Backleading in Ballroom dancing
“Stop Backleading!” Can there be a phrase more irritating to a Lady Dancer’s ears? Backleading is a term that gets thrown around a lot in a dance studio, by teachers and partners alike. But what does the term actually mean?
Actually, it is exactly as it sounds…
Slow Foxtrot – Running over each other in Luxury Cars
There is nothing quite as mesmerising as a beautiful Slow Foxtrot. That smooth, buttery, movement across the floor; an exercise in flow and grace. When danced with proficiency, Slow Foxtrot becomes almost ethereal in its demeanour.
Latin – the Party Dances!
Latin – the Party Dances!
My favourite Latin analogy is one you may have already heard; the duck swimming on the water. From above, we see only stillness and smoothness. Below the water surface, those little legs are paddling like crazy, working very hard to keep the duck moving!
Latin Dances – if all steps are ball-flat, why do we talk about the toe so much?
This is a FANTASTIC question that one of my students asked me a couple of weeks ago (thanks Peter!). It is true that most steps taken in Latin dances are ball-flat, not toe-flat as we may think. Paso Doble of course is the exception, which features…
Sing your Steps – a great way to remember routines
A couple of years ago I went to a social dance on the Gold Coast whilst on holiday. The venue wasn’t so much a studio as a hired hall which I believe was procured for fortnightly or monthly social dances. There was a wide range of ages present, and…
Why being skinny might make you lose!
Why being skinny might make you lose! by Monica Fincham
Dancesport competition is as much aesthetic as athletic, and it’s not uncommon to hear a coach suggest to a competitor to lose weight. But do you really need to be skinny to compete in Dancesport, and will you be more successful if you are thinner?
The Glamour Machine
Many people are captivated by the glamour that is Ballroom dancing, in particular Dancesport competition, so much so that Julie McMain wrote a whole book about it called Glamour Addiction.
In the book she calls Dancesport, the ‘Glamour Machine’.
Viennese Waltz – The Dance of Fairy Tales
Viennese Waltz, also known as Wiener Walzer or the German Waltz is the oldest of the ballroom dances and is in my opinion, also the most beautiful. Viennese is the type of dance you visualise when you think of Cinderella or Anastasia, a royal ballroom or even a phrase like…
Direction and Alignment, Part 2, Alignment – by Chris Bruce
DW. Bkg LOD. Fcg DC ag LOD. Has the cat been walking across my keyboard again?
No, not on this occasion. Using a combination of ‘dance jargon’ and abbreviations I’ve been documenting a ballroom routine, and these hieroglyphics record the direction and alignment of each step…
Direction and Alignment, Part 1, Direction – by Chris Bruce
Chris and his wife Monika at a Dancesport competition. Direction and Alignment, Part 1, Direction DW. Bkg LOD. Fcg DC ag LOD. Has the cat been walking across my keyboard again? No, not on this occasion. Using a combination of ‘dance jargon’ and abbreviations I’ve been documenting a ballroom routine, and these ‘hieroglyphics’ record the […]