History of Dances

Martinez, Kobe Ranier T.
PE12 A18
HISTORY OF DANCES
Boogie
Boogie Dance, or Boogie-woogie is a form of swing from the dance. Most rules suggest that the
dancing that was originally known as “Barrelhouse” couples have to maintain some contact during the
dancing. It is called boogie-woogie in Europe, but acrobatics, which helps to avoid moves like
this dance is more commonly known as East Coast double/triple flips, commonly seen in Acrobatic
swing in the United States. During the 1950s, rock ‘n’ roll (like the name suggests).
today’s boogie-woogie would have been known as
“rock ‘n’ roll.” Although the dance can go with Boogie-woogie can be slow or fast. When fast
boogie-woogie music, it’s more often paired with beats are used, boogie-woogie often moves into
rock music. Because rock ‘n’ roll dance was already East Coast swing, Hollywood style and jitterbug.
established in dance competitions (Acrobatic Rock Many people confuse it with the lindy hop, which it
n’ Roll), boogie-woogie had to find an alternate closely resembles. Although lindy hop has had a
label. It adopted a name based on the music with great influence on boogie woogie, the two are not
which it was often paired: fast-paced, boogie- interchangeable. Another misconception is that as
woogie style piano. a form of swing dancing, boogie-woogie must be
fast paced. Boogie-woogie dance and music can,
Boogie-Woogie dancing was a response to this new however, be slow.
sound – but didn’t really evolve until Rock ‘n’ Roll
music came into existence in America and Europe
in the 1950′s. It’s popularity grew and grew as the
fledgling Rock ‘n’ Roll stars such as Elvis and Jerry
Lee Lewis replaced the old Swing music on the
radio and in nightclubs.
Boogie-woogie is commonly danced to a fast pace.

It is famous for its fast and spectacular footwork,
high energy and also it’s freedom throughout the
dance that allows space for improvisation and free
styling. The step variation for boogie dance is a
combination of six and eight count with sharp,
quick movements. It often makes use of a
syncopated beat, which helps to create the
constant footwork for which boogie is widely
recognised.
Boogie-woogie can be danced in social situations

(mostly in Europe), or in competitions (worldwide).
As a competitive dance, boogie-woogie is a “lead”
dance, without any choreography but can contain
acrobatic elements, although, not like in acrobatic
Rock ‘n’ roll. There are various limitations of aerials
in European countries, but by the strong Lindy Hop
influence, they cannot be completely removed
Cha-Cha
Cha Cha has the distinction of being one of the most dominant "pop" rhythms of the last 40 to 50 years and is
characterized as having an upbeat, infectious rhythm, which creates a sense of playfulness and flirtation. The
Cha Cha is said to be a combination of the Mambo and the American Swing.
Cha Cha is a Cuban innovation of the old Latin form (danson). Originally known as the Cha-Cha-Cha the Cha
Cha became popular about 1954. Cha Cha is an off-shoot of the Latin dance 'Mambo'. In the slow Mambo
tempo, there is a distinct sound in the music that people began dancing to, calling the step the "Triple"
Mambo. Eventually it evolved into a separate dance, today known as the Cha Cha.
The dance consists of three quick steps (triple step or Cha Cha Cha) and two slower steps on the one beat and
two beat. The Cha Cha Cha is in 4/4 time with the rhythm being counted as 2 3 4 & 1, the '4 & 1' are
recognized as being the familiar Cha Cha Cha triple. Note that the last beat of the triple is the first beat of the
next bar.
Cha Cha's continued popularity can be heard in the music of Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony and Carlos Santana.
Tango
Tango is a dance that has influences from European and African culture. Dances from the candombe
ceremonies of former slave peoples helped shape the modern day Tango. The dance originated in lower-class
districts of Buenos Aires and Montevideo. The music derived from the fusion of various forms of music from
Europe. The word "tango" seems to have first been used in connection with the dance in the 1890s, possibly
related to the Latin word "tangere" but more likely related to the African slave word "tango" (drum or dance
place).
Initially it was just one of the many dances, but it soon became popular throughout society, as theatres and
street barrel organs spread it from the suburbs to the working-class slums, which were packed with hundreds
of thousands of European immigrants.
In the early years of the 20th century, dancers and orchestras from Buenos Aires travelled to Europe, and the
first European tango craze took place in Paris, soon followed by London, Berlin, and other capitals. Towards
the end of 1913 it hit New York in the US, and Finland. In the US around 1911 the word "tango" was often
applied to dances in a 2/4 or 4/4 rhythm such as the one-step. The term was fashionable and did not indicate
that tango steps would be used in the dance, although they might be. Tango music was sometimes played, but
at a rather fast tempo. Instructors of the period would sometimes refer to this as a "North American tango",
versus the so-called "Argentine Tango". By 1914 more authentic tango stylings were soon developed, [which?]
along with some variations like Albert Newman's "Minuet" tango.
In Argentina, the onset in 1929 of the Great Depression, and restrictions introduced after the overthrow of the
Hipólito Yrigoyen government in 1930 caused tango to decline. Its fortunes were reversed as tango became
widely fashionable and a matter of national pride under the government of Juan Perón. Tango declined again
in the 1950s as a result of economic depression and the banning of public gatherings by the military
dictatorships; male-only Tango practice—the custom at the time—was considered "public gathering". That,
indirectly, boosted the popularity of rock and roll because, unlike Tango, it did not require such gatherings.
In 2009, the tango was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.

Swing With the new dance crazes of the 60s, partner

dancing went out of fashion, until the 1980s when
The Swing era began in 1920s and 30s America,
it re-emerged in French discotheques, and was
when Big Bands took over pop culture. Swing music
labelled French jive or modern jive. This dance was
has lived on ever since, influencing each new
brought to the UK in the early 90s. Danced to
generation of music. Swing dance is a broad term
contemporary chart music, there is still a strong
to describe a variety of partner dances evolving
Modern Jive scene across the UK.
from the 1920s to the present day. An exciting
evolution in jazz music broke out of New Yorks
Separately in the 1980s, several groups of dancers
Harlem district in the late 1920s. With this new
from across the globe decided to revive lindy hop,
sound, a new dance was created, called the lindy
learning from the stars of the original era, such as
hop. Lindy hop developed from dancers mimicking
Frankie Mannings. They have recreated a fashion
other dance crazes of the time, including the
for dancing to swing music. This led to an increase
Charleston and the foxtrot.
in exposure for lindy hop worldwide; most notably
Lindy hop was fast and intricate, to match the there was a huge revival in the USA during the
music being produced by the big bands. But over 1990s, spawning breakthrough neo-swing pop acts
time the bands got smaller and the dancing such as Indigo Swing, Swingerhead and The Brian
evolved with the music. Over the following 30 Setzer Orchestra
years, the dance was re-branded (amongst other

names) jitterbug, boogie-woogie and rock’n’roll.
The term “jive” was originally used as a derogatory
term by afro-american dancers, referring to less
talented white contempories who were dancing
lindy hop very badly! The term stuck when GIs
brought jitterbug to Europe during WW2.
The term swing dancing can also includes solo jazz

routines such as the Shim Sham, which is thought
to have originated as a warm-up for tap dancers of
the jazz era, and other dance styles that were
crazes from the jazz era such as Balboa and
Collegiate Shag.
Waltz
The Waltz is the oldest of the ballroom dances, dating from the middle of the Eighteenth Century. The German
"Lander", a folk dance, is supposed to be the forerunner of the Waltz. During this time period a dance
developed which was called the "Walzer", a word owing its origin to the Latin word Volvere, which indicates a
rotating motion. Napoleon's invading solders spread the waltz from Germany to Paris; then the dance glided
across the channel to England and finally made its way to the United States.
When the Waltz was first introduced into the ballrooms of the world in the early years of the Nineteenth
Century, it was met with outraged indignation, for it was the first dance where the couple danced in a
modified Closed Position - with the man's hand around the waist of the lady.
Beginning about 1830, the waltz was given a tremendous boost by two Austrian composers Lanner and
Strauss. They set the standard for the Viennese Waltz, a very fast version played at about 55 - 60 measures per
minute. The fast tempo did indeed present problems. Much of the enjoyment of the new dance was lost in the
continual strain to keep up with the music.
It is not known exactly when the waltz was introduced to the United States. It was probably brought to New
York and Philadelphia at about the same time, and by the middle of the Nineteenth Century was firmly
established in United States society.
During the later part of the Nineteenth Century, Waltzes were being written to a slower tempo than the
original Viennese rhythm. Around the close of the Nineteenth Century, two modifications of the waltz
developed in the United States. The first was the "Boston", a slower waltz with long gliding steps; there were
fewer and slower turns and more forward and backward movement than in the Viennese Waltz. This version
eventually stimulated the development of the English or International Style which continues today. The
American Style Waltz is similar to the International Style except the American Style has open dance positions
and the dancers legs pass instead of close. The second modification was the "Hesitation Waltz", which involves
taking one step to three beats of the measure. Although the "Hesitation Waltz" is no longer danced, some of
it's step patterns are still in use today.
Today both the faster Viennese Waltz, made forever popular by the Strauss family, and the slower American
and International style waltzes are extremely popular today with dancers of all ages.

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Martinez, Kobe Ranier T.

Boogie-woogie is commonly danced to a fast pace.

Boogie-woogie can be danced in social situations

Swing With the new dance crazes of the 60s, partner

evolved with the music. Over the following 30 Setzer Orchestra

years, the dance was re-branded (amongst other

The term swing dancing can also includes solo jazz

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