DanceInfo


home
E
A l B l C l D l E l F l G l H l I l J l K l L l M l N l O l P l Q l R l S l T l U l V l W l X l Y l Z


 
 
 
 
 
 
 


EARTHINESS: The placement of the feet in the Latin-American dances must be felt as a push 'in to the floor' action - dig in to the floor with the weight well over the ball of the foot. A strong 'downwards' feeling, devoid of bobbing or swaying.

EAST COAST SWING: A subset of Swing derived from Lindy Hop and Jitterbug,  making use of refined (American Style) ballroom technique. The man's basic is a left chassé (side-together-side) a right chassé (side-together-side) and a back-forward rock step.

The 'Emmy' of the rhythm dances and the 'All American' fun dance, Swing has a family tree dating all the way back to the 1920s. The 'Lindy' picked up where the 'Charleston' left off. With the birth of Swing music in the mid 1930s the Lindy climbed the social ladder.

The dance craze swept the American nation and depending on where you lived, it was the Jitterbug , Lindy, Rock 'n Roll, East or West Coast Swing. During the 1950s this happy dance hit our South African shores in the shape of the Beebop and Pepsi.

The youngsters of that time let rip at what they called 'sessions', your regular rave ranch of those days you might say; and don't let mommy and daddy fool you - THOSE WERE WILD and VERY WOOLLY sessions.

To enjoy these sessions you had to be as loose as a goose, as square as a chair, 'so lêvel soos die grêvel' and as greased as lightning. And boys and girls!.... you should have seen your mom and dad... TOTAL MANIACS; first mom would jump up in the air during a Pepsi prance, stay there for 8 counts bobbing her bee-hive hairdo about (suspended head bashing you could call it) in her tight mini skirt which barely covered her navel.

After landing safely on terra firma it was dad's turn to elevate in his stovepipe jeans and sleek Brylcreamed hairstyle... and we won't tell you what they did when both feet were on the ground, but wild it was. Since the ferocious 50s, the Swing has mellowed into a more sophisticated social dance.

SWING STYLE
This exciting, lively, fun dance, which is neither modern nor old-fashioned, has outlasted the popularity of many a mod fad dance that has come and gone, and the reasons being, its exciting kicks, swivels, spins and drag variations which can easily be adapted to most modern, heart-throb beats. Many of today's hit tunes are terrific, oomphy swing numbers.

In addition, the sophisticated style and character of this informal dance can be modified to suit the dancer's own personality and interpretation of the music, thus adding personal charm and individuality to the dance.

SIZE OF STEPS
Adapt the size of your Swing steps to suit the tempo of the music. When the music is fast, keep your patterns smaller. When the music is slow stretch out a little or, if you know how, dance its laid-back, lazy cousin the West Coast Swing. For learners who are still co-ordinating at the baby, mechanical stage, keep the steps small and neat - whatever the tempo. Dancers who have developed good co-ordination will add life and expression to this dance by taking bigger steps even at spanking speeds.

SWING HOLD and FINGER-TIP CONTROL
The Hold in Swing is casual and comfortable. With the right hand, the man holds the girl firmly, cupping his hand over her left shoulder blade. Her left forearm rests on his right upper arm. The fingers of her right hand curl over the index finger of the man's left hand. This finger-tip hold helps when performing underarm and loose turns, of which there are many in this dance. Finger-tip hold gives the girl more freedom to turn and allows the man to control all one-handed leads.

A good practice for couples and single pupils is to take finger-tip hold with both hands. Now dance the basic Swing pattern and as the first rock count is stepped, pull away from each other, feeling tension in the upper arms for the counts of Rock, Rock. Repeat this exercise, but this time let go of the right hand for a few full basics and feel the tension in the left arm. Do the same with the other hand. This exercise is a tremendous help for improving a learner's lead/ follow.

The basic Swing is more comfort-able to dance when angled slightly. That is, instead of the couple facing each other directly, the man turns a fraction to his left and the lady a fraction to her right, in almost a side-by-side position.

BODY MOVEMENT and ACTION
Using the body rhythmically in the Swing gives this dance more life and personality, i.e. when the first set of 1, 2, 3 counts of the basic are danced, the man tilts left, and at the same time turns the basic to the right, while the girl tilts right, following his turn. The man's first '1, 2, 3' steps are also bigger since he is on the outside of the turn. At this point the lady keeps her steps smaller because she is on the inside of the turn. To continue the turn the man, on the second set of 1, 2, 3 counts de-creases the size of his steps while the lady increases hers. This turning and tilting of the basic must not be exaggerated and before the man launches into variations he must straighten out the basic.

The more advanced Swing dancer adds action by straightening the knee on completion of the first 'rock' movement and also swings the hips slightly, in Jive fashion, during all 1, 2, 3 counts.

EFFERVESCENCE is the bubbling style that typifies the character of the Samba and Quickstep. It's the ebullient energy and enthusiasm that invigorates these dances.

ELEVATION: The ability to jump high in the air. A step of elevation is a jump.
ELEVATION: Height in a leap. To be distinguished from ballon - the illusion created by a dancer that he or she is floating through the air, unaffected by gravity.

EMPHASIS: is a technique used to highlight styles, moves and actions. For example; holding Cha-Cha 1 and 3s, straighten legs and arms on certain beats of the music to make it stand out. Anything that needs to be noticed, bring out what needs to be pronounced, whether quick, slow, hard or soft - place accent or EMPHASISE the moves.

ENCHAÎNEMENT ('chaining'): A series of steps linked (chained) together. An amalgamation of step patterns. Figures choreographed or arranged in routines or sequences to blend with the music.

ENGLISH STYLE: The internationally recognised style of ballroom dancing.

ERRORS: Errors made by beginners when learning to dance Ballroom, Latin and Modern social dancing vary from dance to dance. Here are constructive comments reported by examiners to encourage the learner to improve:

ETIQUETTE AT COMPETITION: There is a definite code of practice to follow at dance competitions. Recently one dancer who broke etiquette, by not wearing a tailcoat in an open amateur championship ballroom event, caused such an uproar that it even made it into 'The Times'! Silly, but a lot of adjudicators are older and have set, traditional ways, so it pays not to offend them.
For the beginner to intermediate the rules of etiquette are quite simple. As you advance through the ranks, the rules of etiquette get more demanding, for example; Post Competition Evaluation
After the presentation of the prizes the adjudicators' scores are usually available for analysis. These details of what mark each adjudicator gave you in each dance can be extremely useful. For example you can see what the adjudicators think your weakest dance is so that you can take steps to correct it. This information could be used strategically as well. In a 4-dance event your closest rival competitor may have won 2 dances and you 2 dances, with them having an overall higher score. If there were 7 judges and 6 thought your rivals were better in Cha-Cha and only 4 thought they were better in Rumba, you know it would be easier to beat them in Rumba than in Cha-Cha. You could then focus on the Rumba for the next competition and win 3 dances out of 4, thus winning the competition.

A similar concept is that there is little point focusing on dances where you receive maximum 1sts, if your other dances are letting you down. Work to improve your weaker dances and just keep your stronger ones fine-tuned.

End Note
The views expressed in this article are guidelines, not hard-and-fast rules. They are intended to give the learner insight into possible ways of structuring training programmes and provide information to those considering competition.

The aspects of fitness, especially Base Training and Peaking are based on Anatomical and Physiological scientific research.

ETIQUETTE IN FLOORCRAFT: Rude and aggressive dancers who think it's their right to monopolise and hog the dance floor regardless of how crowded it is, are fortunately, found few and far between. You've seen them... as a desperate bid to brag, they use their partner as a cushion to protect themselves through the throng. And when they do leave a body or two prostrate, don't even apologise.

There is no way we will even attempt to change the ingrained habits of the egocentric 'floor hog' or 'dance hog' but would like to sprinkle a few finesses for those who unknowingly rough-it-up on a crowded floor, and at the same time offer some counteractions to the sedate, unsuspecting dancer who is endlessly ducking 'n diving to avoid these menacing missiles.

Assuming you are comfortably mobile with a few handy variations at your command, then Floorcraft begins by knowing which way around the floor you must travel in the 'moving' or Ballroom dances... it is anti-clockwise. You're in a one-way street, at peak hour (5pm), and you didn't know about anti-clockwise so you find yourself driving anti-anti-clockwise... guess what? That's right, you're wrong... a jam, but never mind, it happens frequently to farmers on their first visit to the BIG city. Similarly, a dancer who steers his partner upstream or against the line of dance (ALOD) can cause quite a bit of 'bundu bashing' on the way.

Once you're on your line of dance ( LOD), i.e. moving around the dance hall in an anti-clockwise direction, stick to the circumference or outer edge of the floor because there you have much more room to move. The moment you hit the middle you're stuck for space, and to get out of the eye of the cyclone is one heck of a job.

Floorcraft also entails being ever-aware of everyone dancing near or around you, i.e. get your multi-visions out and where necessary, accelerate or break; increase or shorten your strides; adapt your length of movements to suit the circumstances. At times you are also obliged to pull the left arm or both elbows in and when you can't see that trucker rapidly approaching from the rear, then it's partner-love's responsibility to indicate or give petrol... don't panic! she's not leading you, she's saving your life.

To know a variety of variations is your best aid to navigating crash-free around a crowded dance floor. Here's an analogy; your car has only one gear, 1st; That's fine when you pull off at the robot, but while the other drivers are shifting to 5th, you will still be pulling off. If your Two-step or Waltz or whatever, has only a 1st gear, don't despair, things could be worse... no gears at all. Contrary to what most believe, slow drivers are more of a menace and even a hazard to the road than quicker drivers. They impede the flow of traffic, they break the  rhythm of the road, thus causing others to become impatient, which often leads to ruthless, road-hog driving from even the most passive citizen - shift a gear, get mobile... become a versatile dancer, increase your repertoire of moves and steps.

Beside the fact that having one gear is a distinct handicap because you are ill-equipped to weave in and out around the floor, it is also brutally boring to your partner to do that one thing over and over and over for 3 or 4 hours. And while all that's happening (or is it not happening) you are also being battered and bruised by the herd of faster and better dancers, and the one right behind you is a hog... who said social dancing was fun?

Variations are the spice of social dancing, it makes social cavorting fun - work at becoming a versatile, skilful, dodgy social dancer.

Etiquette these days, on a dance floor, is a dirty 9-letter word of which the meaning is slowly being gobbled up by, what's that word again? Too many, now-a-days, think it's corny or old-fashioned to be courteous. Being courteous doesn't necessarily imply being over-formal or a stickler for the social niceties. Etiquette is purely the respect we show for the feelings of others. For example, to leave your partner standing in the middle of the floor after a dance while you trudge back to your seat, is about the rudest thing a man can do to a women publicly... laughing... you've done it?

Here are a few courteous suggestions on how to ask a women for a dance; 'would you like to have the pleasure of tramping on my toes?' or 'may I have the pleasure of prancing with you?' If in the affirmative, escort her on to the floor and do it. After the dance, thank her and tell her you will be back for more and escort her to her seat. Now, is that being polite or what?… try it.

Then we have the first cousin to the 'floor hog'. He too is on an ego trip in the middle of the floor, satisfying his irrepressible id urge. Do you know what he is doing? He is giving his partner a low down of the do's and don'ts of dancing... and, you won't believe it! he is showing her what she is doing wrong and how she should be doing it, in front of all those people. This fellow also has the indiscreet habit of overly using his arms, wildly swinging his hips, etc. while his partner, a shy greenhorn beginner, glumly does her dignified thing.

What about the know-all show-off who is considered to be a great dancer by most who don't know too much about dancing. When he takes a girl for a dance for the first time, he bombards her with all the intricate step patterns at his disposal without first gently getting her adjusted to his style and lead. Maybe he's not a show-off, it just never occurred to him that social dancing is a casual sport devoid of hard-and-fast rules where many dancers are self-taught hackers with styles that vary vastly.

A tiny tip; whenever you dance with someone for the first time, cool it with the advanced variations. Start off using basic movements and do these a few times. By exaggerating your lead and body movements a little, you get your partner adjusted to your lead while you adapt to her style. And ladies, don't hen-peck your partner around the floor. (see Dance Etiquette and Floorcraft).

Further Tips for Proper Dance Etiquette:

The basis of proper etiquette is consideration for others. In particular, that includes your partner(s) and the other people at the dance. Here are a few tips:

Do not hurt your partner! This is of particular importance to leaders in general, but followers occasionally hurt their partner by gripping his hand too hard or the wrong way (make sure to have a loose grip while spinning).

It is still most common for a man to ask a woman to dance, but these days it is also quite acceptable for a woman to ask a man to dance (in some settings other possibilities are accepted, but that varies). It is particularly important for men that they should politely ask the woman they'd like to dance with, i.e. don't ask the guy she's talking to for permission to dance with her - this ticks off a lot of women. Generally a simple "Would you care to dance?" or "Pardon me, but could I have this waltz" is fine.

If someone asks you to dance, the answer is "Yes, thank-you" except under unusual circumstances, e.g. that person is in the habit of hurting his/her partners. In the ballroom community strangers routinely dance with each other - many people take it as a personal insult if you refuse to dance with them. The most acceptable rejections are "I'm sorry, but I've already promised this dance to someone else, maybe we can have the next dance," or "I'm sorry, I'm a bit tired and I'd like to sit out a dance, maybe we can have the next dance." Of course, if you use the latter excuse and then dance with someone else, you are likely to insult the person who asked you first. In any event, if you suggest a later dance, then you should expect to actually dance with the person later. Generally speaking, you should expect to dance at least once per night with everyone who asks you.

If someone agrees to dance with you, you should hold their hand as the two of you walk on/off the dance floor.

Try to make yourself comfortable to be near. Make certain that you have recently showered and brushed your teeth, or at least freshened your breath since your last meal/smoke. Those with long hair should tie it up or in place so that it doesn't hit their partners during spins. Avoid bulky items such as keys or wallets in your front right pocket (you will probably look and feel better if all your pockets are empty while you dance). Don't wear sharp rings or any long, dangling jewellery. Note: It is common in some areas for dancers to bring towels and multiple shirts to dances to avoid getting overly sweaty.

Make sure to use good Floorcraft when dancing. Always be careful not to crash in to or corner other couples on the dance floor. It is good manners for better dancers to avoid the less experienced dancers on the floor.

Do not otherwise block the flow of the dance: Progressive dances always move counter-clockwise around the outer portion of the dance floor. If you want to be on the dance floor during a progressive dance, then either move with the flow or move to the middle of the floor. Going to the edge or the corner of the dance floor to "get out of the way" puts you exactly where the other dancers are trying to go. (Bear in mind that just because you are doing a dance which is not progressive, doesn't mean that nobody else is doing a progressive dance - make sure you leave room for some couples to do fox trots while you're doing swings.) Finally, clear off the dance floor when you're not dancing - don't stand around chatting with your partner if you happen not to like the next dance.

EXAM DRESS: (see dress Code).

EXAM ENTRY is an entry fee paid for dancing an examination. Some social schools build this fee into their lesson rate where others charge per entry at each function.

EXAMINATIONS: (see Dance exams).

EXAMINER is an official who is an experienced dancer and teacher appointed to assess the progress and technical achievements of students of social dance schools. The examinee is marked according to a required grade or standard based on posture, footwork, rhythm, movement, style, confidence, etc. and the criteria set by the school. Unlike an adjudicator, an examiner fills out a report of his/her remarks for the examinee to study.

EXCHANGE LESSON (EX) is a lesson given to a pupil other than by his/her permanent or history teacher - a temporary dance lesson with another teacher of the same school.

EXHIBITION BALLROOM DANCING: is the performing of ballroom dances presented in a stylish, theatrical way. Usually danced at the theatre on stage. In most schools, an Exhibition dancer may select his/her own music, dance to a theme, dress accordingly, and use props (stage sets, stands, supports, etc.) while the entire show is captured on video.

For Exhibition dancing, lifts and drops are permitted. An exhibition has three main sections, namely; the entrance, the body of the exhibition and the exit. Some studios call Exhibition dancing a showcase, demonstration or theatre arts).

-Social: your first exhibition

basic suggestions on how to prepare your first few exhibitions
  1. Select your favourite dance. The one you presently dance with comfort or like most, and be choosy about the music you pick. You must feel the rhythm, hear the beat clearly and like the tune.
  2. Don't try to be different by dancing variations beyond your present standard or capabilities and avoid choreographing fancy routines. You'll only complicate matters for yourself. Keeping it simple makes dancing exhibitions fun and exciting. Play it safe, stick to the Bronze steps - rather feel sure and confident about what you are doing - dance within your compass.
  3. Use the same exam routine of your favourite dance which qualified you for the exhibition. By doing this, you have more time to spend on styling and neatness because you already know the routine and the patterns.
  4. For your entrance and exit, borrow a step from a higher standard and doll it up a bit. And do your entrance and exit close together, or in contact with your partner. To dance anything away from your partner while you're still a greenhorn, is looking for gremlins, your knees won't permit it.
  5. Although you are allowed two-and-a-half minutes per demo, avoid going over the 2 minute mark. Stop when the audience want more.
  6. Very important. Once you have choreographed your routine to the music, practise it non-stop from entrance to exit. And I mean without stopping in-between. Get accustomed to rectifying mistakes in the flow of things by continuing to the bitter end of the music - regardless. We all make mistakes but some make a mistake look like an embarrassing blunder, while others make a mistake look good or even cover it inconspicuously, and often, it turns out to look better than the original. You learn to handle mistakes better when you practise correcting them in the act. This exercise helps us err less - it's our best insurance against obvious, unnecessary errors. During this little exercise, don't worry about styling or how you do it, just arrange your routine so that it starts with the music and ends with the music. It's called basic choreography.
  7. You know your routine from start to finish, now polish the style, and exaggerate your lines and movements to complement the action for the camera and compensate for the distance of the stage, and add a little smile to the style. Oh yes, you're allowed to breathe as well.
  8. Be nervous. When dancers tell me they are not nervous prior to going on stage, then that makes me nervous. Being nervous is a very essential part of dancing on stage or in contests. It is the adrenaline, the excitement; that immense feeling of respect you have for your partner, your audience, the judges and yourself - the dignity to entertain and please others. It's that feeling of knowing exactly what to do and hoping it all goes well. Here I'm not yapping about the nervousness caused by being unprepared or unsure of your routine, style or whatever. This type of nervousness I call neurotic fear, which is harmful to your health and really an insult to all who have nowhere else to look but at the stage to see you nervously flounder around groping.
  9. Finally, treat your shield and video tape with respect, these items symbolise the pride you have in dancing exhibitions. They signify your enthusiasm for your hobby - a great hobby, i.e. shine your shield and take good care of your video-tape. Your shield and your video are the tangibles, the living proof, the history of your dance action. When I prepare my pupils for their exhibitions, I don't prepare them for the audience or the judges, we think video and make sure every prominent line or action is front-on to the video. No backsides smiling at the video; we strive for minimum error and we even rehearse going onto and leaving the stage properly for the video. If we battle with a movement, without hassle or hesitation, we simplify it for the sake of the video. Everything is oriented towards how it will appear on video. The better you dance your exhibition with the video in mind, the better it will look on stage for the judges and audience… the video is your judge; your audience. Bear in mind that long after the audience and the judges have forgotten who you are or what you danced, the video will still show where she went wrong or how great she was, who partnered her, what music she used, when and where she performed, what Carin wore and how much she received for it - the video lives on, it's the memory of all the fun and excitement of your hobby, and it will either please you or make you blush, but whatever it does, cherish it.
If you were to ask me; "what are the most common mistakes made by beginners when performing exhibitions?" I'd say they try to be too fancy. They attempt difficult moves or steps from the gold syllabus when they are hardly able to master the basics in bronze. At the elementary stage, where everything is new and muddling, it is safer to keep things plain and simple. Work on the basic elements; neat footwork, rhythm, arms, etc. If you can't do these correctly, you'll never bring out the true character of the dance or even look good on the dance floor, no matter how great your talents and abilities are.

Every time I do the exhibition videos, I see very talented dancers step wide legged, never bring their feet together when they are supposed to, dangle their arms in orang-outang style, hunch their shoulders, look to the right in closed position, step with a bent knee on break positions. These are basic things that take precedence over patterns.

Many learners erroneously believe that knowing the patterns is the be-all and end-all to dancing… it's the beginning of dancing. Any baboon can be taught a pattern, but it takes more than a baboon to dance comfortably, look good, appear stylish, etc. Don't think of exhibitions as social dancing, it's a hobby, a serious hobby, but more than that, it's a public presentation, and when we perform to the multitudes, we owe much more to ourselves. We must feel well-dressed in every move - nervous, but totally confident and prepared.

The other problem beginners have is that their demos go on far too long for the standard they're on, with the result, they dance millions of boring basics (mostly smiling with their tails to the audience) before launching into each step.

Many of our dancers seem to have this mental block about dancing every exhibition for the full 2-&-½ minutes allowed. For instance, you can dance all 10 steps of most the bronze dances, plus an entrance and exit, within a minute and a half.

Anything longer than 2 minutes, unless it's an All-Star extravaganza, loses the onlooker mentally. We are on stage to impress, not to bore, and the things that impress those watching are: looking confident, the music, the outfit, being neat and stylish (parading the character of the dance) and then knowing it's not going to carry on and on and on… stop when the audience want more. Short 'n sweet is the operative length.

By dancing an exhibition on stage, you do what most people fear most to do, and that is to perform in public. Whether it be making a speech or dancing an exhibition, that's the thing most fear to do. It's also the reason why so many politicians mechanically read their canned speech to us, and the reason? … they don't know their sequence, because somebody else choreographed it for them.

EXPAND in dance parlance is when a dancer unfolds his/her talents, amplifying the techniques and styles of the dance, or when the male, with his skills and dance knowledge, flaunts his partner in his buttonhole, aggrandising the styles with style. It is to extend fully without inhibition.

EXPRESSION in dancing is the effective communication of feeling, character and emotion felt by dancers or the facial gestures with which they convey this emotion to the adjudicator and their audience. Expression is stealing time from one step and giving a 'hold' effect to the next, and while in the hold pose presenting a stylish stance. It's a 'statement' dancers make of their personalities and skills, and the harmonious blending of music and movement with each other.

EXTENDED: Feet apart, heel pointing to instep.

EXTENSION: To stretch or extend parts of the body - to reach out or up.

EXTENSION: The ability to raise the working leg high in the air. Good extension comes from a combination of inborn flexibility and training.

EXTENSION: a dance course embarked upon after or succeeding the basic course - an extended course.

ENTRÉE: Entrance of dancer and partner in an extended pas de deux. (see Theatre Arts)

EYE CONTACT:  There are different elements in the partnership routine, comprising non-verbal communication and verbal communication. Without a doubt the non-verbal contacts play an important part. Eye contact, especially, expresses the feeling and interplay of the partnership and the total focus of both dancers in characterising the music and dance.

We know how important eye contact is when on the pull. You're there, quite happily messing about with your mates, when wham, across the dance floor a pair of big open eyes magnetise your attention. In Latin you are taught to hold eye contact. Look at any advanced couple on the floor and watch how their Rumba sizzles with electricity. A lot of that sparkle is generated through eye contact. Beginner couples often look as though they are just 'going through the motions’. Add the eye contact and you add chemistry, it helps turn the dance into something more.

A lot of beginner girls can get quite embarrassed when being coached. You look into their eyes and try to hold the contact and they laugh or look away. The reason is that you are taking the courtship signals and performing them out of context - a simulation. In dancing, romance, allure and body actions are initiated through the eyes.

Think Latin. We have intense eye contact, a good couple will also be symmetrical. Head position, shoulders, arms, hips and legs are all carefully choreographed to match each other - totally synchronised. Couples will communicate and develop a bond which allows them to mirror each others feelings and movements for the music through dance. Sometimes the bond between partners is so strong it's almost telepathic! and it all starts from what we see and how we show it through the eyes.