look for a dance studio with a longstanding good reputation, ask your family, friends and co-workers for a recommendation. Some dance studios crop up when lease prices are low and vanish in a short period time. 
Go and check out the dance facility, do they have a floating hardwood floor that  provides the appropriate comfort for your feet and legs. Is there a professional sound system, good acoustics, a comfortable large space, a courteous office staff, greeters, adequate lighting and parking, reasonable fees, a professional dance staff, and are the policies fair and clear. Most independent dance studios do not use contracts for private or group class dance lessons. Remember to ask the studio their refund policy.
Here are some tips on selecting a professional dance instructor in San Diego. Check their website or ask for a resume or bio. Find out if they are associated with a professional association or dance studio. Ask them what they specialize in, for example, American or International dancing, social or competitive dance lessons, etc. 
Also, inquire where they learned to teach dancing and if they teach social dancing. Find out if they offer dance classes, individual lessons and semi-private lessons and how long they have been teaching including how many hours per week on average they teach dance. It is important to know if they have been trained to teach or are competitors turned teacher.
Many dance instructors teach part time, find out if they teach full-time or part time and who taught them to teach. Check out their dance classes, workshops and dance students. For social dance instruction, it is important to know if they teach lead/follow techniques rather than fancy dance sequences for dance couples or dance competitors.
It is important to determine if they use current teaching methods like conceptual learning and kinesiology or do they still use a rote dance pattern learning system.  Make sure to find out if their emphasis is dancesport or social dance, American or International style dance lessons. Can you find them in San Diego advertisements like Yellowpages.com, online newspapers, Google or PPC ads and do they offer online discounts.
Check to see if they have taught at the colleges and Universities, on the faculty in the dance and music departments or in the recreation departments or ballroom dance clubs. Find out if they have taught in the schools, community centers or private colleges.
        One of the important questions to ask, is do they continue to train and update their knowledge of dance instruction to stay current. Where or with what organizations do they continue to improve their dance teaching, revise their methods and update their dancing and dance teaching. 
        Most importantly, learning to dance should be a pleasurable experience that contributes to your fun, fitness and friendships. Find a dance community that fits your needs. Keep looking until you find the right fit for you. Live long and dance!

More info about dance at: https://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.

Monday, May 23, 2011

A PASSION FOR LATIN DANCING!

What is Latin dancing? There are two definitions for Latin dance. One is used to refer to the International Latin competition dances: cha cha, rumba, samba, jive and paso doble. The other definition is used more generally to refer to the dances that originated in South America, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and other places in the Caribbean. These Latin dances include the mambo, cha cha, salsa, merengue, rumba, bolero, samba and bachata. There are many more Latin dances but these are the dances most often danced in the U.S. in social dance communities and Latin dance performances.

For our purposes we will use the second definition. In American rhythm competition the Latin dances include: cha cha, rumba, bolero and, at times, merengue and samba. We will discuss the American style Latin social dances in this article.

Many of these dances originated or became popular in the early 20th century. However, most have earlier roots in the music and rhythms that preceded the current forms of the dances.

Mambo music is rumored to have started in the 1930’s in Cuba and was heavily influenced by Jazz musicians. It spread to Mexico City and New York and eventually evolved from its original form to include a break step on count two after dance studios in the U.S. formalized the dance.

The cha cha also originated in Cuba in the early nineteen fifties from Cuban music with a split fourth beat. The dancers introduced a chasse danced on beats 4 & 1 with a break step on count 2 like mambo. Cha cha is danced to Latin pop or rock but can also be danced to contemporary music like rock, disco, soul or pop. It is a favorite in venues that offer Latin music dance nights.

The rumba evolved when African and Spanish rhythms were combined from dances done in the 1920’s and 30’s. It took it current form in the late 1940’s. Also, rumba bolero evolved but is danced to slower rumba style music. The bolero is a unique Latin dance in that it incorporates Cuban hip action, rise and fall, and contra body movement more so than the box rumba or cha cha.

Samba originated in Bahia, Brazil and became popular in the 1930’s even though there were forms of the samba danced in the early 20th century. Samba music incorporates African rhythms. The samba is often danced in Carnival celebrations throughout Brazil and across the globe. The samba is not spot dance like most of the Latin dances but instead travels around the ballroom line of dance. The samba has a unique hip action that differs from mambo, cha cha or rumba.

The rumba, cha cha, samba, bolero are considered classic American style ballroom dances while the salsa, merengue and bachata are considered more nightclub or street dances. This may be significant in that ballroom dance studios generally attempt to standardize dances in order to teach them to everyone. This formalization is a process, which many dances have gone through, starting as street dances and moving into a more formal style that is documented by dance educators. A recent dance genre that went through this process was the Country Western two-step. 

The salsa Latin dance is very popular today. It originated in the 1970’s heavily influenced by Eddie Torres. The salsa evolved from mambo and is similar but the break step is often done on count one instead of two. The knee and hip action are not as staccato as in mambo or cha cha. Salsa is probably the most popular nightclub Latin style dance in the U.S. currently. In most salsa dance venues you will also find people dancing merengue and the bachata.

The merengue originated in the Dominican Republic but may have been influenced by Haitian dance rhythms. It is a walking style dance with softened knees bending in an alternating fashion to achieve a Cuban hip action. The music almost always accompanies salsa dance music in Latin dance venues.

The bachata has become very popular in the last decade. It originated in the Dominican Republic in a different form in the 1950’s but slowly evolved to its current form around 2000. Bachata music is a Caribbean style music that uses a three step followed by a tap or hold on count four. Sometimes a hip pop is used on the fourth beat. The bachata is rapidly becoming one of the most popular dances today.

The Latin dances, generally are spot dances rather than dances that move down the line of dance like the smooth dances, waltz, foxtrot, tango and Viennese waltz. The exception is samba, which does move around the dance floor. The dance frame is slightly more relaxed than the smooth dances and the body below the rib cage has freedom to move using hip motion. The knees alternate bending in most of the Latin dances and the ankles are uses to achieve lateral movement and to press into the floor. In most of the Latin dances, there are no heel leads. The Latin dances generally use static balance rather than body flight.

Dancers often choose Latin dances for performances because of their inherent beauty. The art of Latin dancing is witnessed even in social settings as dancers often move into a one or two hand position allowing for graceful, ballet-like or jazz arm movements, pointing of the feet, turn out of the leg and sway creating very graceful, sensual movements plus a certain amount of spontaneous choreography.

Other dance genres are strongly influenced by the Latin dances like hustle, which is sometimes called Latin hustle. The East Coast style of hustle, New York hustle, uses considerable Latin technique. Also, nightclub two-step used sway and hip movement early in its evolution in the 1970’s, although it uses less in its current form. Latin dance styling has also influenced West Coast swing and Argentine tango.

Why Latin dance? The Latin dances can be done on smaller dance floors like cruises, nightclubs and at weddings. Many couples are choosing Latin songs to dance at their weddings and requesting salsa, bachata and merengue for their wedding dance.

Also, there are many health benefits gained from dancing in general but Latin dancing has some specific health benefits from the body mechanics used for Latin styling. The hip flexors are constantly working to achieve hip movement and the lats are strengthened as a result of the work they do to maintain a lifted sternum. There are isometric benefits from the physical connection used in the compression and leverage used to achieve connection while dancing with a partner particularly in one or two hand position. The Latin dances also increase flexibility in the torso, hips, knees, ankles, shoulders and feet by the stretching required while performing many of the movements in the Latin dances.

Latin music is very popular currently, especially the salsa, cha cha, merengue and bachata. There are many dance clubs featuring Latin music throughout the U.S. and abroad. There are Latin dance venues available every night of the week in San Diego, California. Also, most dance studios offer Latin dance parties and ballroom dance venues always include a lot of Latin music on their playlists. Passion reigns supreme in the Latin dances. Many social dancers possess a true lifelong passion for the Latin dances including myself.

So, shall we Latin dance? Which is your favorite Latin dance: Mambo, cha cha, rumba, samba, bolero, salsa, merengue or bachata?

(All or part of this article can be reprinted or used for dance education if is attributed, credited to the author, Pattie Wells). For additional dance articles go to http://www.dancetime.com/ or www.pwdancetime.blogspot.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.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

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 16th century but the most notable dance, the Minuet, emerged in the middle 17th century and was popular until the end of the 18th 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 20th 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.