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We will be holding our ballroom mix party 8 p.m. this Friday.
Beginner Argentine Tango class is at 7 p.m.
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STUDIO CLASSES:
• Salsa
Tuesday nights in August will feature Salsa taught by Ashley starting at 8 p.m.
• Waltz
Wednesday nights in August will have Beginner Waltz starting at 7 p.m. with Ashley.
• Hustle
Thursday nights in August will have Intermediate Hustle starting at 7 p.m. with Ashley.
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Studio B in the PRESS:
International Latin: These dances are the standardized worldwide versions of the Latin American dances. In competition they are Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, Pasodoble and Jive.
Cha Cha: When the English dance teacher Pierre Lavelle visited Cuba in 1952, he realized that sometimes the Rumba was danced with extra beats. When he returned to Britain, he started teaching these steps as a separate dance.
The Cha Cha and the Rumba have the same basic steps; they are just danced to a different rhythm. The Rumba is romantic whereas the Cha Cha is bright and lively.
It should be a cheeky dance. Individually dancing, not much touching. Very synchronized movements, working in parallel with each other. Lots of bum and leg action. The legs should not be outside the body frame.
Samba: It is believed that the word "Samba" is derived from a West African Bantu word, meaning to pray or invoke the spirits of their ancestors. It is rumored to be a dance that can excite people to such an extent; it sends them into a trance. It is danced annually at the Rio Carnival in Brazil.
Should see lots of bounce action There should be lots of wiggly bums and hip action The Samba is based on a bounce action - a softness in the legs Should be very rhythmical It's a party dance - and should give this feeling Very much in unison Its not so clipped as other Latin dances Lots of outstretched arms Ends with throwing of heads back and arms splayed out to side There should be a good balance of moving steps and stationary steps.
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.
The Cha Cha and the Rumba have the same basic steps; they are just danced to a different rhythm. The Rumba is romantic whereas the Cha Cha is bright and lively The Rumba should portray romance and therefore have good interplay between the dancers The Rumba is danced on the unaccented beat (dance on the 2nd not the 1st) Hip Action: This is not just a wiggle of the bum. The hip action comes from the flexing and straightening of the legs No Heel leads: This means that the dancers must not walk on the heels of their feet. It must go ball flat onto ball of foot
Some of the basic steps are the forward basic and the back basic, Hip twists, Spot turns, Fan position, New Yorker, Cucaracha, and lots of slow style body shapes.
Pasodoble: The Pasodoble is based on the Bullfight. The man represents the bullfighter, "Torero" and the lady the red cape or "cappa". It is danced to the characteristic march music used for procession at the beginning of a corrida.
Should have a flavor of Spain the dance should be very dramatic. Marching beat, matches movement of the bodies. Sharp movements. As in the Tango we should see lots of sharp movements this is the dance of the bull fight. The man should act as the matador and the lady as the cape. The lady should move around the man. The lady can however at times adopt the role of the matador 70% of the time the woman will be imitating the cloak or cape of the matador. The other 30% of the time she is either the bull, a Spanish dancer or a matador as well. If she is a matador, she still never fights or challenges the man. When they are doing the same thing she is more like his shadow Flamenco. The dance should have elements of Flamenco dancing - this is all in the footwork.
Some of the basic steps are the apel, Should be lots of artistic hand movements, very definite and defined lines, walks (very strong and proud). All of the walks should be on the heels, with strong heel leads.
Jive: Jive is a rhythmical and swinging dance, which was influenced by the Boogie, Rock & Roll, African/American Swing and the Lindy hop. The roots of the Jive are in New York's Harlem. It is the fastest of the Latin dances and should show lots of kicks and flicks and twirling of the woman. Although on first impression it might look like the feet are all over the place in every direction, the feet/legs should actually be under the body and the knees should always be close together. Jive doesn't move around the dance floor like other dances.
The basic movement is chassez to the left chassez to the right and a rock step (changing weight from one foot to the other). Look out for the flick, ball, change movement - where you stand on one foot and kick down at the same time. Look out for the distinctive kick action in jive where toes are always pointed to the ground when kicking. Watch out for the American Spin - when the man lets go of the lady and lets her spin on her own.
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International Standard: This is the worldwide version of the Ballroom dances. These are the Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot and Quickstep.
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 13th (1601-1643) even had it banned from court on this account.
The footwork and steps should be kept very simple we should be able to see a slight swaying action from the couple - a musical lilt - a gentle rise and fall. Mimics riding on the crest of a wave - the movement's more on the progression we should see lots of rotation. Basic steps of the Waltz consist of natural and reverse turns and change steps.
Tango: The Ballroom Tango draws its inspiration from the Argentine Tango. This style of Tango is thought to have been demonstrated in Paris in about 1906, but it was the Argentinean playboy Ricardo Guiraldes in 1910/1911 who really caught the popular imagination.
The modifications to the dance created sharp, strong movements, which were meant to represent the dances performed by the gauchos (cowboys) of Argentina, whose leather leggings [or chaps] hardened from the foam and sweat of their horse's body, causing them to walk with flexed knees, it's not fluid like a waltz. At night they would go to the local bars and brothels, to ask the ladies to dance, but since the gaucho hadn't washed for weeks, 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. Ballroom Tango was the first dance to be codified as a ballroom dance in the 1920's, and later, additional staccato movements were added in the 1950's to produce the Ballroom Tango as danced today.
Basic steps of the Tango are walks, links, rock turns, promenade positioning.
Viennese Waltz: The Viennese Waltz, is the oldest of all ballroom dances. It emerged in the second half of the 18th century from the German dance and the Ländler in Austria. In the beginning was disapproved-of on account of its "lasciviousness", e.g. because the ladies' ankles were visible. Later it gained official acceptance and even popularity due to the famous compositions by Josef Lanner, Johann Strauss I and his son, Johann Strauss II. The difference between Viennese Waltz and regular Waltz is that it's faster tempo and there is no rise and fall.
Distinct moves are sweeping turns that gracefully move around the floor characterize this dance. The Viennese Waltz is known for its rotational movement, which is simple and elegant. There should be no foot rise on the inner turns. Rotating and swinging spatial movements.
Foxtrot: During the summer of 1914, actor Harry Fox was appearing in shows in New York with Yansci Dolly, in an act of Hammerstein's. 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".
The dance should flow, a very smooth dance - there should be no jerkiness. Timing - slow, quick, quick, slow. The dancers should drive off on the slow and let the quicks take care of themselves. Trotting steps, very up and down Fixed expressions on the faces of the dancers.
Basic movements of the foxtrot are, weave feather step, reverse and natural turns and lines should be clean and elegant. The dance also need to travel and cover most of the floor.
Quickstep: During the 1920s many bands played the Quickstep 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 we today call the Quickstep.
The Quickstep should be a light, bright dance with tricky footwork. The dancers should look like they are dancing on hot coals - most of the moves should be up on the toes because of the speed.
The basic feel is slow, quick, quick, slow, quick, quick. The majority of the slow should be taken on the heel; the majority of the quick should be taken on the toe. There should be lots of fast moving steps which are generally made up of locks and chassez with synchronised timing.
Basic moves are chassez, turning lock steps, spin turn, natural turns and reverse turns and variations, runs.
If you have any immediate questions, please E-mail us or give us a call at 573.441.2220
