Some Dance Definitions

Argentine Tango

Argentine Tango was the first tango style, and of course it developed in Argentina, during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.  There was nothing proper or high-society about this rhythm.  It was an earthy, emotional dance that has been associated with the gauchos (cowboys) of the pampas, African slaves who had been brought to the country, the bars and brothels of working-class neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires, and even criminal sub-cultures of the city.

More than any other Tango style or dance, the Argentine Tango is an expression of the relationship between a man and a woman.

The famous Argentine Tango choreographer, Juan Carlos Copes, once said,

 

'The tango is a man and woman in search of each other. It is the search for an embrace, a way to be together, when the man feels that he is a male and the woman feels that she is a female, without machismo.

She likes to be led; he likes to lead. Disagreements may occur later or they may not. When that moment comes, it is important to have a positive and productive dialogue, fifty-fifty.

The music arouses and torments, the dance is the coupling of two people, defenceless against the world and powerless to change things.'

Argentine Tango consisits of a variety of styles that developed in different regions and eras of Argentina and Uruguay.  The dance developed in response to many cultural elements, such as the crowding of the venue and even the fashions in clothing. The styles are mostly danced in either open embrace, where lead and follow connect at arms length, or close embrace, where the lead and follow connect chest-to-chest.

Different styles of Argentine Tango are:

  • Tango Canyengue
  • Tango Liso
  • Tango Salon
  • Tango Orillero
  • Tango Milonguero (Tango Apilado)
  • Tango Nuevo 
  • Show Tango (also known as Fantasia)

These are danced to several types of music:

  • Tango 
  • Vals (the tango version of waltz)
  • Milonga (a related dance that usually has a faster tempo)
  • Tango Electronico

  • "Alternative Tango", i.e. non-tango music appropriated for use in the dance.

Bolero

Bolero is a smooth, sophisticated, sentimental love dance.The emphasis is on smoothness and graceful turns with much communication between partners.The slower music to which it is performed enhances the feeling of romance.Bolero has the same Afro-Cuban roots as the Rumba and is thought to have originated from Cuba or Spanish folk dances such as the Danzon and Beguine. Originally a Spanish dance in 3/4 time, it was changed in Cubainitially into 2/4 time then eventually into 4/4.

It is now present as a very slow type of Rumba rhythm.It combines controlled movement with dramatic expression of the music.The dancelooks like a slow salsa, with a taste of tango,and has got easy patterns. Its long sweeping side steps anduseof rise and fall create a softnessthat makes this dance unique among theRhythm (Latin)dances. The expanding and contracting dance position makes a very dramaticand romantic statement.

The music is frequently arranged with Spanish vocals and a subtle percussion effect, usually implemented with guitar, conga or bongos.

Hustle

The Hustle (Disco) is a member of the Swing family, and is danced to the contemporary pop dance music of the last 30 years. It isa fast, smooth dance,with the lady spinning almost constantly, while her partner draws her close and sends her away.

The name 'Hustle' was originally a Line Danceof the same name. The‘couples dance’, is said to have come from Florida with the Cubans, that was to later steal the name when the movie 'Saturday Night Fever' hit the scene in 1978. Hustle wasthen a mixture of Latin and Swing, mixed to the modern Disco beat.At this time, a variety of Hustles were popular – New York Hustle, Rope Hustle, Latin Hustle, American Hustle, and Tango Hustle.

The easiest versionwas called 'Rope Hustle', a 4-count stylethat fits perfectly to the music in four-four time,similar to nowadays in the UK the very popular 'French Jive'butwith more explanation on what to do with the feet.

Today one style dominates around the world – a 3-count style, called 'New York Street Hustle'.

4-count Hustle has all the same patterns as 3-count Hustle, with all of the same ladies turns and arm movements, it is only slower and with its simple footwork easier to learn.

In our classes we start with the 4-count style followed by the 3-count style in the intermediate/advanced classes.

Mambo / Salsa

Mambo is at the rootsof the Salsadance and is a part of the American Rhythm group of American Style ballroom dances.  The Mambo is a spot dance and the steps are quite compact.

Mambo is aLatin dance of Cuban originthat corresponds to Mambo music. It is rhythmically similar to the slower Bolero, though it has a more complex pattern of steps. The saxophone usually sets the syncopated rhythm, while the other brass carries the melody.

In the late 1940s, a musician named Perez Prado came up with the dance for the mambo musicand became the first person to market his music as "mambo". After Havana, Prado moved his music to Mexico, and then New York City. Along the way, his style became increasingly homogenized in order to appeal to mainstream American listeners.

There were two forms of mambo dance:single and triple (sometimes called double mambo). The former one has been retained as modern mambo;the later one is thought to be an origin of the Cha Cha Cha.

Mambo returned to prominence in the 1995when Guinnessused Perez Prado's track Guaglione in an advertising campaignfeaturing the dancing of Dublin actor Joe McKinney. The songwas released as a single and reached number 2 in the UK charts. In 1999, Lou Bega released a cover version of Mambo No. 5, another Prado original, which became a hit across Europe.

The Salsa dance structure is largely associated with mambo type patterns. The word Salsa means sauce, denoting a "hot" flavour, and is best distinguished from other Latin music styles by defining it as the New York sound developed by Puerto Rican musicians in New York.

Nightclub Two-Step

Is one of the most practical and versatile social dances ever conceived. It is designed to be used with contemporary soft rock ('Love Song') music. This simple romantic dance fills a gap where no other ballroom dance fits. It gives the dancer, either beginner or advanced, the opportunity to express and create without a rigid technique being required. It's attractive, romantic, and a real asset to learn since it will be used often.

West Coast Swing

It is believed that the origins of the WCS are in Lindy Hop, the father of all Swing dances.  When Swing fell out of mainstream's consideration as pop music around the 50s and was replaced by rock and roll, dancers on American's West Coast began using swing moves to the new pop music, thus changing the dance and bringing about the variation now known as WCS.  It is a slotted dance: the follower travels back and forth along a shoulder width rectangle, called the slot, with respect to the leader.  The leader is more stationary but will move in and out of the slot depending on the pattern led.

In practice, WCS may be danced to almost any music in 4/4 time, usually to medium tempo, slower than East Coast Swing (Jive).  Such diverse musical genres as soul, funk, rock and roll, pop and disco may be found in a typical evening of dancing.

WCS is now becoming more and more popular around the UK, especially in the Modern Jive scene.