Good day! Now that we've examined
some louder dances such as tap, clogging, and Irish step, let's move on to the elegant
form of ballroom dancing. It's a partner dance, usually with a male and female
(but not necessarily). Because of this, there is a great social aspect to it. It's
a great way to meet people and network, a benefit I'll discuss in the final part of this series.
American and International
Ballroom dance is broken
into two different styles: American and International. There are some forms of
ballroom dances that belong to both categories, and others that are in only one.
The difference is the way in which the dance is performed, as well as the
technique.
American is split into
smooth and rhythm. International is broken into standard and latin. Smooth is
equivalent to standard, and rhythm to latin. Smooth/standard dances include
waltz, tango, foxtrot, and quickstep. Rumba, cha cha, swing, jive, and samba
are some of the rhythm/latin dances.
Each style of ballroom is
very different from the next. Waltz is very graceful. Foxtrot and quickstep are
meant to be very showy dances. Tango is to be done with passion and aggression.
Swing and jive (they're the American and International versions of basically
the same dance) are very flirty and fun. Rumba is meant to be very sexy. Cha
cha is to be a little sexy and a little fun - a combination of swing/jive and
rumba.
 Treads and Traction
Though you can wear street
shoes to ballroom dance when you begin, investing in a pair of dance shoes makes
it a lot easier to move. The treads and traction on street shoes stick to the
floor, while shoes meant for ballroom dancing allow you to slide and turn more
fluently. Ballroom shoes, for both ladies and gentlemen, have heels. Men's
shoes have about a ½" heel, while ladies can range up to 3" high.
Because of the shoes,
balance is one of the hardest things to overcome. Especially for guys (and
girls) who aren't used to wearing heels, just that little bit of height can
make it very difficult to walk, let alone dance. Once that's overcome, however,
and a dancer is accustomed to dancing with the shoes, it's still important to
be conscious of how you step.
Stepping the wrong way can
cause you to roll your ankles (even more so if you have weak ankles to begin
with, like myself). A single misstep or improper turn can twist the knees, too.
And knees can get worse over time. In terms of biomechanics then, proper form
is critical for ballroom dancing.
It
may seem daunting to dance in heels, but they can heighten your confidence
along with your feet. In the final part of this series, I'll wrap things up and
make suggestions on how to try your feet at dancing. Who knows? Maybe you'll be
the engineer who's dancing with the stars!
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