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This HOT SEXY Latin dance (Salsa "On 2") is the current rising
fad and is one of the most popular social dances in New York
nowadays, as there are plenty of Latin clubs, and plenty of
great salsa dancers! Don't get it confused with "ballroom"
salsa!
Salsa/Mambo is the dance that came to popular attention in the
'40s, as Americans became fascinated with the exciting rhythms
emanating from Latin countries, like Cuba. For the mood of
Mambo, just think Havana in its heyday, and the famous
Palladium dancers of NYC in the '40s, '50s and '60s. Shines
refer to the fancy steps that partners do when they break away
from each other to dance separately. Our Shine classes offer a
great opportunity to students to really familiarize themselves
with the rhythm of the music, and learn how to move creatively,
or "play" with steps within the rhythm of the music. |
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Originally, the Rumba was a lively, peppy dance similar to
Mambo in its feel. Over the years it has changed, and is now
the name of a slow and romantic Latin dance. Inspired by
African rhythms and Latin melodies, the Americanized version
of the Cuban Rumba is the basis for the Mambo and Cha Cha.
The Rumba is a pre-requisite for good Latin dancing, and helps
sharpen your sense of rhythm, timing and muscle control.
Originally an offshoot of the Mambo, the Cha Cha was the rage
in the 50's and is probably the most popular social Latin dance
in America. It has an infectious rhythm that has been used by
many musicians, even those who are not traditionally thought of
as Latin -- even some Beatles songs, and a lot of disco music!
The rhythmical "split beat" of the Cha Cha and the many open
movements add surety and poise to your dancing style. |
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Merengue is a simple, fun dance with origins in the Dominican
Republic. The simple march tempo is easy to hear and feel,
and lends itself to a spontaneous, improvisational style of
dance. The music is charming and happy, and often contains
clever jokes or puns in Spanish. Learning the Merengue is a
good way to start familiarizing yourself with Cuban Motion,
which is the way that your body moves in all the Latin dances. |
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Samba is a Latin dance with origins in Brazil. In Brazil, there are
many different types of Samba, including more elegant Salon
dancing, and the wild, uninhibited popular dancing associated
with Carnival. Carmen Miranda is generally credited with
bringing Brazilian rhythms to the United States and Europe, and
since then the Samba has undergone a metamorphosis, as the
steps became stylized and standardized. Samba has very
distinctive and varied rhythms occurring simultaneously within
every song, which helps to build richness in the music and
excitement in the listening. It is often called the "South American
Waltz", as it features a "rise and fall" type of motion which is
associated with Waltz. |
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There are many forms of swing. East Coast Swing, West Coast
Swing, Lindy, Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, etc. All of them originated in
the 1920's with the Black community dancing Charleston and
Lindy Hop to Jazz music.
East Coast Swing (Triple Time): This is the most commonly
danced swing dance that evolved from the jitterbug, which was
the most popular dance of the 40's during the big band era.
Today it is still the most commonly danced swing.
West Coast Swing is similar to East Coast Swing but to slower
swing music which allows dancers to execute embellishments
such as swivels, syncopation, and body rolls. This dance also
works well to blues and slow country western music. |
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Remember the '70's? John Travolta in the white polyester suit
in Saturday Night Fever? Well, that was the Hustle, but just like
a lot of other things have changed in the last 20 years, the
Hustle has changed a lot, too. The Hustle was born in New
York's Latin community. Young Latinos were born in a culture
where dancing together was the norm, but they wanted to
dance to more contemporary music than the Mambo of their
parents. Slowly the Latin Hustle was developed and emerged
as a club style. The mainstream young people caught on to the
music, and the dance style, and Hustle quickly became hugely
popular, all over America and Europe, fueled in part by the
movie. As hustle developed, many different styles emerged.
In the late '70's, with the emergence of punk rock and the
anti-disco movement, the hustle faded in popular culture -- but
it never died! The hustle fanatics of the '70's never gave up on
the dance, and it retained a cult popularity at underground
clubs through the '80's. During this time, hustle kept developing
and changing, and the hustle that is danced today bears little
resemblance to the hustle of the '70's. Hustle is danced to the
contemporary pop dance music of the last 20 years. It is a fast,
smooth dance, with the lady spinning almost constantly, while
her partner draws her close and sends her away. It is a
challenging dance, with a rhythmic pattern which plays with the
timing of the music, rather that following it exactly. |
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The Foxtrot is a great social dance: it's fun, not hard to learn,
and easy to lead and follow. Traditionally danced to Big Band
music, it is smooth and sexy. Its basic timing is
slow-slow-quick-quick. The Foxtrot originated in 1914 in New
York City by Harry Fox. It is one of the most versatile of all the
ballroom dances as it can be danced to a wide variety of music
with varying tempos. Foxtrot shares many of the same steps
with the Waltz. |
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Waltz is the traditional Wedding Dance. Originating in the
suburbs of Vienna and the Alpine region of Austria, by the 17th
Century Waltz was danced in the Ballrooms of the Hapsburg
Court in Germany. The character is elegant, regal, graceful,
and has a lovely swooping rise and fall. The timing is ONE - two
- three with the "one" being the downbeat. The basic Waltz step
is the box step, a sequence of six steps which, if you were to
draw a line connecting all six, would form a box. |
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Viennese Waltz is about twice the speed of Waltz, and features
simple footwork with lots of twirls and arm expression. Viennese
Waltz is the dance most often seen in movies depicting
Ballroom Dancing. |
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Tango is passionate, with dramatic poses. Its story is of a love
affair that is sometimes amorous, sometimes angry, but always
intense! The basic timing is slow-slow-quick-quick-slow, spelling
out its name: T-A-N-G-O. |
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