Who says the French can’t be Spanish? Witness the Paso Doble. Meaning double step in Spanish, this ballroom dance for couples is set to Spanish march music that is reminiscent of a bullfight in the heart of Spain.
Latin culture is considered by many to be the epitome of passion and romance. The great Rudolph Valentino was known as the Latin Lover, and made famous the Tango from Argentina, although he was actually Italian.
Dancesport Competitions Competitive ballroom dancers invest just as much time as they do money in honing their artistic craft. Dancers can spend endless hours practicing before ever stepping foot onto the dance floors of some of the most prestigious competitions throughout the world. Competitions are organized in such a way that each couple is given the chance to showcase all of their hard work at the appropriate competitive level.
Everyone knows how to dance the Cha Cha, even if they have never danced before in their life. Everyone knows the beat, One, Two, CHA-CHA-CHA! In fact, when it first caught on in America around 1954, it was known as the Cha Cha Cha.
The most romantic images are conjured up in ones mind whenever someone mentions the Waltz. Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, and countless others offered their renditions of this supremely elegant expression of dance. Today, we refer to that eminent expression of romance as the slow Waltz. Yet in the beginning, this sentimental dance of the heart was roundly condemned as scandalous due to the closed position of the dancers, the rapid pace and the incessant twirling. Women had heretofore been kept at arms length ” literally!
In the world of ballroom dancing, there is no dance more classically American than the Foxtrot. While ballroom dancing in general originated in Europe, the Foxtrot began as part a unique vaudeville act. Although it is generally considered “the most popular social dance,” in fact, it wasnt originally a partner dance at all! We owe the Foxtrot to its creator, an American entertainer named Harry Fox. Harry (whose real name was Arthur Carringford) didnt exactly have an ideal childhood. He was out on his own by the age of 15. He began his entertainment career in a short run with the circus and was briefly a professional baseball player. He got into vaudeville when a music publisher liked the way he sang and he performed in theatre in San Francisco.
John Travolta. White Suit. Legs apart. Finger pointing in the air. Who can ever forget the poster for Saturday Night Fever, the movie that epitomized the 1970s? Disco balls, polyester suits, and the Hustle were all the rage.
They say, If you can walk, you can do the Merengue! Thats hardly surprising, given the legend of its origin. The story goes that a soldier returning from war was honored with a large homecoming dance. Unfortunately, his leg was wounded, so he could only step with his good leg, then drag his other leg to where he was standing. The resulting step, step, left, right, left, right pattern in time with the 4/4 music gave rise to the Merengue.
Dont let your mother catch you doing the Rumba! This is a dance of raw sexuality and aggressive eroticism. In fact, I believe there are several states that require you to be married to dance the Rumba together. Of course, as with most dances of this nature, the ballroom version significantly tones things down a bit.
Whether its the Rumba, Mambo, Cha Cha, Salsa or Merengue, theres a lot more to Latin dancing that simply learning the steps. While all of these styles are great fun to dance, in order to master any of them, you have to develop what is known as the Cuban Motion. Although somewhat hard to describe, the Cuban Motion is like what they used to say about a rattlesnake, Youll know it when you see it.