Latin Dance is one part of my life...I love the sensation that Latin dance give it to me =)
Now I can feel my passion of these dance even more after my injury of my left ankle..I really miss dancing...Should be able to dance soon...yeah!
Let's see what comprises the Latin Competition dance.
1)Rumba
A dance term with two quite different meanings.
First, it means Cuban event of African style, organically related to the rumba genre of Afro-Cuban music. There are several styles of this rumba, the most common being the guaguancó.
Second, it refers to one of the ballroom dances which occurs in social dance and in international competitions. In this sense, rumba is the slowest of the five competition Latin and American dances: the Paso doble, the Samba, the Cha-cha-chá and the Jive being the others. This ballroom rumba was also danced in Cuba to a rhythm they call the bolero-son.
The rumba as a social dance was introduced first in Britain and America: the versions differ somewhat. It is a slower dance of about 120 beats per minute which corresponds, both in music and in dance to what the Cubans of an older generation called the bolero-son. It is easy to see why, for ease of reference and for marketing, rumba is a better name, however inaccurate; it is the same kind of reason that led to the use of salsa as an overall term for popular music of Cuban origin.
All social dances in Cuba involve a hip-sway over the standing leg and, though this is scarcely noticeable in fast salsa, it is more pronounced in the slow ballroom rumba. This, at least, is authentic, as is the use of free arms in various figures. The figures derive from dance moves observed in Havana in the pre-revolutionary period, and have developed their own life since then. Competition figures are often extremely complex, and this is where competition dance separates from social dance.
2)Pasodoble
(literal meaning in Spanish: double-step) is a typical Spanish march-like musical style as well as the corresponding dance style danced by a couple. It is the type of music typically played in bullfights during the bullfighters' entrance to the ring (paseo) or during the passes (faena) just before the kill. The leader of this dance plays the part of the matador. The follower generally plays the part of the matador's cape, but can also represent the bull or a flamenco dancer in some figures.It corresponds to the Pasodoble dance (traditional and ballroom).Famous bullfighters have been honored with pasodoble tunes named after them. Others are inspired in patriotic motives or local characters..
Paso Doble, like Samba, is a progressive International Latin dance. The Paso Doble is the Latin dance most resembling the International Standard style, in that forward steps are taken with the heel lead, the frame is wider and more strictly kept up, and there is significantly different and less hip movement.
A significant number of Paso Doble songs are variants of España Cañi. The song has breaks in fixed positions in the song (two breaks at syllabus levels, three breaks and a longer song at Open levels). Traditionally Paso Doble routines are choreographed to match these breaks, as well as the musical phrases. Accordingly, most other ballroom Paso Doble tunes are written with similar breaks (those without are simply avoided in most competitions).
Because of its inherently choreographed tradition, ballroom Paso Doble for the most part danced only competitively, almost never socially — or at least not without sticking to some sort of previously-learned routine. This said, in Spain, France, Vietnam, Colombia and some parts of Germany to the west of the river Rhine, it is danced socially as a lead (not choreographed) dance.
3)Samba
A lively, rhythmical dance of Brazilian origin in 2/4 time danced under the Samba music. However, there are three steps to every bar, making the Samba feel like a 3/4 timed dance. Its origins include the Maxixe. There are two major streams of Samba dance that differ significantly: the modern Ballroom Samba, described in this article, and the traditional Samba of Brazil. The Brazilian Ballroom Samba is called "Gafieira".
The ballroom Samba is danced to music in 2/4 or 4/4 time. The basic movements are counted either 1-2 or 1-a-2, and are danced with a slight downward bouncing or dropping action. This action is created through the bending and straightening of the knees, with bending occurring on the beats of 1 and 2, and the straightening occurring on the "a". Samba is notable for its constantly changing rhythms however, with cross-rhythms being a common feature. Thus, common step values (in beats are):
3/4 1/4 1
3/4 1/4 3/4 1/4
1 1/2 1/2
3/4 1/2 3/4
As a ballroom dance, the samba is a partner dance. Ballroom samba, like other ballroom dances, is very disconnected from the origins and evolution of the music and dance that gives it its name. It is a form created for its suitability as a partner dance. The dance movements, which do not change depending on the style of samba music being played, borrows some movements from Afro-Brazilian traditional dances such those used in candomblé rituals and the chamadas of capoeira angola.
4) Cha-cha-cha
(in Spanish Cha-cha-chá) is a Latin American dance of Cuban origin.It corresponds to the cha-cha-cha music introduced by Cuban composer and violinist Enrique Jorrín. This rhythm was developed from the danzon by a syncopation of the fourth beat.
The dance teacher Pierre Zurcher Margolie ('Monsieur Pierre', who partnered with Doris Lavelle) from London visited Cuba in 1952 to find out how and what Cubans were dancing at the time. He noted that this new dance had a split 4th beat, and to dance it one started on the second beat, not the first. He brought this dance idea to England and eventually created what is known now as ballroom cha-cha-cha.The validity of his analysis is well established for that time, and some forms of evidence exist today. First, there is in existence film of Orquesta Jorrin playing to a cha-cha-cha dance contest in Cuba; second, the rhythm of the Benny More classic Santa Isabel de las Lajas written and recorded at about the same time is quite clearly synchopated on the fourth beat. Also, note that the slower bolero-son ("rumba") was always danced on the second beat.
However, many other numbers are syncopated on all beats, and permit dancers to do the chasse on the third beat, which some do.In traditional American Rhythm style, Latin hip movement is achieved through the alternate bending and straightening action of the knees, though in modern competitive dancing, the technique is virtually identical to the International Latin style. In the International Latin style, the weighted leg is almost always straight. The free leg will bend, allowing the hips to naturally settle into the direction of the weighted leg. As a step is taken, a free leg will straighten the instant before it receives weight. It should then remain straight until it is completely free of weight again.
5)Jive
A dance style in 4/4 time that originated in the United States from African-Americans in the early 1940s. It is a lively and uninhibited variation of the Jitterbug, a form of Swing dance.
In Ballroom dancing, Jive is one of the five International Latin dances. In competition it is danced at a speed of 44 bars per minute, although in other cases this is reduced to between 32 and 40 bars per minute.
Many of its basic patterns are similar to these of the East Coast Swing with the major difference of highly syncopated rhythm of the Triple Steps (Chasses), which use straight eighths in ECS and hard swing in Jive.Jive (or the correct term jitterbug jive) is named after a 30's Mickey Mouse cartoon where Mickey and Minnie danced a country style jitterbug. The name came from Jitterbugs being the dancers and Jive meaning 'fake'.
But, the dance steps are actually derived from country dancing. The turns and overhead moves are a direct descendant of some very old English country dances where couples cross over in a diagonal. Jive actually has nothing to do with the Lindy Hop, Charleston or any other body lead dance of the time, this is due to the dance being hand lead rather than body lead as in all the other swing dances of the 30's and 40's. Real 30's jive dancing features smooth, sliding footwork whereas later the footwork was not as smooth due to the dancers lifting their feet so as not to trip on rough floor boards or the local rough country entertainment establishments.
American soldiers brought these dances to Europe around 1940, where they swiftly found a following among the young. After the war, the boogie became the dominant form for popular music. It was, however, never far from criticism as a foreign, vulgar dance. The famous ballroom dancing guru, Alex Moore, said that he had "never seen anything uglier".
English instructors developed the elegant and lively Jive, danced to slightly slower music. In 1968 it was adopted as the fifth Latin dance in International competitions.The modern jive in the 1990's-present, is a very happy and boppy dance, the lifting of feet work and the bending of hips often occurs.The Jive is a fun and energetic latin/american dance, so technique wise you will need to be jumpy, yet keep your knees high after each chasse.Leaning with your top line will show your partner where you are going to go next.Even though this is one of the easier latin dances, you will still need to rock your hips from side to side, especially in counts 1 and 2.
Now I can feel my passion of these dance even more after my injury of my left ankle..I really miss dancing...Should be able to dance soon...yeah!
Let's see what comprises the Latin Competition dance.
1)Rumba
A dance term with two quite different meanings.
First, it means Cuban event of African style, organically related to the rumba genre of Afro-Cuban music. There are several styles of this rumba, the most common being the guaguancó.
Second, it refers to one of the ballroom dances which occurs in social dance and in international competitions. In this sense, rumba is the slowest of the five competition Latin and American dances: the Paso doble, the Samba, the Cha-cha-chá and the Jive being the others. This ballroom rumba was also danced in Cuba to a rhythm they call the bolero-son.
The rumba as a social dance was introduced first in Britain and America: the versions differ somewhat. It is a slower dance of about 120 beats per minute which corresponds, both in music and in dance to what the Cubans of an older generation called the bolero-son. It is easy to see why, for ease of reference and for marketing, rumba is a better name, however inaccurate; it is the same kind of reason that led to the use of salsa as an overall term for popular music of Cuban origin.
All social dances in Cuba involve a hip-sway over the standing leg and, though this is scarcely noticeable in fast salsa, it is more pronounced in the slow ballroom rumba. This, at least, is authentic, as is the use of free arms in various figures. The figures derive from dance moves observed in Havana in the pre-revolutionary period, and have developed their own life since then. Competition figures are often extremely complex, and this is where competition dance separates from social dance.
2)Pasodoble
(literal meaning in Spanish: double-step) is a typical Spanish march-like musical style as well as the corresponding dance style danced by a couple. It is the type of music typically played in bullfights during the bullfighters' entrance to the ring (paseo) or during the passes (faena) just before the kill. The leader of this dance plays the part of the matador. The follower generally plays the part of the matador's cape, but can also represent the bull or a flamenco dancer in some figures.It corresponds to the Pasodoble dance (traditional and ballroom).Famous bullfighters have been honored with pasodoble tunes named after them. Others are inspired in patriotic motives or local characters..
Paso Doble, like Samba, is a progressive International Latin dance. The Paso Doble is the Latin dance most resembling the International Standard style, in that forward steps are taken with the heel lead, the frame is wider and more strictly kept up, and there is significantly different and less hip movement.
A significant number of Paso Doble songs are variants of España Cañi. The song has breaks in fixed positions in the song (two breaks at syllabus levels, three breaks and a longer song at Open levels). Traditionally Paso Doble routines are choreographed to match these breaks, as well as the musical phrases. Accordingly, most other ballroom Paso Doble tunes are written with similar breaks (those without are simply avoided in most competitions).
Because of its inherently choreographed tradition, ballroom Paso Doble for the most part danced only competitively, almost never socially — or at least not without sticking to some sort of previously-learned routine. This said, in Spain, France, Vietnam, Colombia and some parts of Germany to the west of the river Rhine, it is danced socially as a lead (not choreographed) dance.
3)Samba
A lively, rhythmical dance of Brazilian origin in 2/4 time danced under the Samba music. However, there are three steps to every bar, making the Samba feel like a 3/4 timed dance. Its origins include the Maxixe. There are two major streams of Samba dance that differ significantly: the modern Ballroom Samba, described in this article, and the traditional Samba of Brazil. The Brazilian Ballroom Samba is called "Gafieira".
The ballroom Samba is danced to music in 2/4 or 4/4 time. The basic movements are counted either 1-2 or 1-a-2, and are danced with a slight downward bouncing or dropping action. This action is created through the bending and straightening of the knees, with bending occurring on the beats of 1 and 2, and the straightening occurring on the "a". Samba is notable for its constantly changing rhythms however, with cross-rhythms being a common feature. Thus, common step values (in beats are):
3/4 1/4 1
3/4 1/4 3/4 1/4
1 1/2 1/2
3/4 1/2 3/4
As a ballroom dance, the samba is a partner dance. Ballroom samba, like other ballroom dances, is very disconnected from the origins and evolution of the music and dance that gives it its name. It is a form created for its suitability as a partner dance. The dance movements, which do not change depending on the style of samba music being played, borrows some movements from Afro-Brazilian traditional dances such those used in candomblé rituals and the chamadas of capoeira angola.
4) Cha-cha-cha
(in Spanish Cha-cha-chá) is a Latin American dance of Cuban origin.It corresponds to the cha-cha-cha music introduced by Cuban composer and violinist Enrique Jorrín. This rhythm was developed from the danzon by a syncopation of the fourth beat.
The dance teacher Pierre Zurcher Margolie ('Monsieur Pierre', who partnered with Doris Lavelle) from London visited Cuba in 1952 to find out how and what Cubans were dancing at the time. He noted that this new dance had a split 4th beat, and to dance it one started on the second beat, not the first. He brought this dance idea to England and eventually created what is known now as ballroom cha-cha-cha.The validity of his analysis is well established for that time, and some forms of evidence exist today. First, there is in existence film of Orquesta Jorrin playing to a cha-cha-cha dance contest in Cuba; second, the rhythm of the Benny More classic Santa Isabel de las Lajas written and recorded at about the same time is quite clearly synchopated on the fourth beat. Also, note that the slower bolero-son ("rumba") was always danced on the second beat.
However, many other numbers are syncopated on all beats, and permit dancers to do the chasse on the third beat, which some do.In traditional American Rhythm style, Latin hip movement is achieved through the alternate bending and straightening action of the knees, though in modern competitive dancing, the technique is virtually identical to the International Latin style. In the International Latin style, the weighted leg is almost always straight. The free leg will bend, allowing the hips to naturally settle into the direction of the weighted leg. As a step is taken, a free leg will straighten the instant before it receives weight. It should then remain straight until it is completely free of weight again.
5)Jive
A dance style in 4/4 time that originated in the United States from African-Americans in the early 1940s. It is a lively and uninhibited variation of the Jitterbug, a form of Swing dance.
In Ballroom dancing, Jive is one of the five International Latin dances. In competition it is danced at a speed of 44 bars per minute, although in other cases this is reduced to between 32 and 40 bars per minute.
Many of its basic patterns are similar to these of the East Coast Swing with the major difference of highly syncopated rhythm of the Triple Steps (Chasses), which use straight eighths in ECS and hard swing in Jive.Jive (or the correct term jitterbug jive) is named after a 30's Mickey Mouse cartoon where Mickey and Minnie danced a country style jitterbug. The name came from Jitterbugs being the dancers and Jive meaning 'fake'.
But, the dance steps are actually derived from country dancing. The turns and overhead moves are a direct descendant of some very old English country dances where couples cross over in a diagonal. Jive actually has nothing to do with the Lindy Hop, Charleston or any other body lead dance of the time, this is due to the dance being hand lead rather than body lead as in all the other swing dances of the 30's and 40's. Real 30's jive dancing features smooth, sliding footwork whereas later the footwork was not as smooth due to the dancers lifting their feet so as not to trip on rough floor boards or the local rough country entertainment establishments.
American soldiers brought these dances to Europe around 1940, where they swiftly found a following among the young. After the war, the boogie became the dominant form for popular music. It was, however, never far from criticism as a foreign, vulgar dance. The famous ballroom dancing guru, Alex Moore, said that he had "never seen anything uglier".
English instructors developed the elegant and lively Jive, danced to slightly slower music. In 1968 it was adopted as the fifth Latin dance in International competitions.The modern jive in the 1990's-present, is a very happy and boppy dance, the lifting of feet work and the bending of hips often occurs.The Jive is a fun and energetic latin/american dance, so technique wise you will need to be jumpy, yet keep your knees high after each chasse.Leaning with your top line will show your partner where you are going to go next.Even though this is one of the easier latin dances, you will still need to rock your hips from side to side, especially in counts 1 and 2.
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