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VIENNESE WALTZ
The Viennese Waltz began in the 17th Century.
It comes from Vienna, from the Alp region of Austria and also from the southern
part of Germany that is called Bavaria. It was then danced with a lot of
distance between the partners, almost like a Latin Hold. It slowly moved
towards France and the French brought the partners closer together when dancing
the Viennese Waltz (the hip joints actually touch). At that time, this change
was quite scandalous. Later, in the 18th century, when it moved to America, the
Americans felt that bringing the dance still closer would help them dance it better.
In 1816, at the palace of the Prince Regent in London, the Viennese Waltz was
performed for the first time in public. This close style of dance was heavily
criticized by the public. In 1866, a popular English magazine ‘Belgravia’
criticized the Viennese Waltz, calling it a horrifying, wicked dance.
Fortunately, Queen Victoria was a keen ballroom dancer and had a special place
in her heart for the Viennese Waltz, which made it more acceptable to the
public.
In 1924, when the Standard Ballroom Dance Association
was formed, to make Viennese Waltz more popular they reduced its tempo and
called it the ‘Waltz’ or the ‘ English Waltz’ or the ‘Modern Waltz’.
The Viennese Waltz has a speed of 60 beats per minute.
The Waltz, on the other hand, has a speed is 30 beats per minute.
The Waltz, on the other hand, has a speed is 30 beats per minute.
Both the Viennese Waltz and the Waltz have a count of 1 2
3.
The mood of both these dances is – ‘ROMANCE’.
The mood of both these dances is – ‘ROMANCE’.
JIVE
Like the cha cha, the Jive has no country of
origin. The mix of the Jive is similar to BOOGIE, JITTERBUG, WEST COAST SWING, LINDY
HOP and most of all the ROCK ‘n’ ROLL… To dance the Jive effectively, one must
be able to do a great mix of all… the Jive is a FUN FILLED… CARE FREE… and a
RELAXED dance…
In 1954, The Latin American Ballroom
Association mixed the all the above dances, and came up with the JIVE, keeping
it either fast or slow depending upon the interpretation of music, style and
choreography.
The Jive is one of the fastest of all the
Latin American dances with a speed of 44 beats per minute. This dance, with all
of its kicks and flicks, requires a tremendous amount of stamina.
Its count is 1 2 3A 4 5A 6.
The mood of Jive is – ‘FUN’
The mood of Jive is – ‘FUN’
CHA CHA CHA
The Cha Cha Cha has no particular country of
origin. It is an offshoot of this dance called the ‘Mambo’. When the Mambo was
danced with a double leg movement people gave this dance the name ‘Triple
Mambo’.
In 1954, the Latin American Ballroom
Association accepted Triple Mambo as one of their dances by setting rules and
regulations, and changing its name from Triple Mambo to CHA CHA CHA making it a
FLIRTY… NAUGHTY… SPICY and a very RHYTHMICAL dance, filled with lots of zest,
hip action and high speed maneuvers…. That’s why its music is very INVITING and
MISCHIEVOUS … and it is called the CHEEKY Cha Cha Cha….
Cha Cha is a medium paced dance with a speed of 32 BPM.
Its count is 2 3cha cha 1.
The mood of Cha Cha is – ‘NAUGHTY’
The mood of Cha Cha is – ‘NAUGHTY’
FOXTROT
Harry Fox, an actor-comedian born in 1882,
brought popularity to the Foxtrot. In 1904, Harry moved from San Francisco to
New York after a massive fire and earthquake hit San Francisco. Harry chose to
move to New York to fulfill his dream to act in plays. He had joined theater in
1902. He partnered up with Dolly, a singer and dancer from a band called
Sisters, to dance to ragtime music in nightclubs for extra money. In 1914,
cinema was becoming mainstream and theatre was beginning to fade. To draw
people back to the theatres, the play directors asked Harry Fox and Dolly to
dance between plays and during intermissions. One fine day, Harry Fox came up
with a style that looked and sounded like a Horses Trot. People appreciated
that step and copied it to dance it in public and gave it the name ‘Fox’s
Trot’. That is where the name ‘Foxtrot’ came from.
In 1924, the Standard Ballroom Dance Association took the
Foxtrot under their wing and set standards for it, making it even more popular.
Foxtrot is danced at the speed of 30 beats per minute.
It is counted in Slows and Quicks.
Its mood is – ‘SOCIAL’.
Its mood is – ‘SOCIAL’.
TANGO
The word ‘Tango’ is thought to be of African origin and
denotes a ‘Meeting Place’ or ‘Special Place’. However, the Tango itself is not
African in origin. The Tango actually comes from Argentina.
Passionate, sensual and tantalizing, the tango is many
things to many people. In the 19th Century due to war and economic uncertainty,
many Europeans were moving to South America to start new lives. By 1914, the
Europeans had out numbered the natives of Argentina. There were also many more
men in Buenos Aires than women. Fifty men for each woman. So, to get more women
to dance with them, men started to hire café waitresses.
Soon, women started to dance only for money
and not for the pleasure of dance. They would hold themselves back, grounding
themselves so that it became difficult for the man to move them around the floor.
That got the men angry, which is why the mood of the Tango is ‘Passionate yet
Angry’. The knees bent position of the men that dance the Tango is because of
the gaucho’s (cow boys’) boots that had hardened from excessive use. The lady
would have her head turned away due to the excessive sweating of the man.
In 1924, a movie titled ‘The Four Horse Men’
starring Rudolph Valentino made people notice the Tango. In 1930, the Standard
Ballroom Association accepted Tango as one of their official dances by making
lots of changes in its style and calling it the ‘Modern Tango’.
They gave it a speed of 33 BPM.
It is counted in Slows and Quicks.
Keeping the mood the same – ‘Passionate yet Angry’.
Keeping the mood the same – ‘Passionate yet Angry’.
