Ballroom
Dances
How
many times we have said no to an invitation to dance in a party or
in a ballroom and we lost a chance to have a good a time?
Dancing
comes up from the depth of time and it is as old as man is. In its
beginning it had a religious purpose but trought out the time it turned
out to be an art and at the same time many kinds of dances were developed
according to the different cultures all over the world. That is the
way we can define ballroom dances.
It
we take a close look to all these different rhythms, we will find
International and American Social styles. The American Style is much
more popular in the USA than in the International Style (also known
as English Style).
In turn, each one of those styles we group the ballroom dances according
to their musical characteristics:
For
the International Style we have Modern or Standard: Slow or English
Waltz, Viennesse Waltz, Fox Trot, Quick Step and European Tango (they
can only be danced with bodies close together).
For
the American Social Style, we have Smooth: Slow or Hesitation Waltz,
Viennesse Waltz, Fox Trot (in slow or quick manner) and American Tango.
All of these rhythms can be danced in open or close position, allowing
hands as well as arms to be free.
All
of these and many other rhythms come from other centuries but we have
only taking into account those which are danced currently, naming
them according to their elegance. The technique for both styles is
similar.
Latin
dances for the International Style: Rumba, Cha Cha, Paso Doble and
Jive (Swing). Those mentioned above required much more discipline
and technique due to the fact that their purpose is more centered
to competition.
Rhythm
fot the American Style: Rumbe, Bolero, Mambo, Cha Cha, Merengue and
Samba.
There are some differences between one or the other style which are
much more related to a social development than to esthetics criteria
and they differ from others for their sensuality and eroticism.
Swing
(they all of them pertain to American Style: Charleston, Carolina
Shag, Jimmy, Jitterburg, Lindy Hop, East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing,
Country Western, Boggie Woogie and Jive) and Hustle (Disco). The latter
is currently very fashionable today thanks to fusions and musical
transitions with Pop Latin Music. Thay have a larger variety of ways
and although they are part of competitions, they are much more aproppiated
and definitely the favourite for social dancing because of their joy
and vitality.
Elizabeth
Guerrero has studdied in depht the American Style in Arthur Murray
Dance Studio, by large the most important academy in the USA, teaching
a progressive method of learning which provides and approachement
to the marvellous world of dancing to those who, either because of
shyness or inexperience, have not been confident enough to take the
first steps, but this method will also be profitable to those who
want to explore and learn more about the different dancing techniques.
