LUNA, ANNALIE R.

BSA-2A
FIVE SOCIAL DANCES
WALTZ
HISTORY/LITERATURE

- The old 'One, two, three, One, two, three' - Who hasn't danced or at least heard about
the Waltz? Though, one of the world's most popular dances wasn't always considered
as such. Due to its close-hold and quick rotations, Waltz was once named the
"Forbidden dance". Waltz is the oldest of the current ballroom dances. First waltzes
were danced in the location of today's Germany and Austria, back in 13th century. The
style was immediately picked up by other nations, who each created its own form and
style of the dance.  The form we know today was born in the suburbs of Vienna and
Austria's mountain regions. During the 17th century it was played and danced in
ballrooms of the Habsburg court. By the end of eighteenth century this once Austrian
peasant dance had been accepted by high class. Despite its popularity, the dance was
not completely accepted throughout the nation. Many dancing masters considered the
Waltz as a threat to the profession. Its basic steps could be learned in no time, as
opposed to other court dances like minuet, which took a fair amount of time to learn and
master. Before the Waltz, people danced around each other with little or no contact at
all. As the dance started gaining popularity, it was criticized on moral grounds due to its
close-hold stance and fast turning movements. Religious leaders regarded it as vulgar
and sinful. The dance was criticized to the point where people were threatened with
death from waltzing. Over time, established musicians began recognizing the quality and
appeal of the Waltz. Among them were Franz Schubert, Johann Strauss Father and later
the best known waltz composer, the so-called “Waltz King” - Johann Strauss Son. The
dance was getting more and more popular, causing the court to build numerous dance
halls to accommodate the craze. It established itself as a standard accompaniment for
noble events in Vienna and is considered as one of the most popular dance styles up
until this day. In 1812 the dance was introduced into England as 'the German Waltz'. It
caused a huge sensation. When Lord Byron first saw it, he found his lady friend clasped
closely by "a huge hussar-looking gentleman, turning round and round to a confounded
see-saw, up-down sort of turn like two cockchafers spitted on the same bodkin". By 1864
Strauss composed exclusively dance music and propelled the Waltz genre to popularity,
for which he earned the title “The Waltz King”. Three years later, the famous song “On
the beautiful blue Danube”, most commonly known as “Danube Waltz”, was composed
and is today recognized as unofficial Austrian anthem. Even though Waltz was
considered the root of all evil during 17th and 18th century, it made its way to the elite
and is now the most popular of all ballroom dances. It certainly is a must-do if you're
 visiting Vienna for New Year's or any other special occasion. Grab your partner close,
pre-count the 'One, two, three's' in your head and waltz away!

FIGURES OF STEPS

- The basic step for waltz is a box step. It's named after a pattern it creates on the floor
(box or square) and forms the foundation of the dance. A box step can be divided into
two parts - a forward half box and a backward half box. Each half box has three steps - a
step forward or backward, a step to the side, and a step to close the feet together. The
leader starts with the left foot and executes a forward half box, followed by a backward
half box. The follower performs the opposite – she starts with the right foot and executes
a backward half box, followed by a forward half box. The basic box step pattern uses
three counts - slow, quick, quick, which is repeated twice to create the box step. Timing
is 1,2,3,1,2,3 or 1,2,3,4,5,6.

MUSIC USED
- Waltzes were composed in triple meter, usually ¾ time, and have an mm-BAP-BAP
rhythm with one chord per bar. Generally, a low bass note is played for the first beat,
and the other two beats fill out the chord a little higher on the piano.

COSTUMES/PROPS
- The men will usually wear a tuxedo and a bow tie. The women will wear long evening
dresses, heels, and corsage.

REFERENCES:

https://concert-vienna.com/blogs/viennese-things/viennese-waltz-a-scandalous-dance-
that-became-a-viennese

https://www.dancing4beginners.com/waltz/
https://www.pianotv.net/2016/01/what-is-a-waltz-characteristics-of-waltz-music/
#:~:text=Waltzes%20were%20composed%20in%20triple,little%20higher%20on%20the
%20piano.
https://prezi.com/vm-1tl14sewk/waltz-dance/
TANGO
HISTORY/LITERATURE

- The Argentine Tango originated in the streets of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and
Montevideo, Uruguay, in the late 19th century. The roots of this dance lie in African
candombe, Cuban habanera as well as waltzes and polkas. It was a popular dance
among European immigrants, former slaves and the working and lower classes. It came
about through the nostalgia and melancholy felt by those who were far from home.
During Argentina’s political struggles with prohibition and dictatorships, the dance was
forced underground where some say performing it was considered an illegal act. It later
came back to light in the 1980’s and its popularity soared again before spreading
throughout the rest of the world.

FIGURES OF STEPS

First let’s examine the man steps, starting with weight on his left:

1. Back Open Step with Right

2. Side Open Step with Left Starting on Man Right & Woman Left (9 Steps) Leader O FC BC FC
BC FC O BC O Follower O BC FC FC BC O FC O BC

3. Forward Cross Step with Right

4. Forward Open Step with Left

5. Change Weight to Right

6. Forward Open Step with Left

7. Side Open Step with Right

8. Change Weight to Left

Now let’s examine the woman steps, start with weight on her right:

1. Forward Open Step with Left

2. Side Open Step with Right

3. Back Cross Step with Left

4. Back Open Step with Right

5. Forward Cross Step (The Cruzada) with Left

7. Side Open Step with Left

8. Change Weight to Right

MUSIC USED

- The music of the Argentine Tango is more varied than that of ballroom dancing and
features a clear repetitive pulse with a strong tango rhythm. There is a large repertoire of
music when it comes to the Argentine Tango. Having a varied selection of songs meant
that Argentine Tango dancing could go late into the night. The most notable and
representative composers of Argentine Tango music were actually descendants of
Italian immigrants: Di Sarli, D’Arienzo, Troilo and Pugliese. During the 1990’s, the
Argentine Tango experienced a resurgence of popularity as young dancers began
pairing the tango steps to more contemporary music such as trip-hop and blues.

COSTUMES/PROPS

- Many female tango dancers wore slimmed-down versions of the traditional corset to
give them freedom of movement, and this change fueled both positive and negative
reactions from the current social order at the time. Accessories like hats, vests, and
suspenders can also complement the men’s tango outfits, provided that their overall
look doesn’t clash with their partner’s.

REFERENCES
https://www.elitedancestudio.net/blogs/the-history-of-the-argentine-tango/#:~:text=The
%20Argentine%20Tango%20originated%20in,well%20as%20waltzes%20and
%20polkas.
https://www.tangology101.com/playlists/classes/The%20Structure%20of%20Tango-Part
%20I.pdf
https://www.ultimatetango.com/blog/argentine-tango-fashion
FOXTROT
HISTORY/LITERATURE

- The Fox-trot originated in the Jardin de Danse on the roof of the New York Theatre. As
part of his act downstairs, Harry Fox was doing trotting steps to ragtime music, and
people referred to his dance as "Fox's Trot." In the rise to fame of the Vernon Castles,
exhibition dancers of outstanding talent and charm, there was no doubt that the fox-trot
was the most original and exciting of their various dances. The elite of the dancing world
were soon trying to capture the unusual style of movement and when a very talented
American, G.K. Anderson came over to London, and with Josephine Bradley won many
competitions, he set the seal - so to speak - on the style of the foxtrot. As a result of the
great popularity which ballroom dancing was enjoying, it was necessary to evolve a form
of dance that could express the slow syncopated 4/4 rhythm and yet could remain "on
the spot." This did not mean that the "traveling" fox-trot was dropped, but the "on the
spot" dance did provide a means of enjoying the music in a background which large
numbers of people could afford and enjoy, and where various bands were all producing
excellent and individual musicians and experimenting with and perfect all of the new
sounds and beats from America. The "on the spot" dancing was known appropriately as
crush, then rhythm dancing. It is now called "social" dancing and possibly this conveys
its purpose and limitations. It would be anti-social to attempt to stride around a ballroom
crowded with dancers, to dance with only one partner when out with a party, or to be so
engrossed with the performance of figures that any conversation is taboo. It can also
create a very good base - should it be desired - for the foxtrot. The Foxtrot was the most
significant development in all of ballroom dancing. The combination of quick and slow
steps permits more flexibility and gives much greater dancing pleasure than the one-
step and two-step which it has replaced. There is more variety in the fox-trot than in any
other dance, and in some ways it is the hardest dance to learn! Variations of the foxtrot
include the Peabody, the Quickstep and Roseland foxtrot. Even dances such as the
lindy and the hustle are derived to some extent from the foxtrot.

FIGURES OF STEPS

- Most foxtrot figures begin with a step, heel to toe, giving early rise, and then the second
step is toe, maintaining that rise. The second step of a three step is heel/toe, driving kind
of under partner and producing a late rise. The third step is then toe/heel as usual.

MUSIC USED

- The foxtrot is typically danced to big band swing-style music written in 4/4 time. The
music tempo is 120 to 136 beats per minute. Foxtrot music is often suitable for swing
dancing as well as for foxtrot dancing.
COSTUMES/PROPS

- The Foxtrot costumes for women normally have long sweeping sleeves or skirts, to help
elongate the moves of the dancers, making the dance look smoother. The bodice is a
tighter fit, with the skirt flaring out at the waist, the costumes normally have floor length
skirts, but on the rare occasion may fall a bit shorter.

REFERENCES:

https://www.centralhome.com/ballroomcountry/foxtrot.htm

http://www.rounddancing.net/dance/figures/fox.html#:~:text=Most%20foxtrot%20figures
%20begin%20with,then%20toe%2Fheel%20as%20usual.
CHACHA

HISTORY/LITERATURE

- First introduced to the United States in 1954, the popular dance was at one time referred
to as Cha ChaCha. By 1959, the dance movement gained so much popularity that it
eventually replaced the Mambo as the most popular dance. By this time the name has
been reduced to the familiar ChaCha. By far the biggest reason of the Chacha explosion
is its versatility. Allowing dancers to create their own hybrid dances.

FIGURES OF STEPS

- The basic moves of the Chacha are very simple. The leader starts off with their left foot
and the follower starts with their right foot. During the next beat, the follower counts one
or three of the measures. At the same time, the leader would adjust their movement to
the follower’s location on the dance floor. The follower walks forward in the first two
beats of each pattern then steps three times at the end of the movement. This is known
as the anchor step.

MUSIC USED

- Cha-cha-cha is danced to authentic Cuban music, although in ballroom competitions it is

COSTUMES/PROPS

- ChaCha dancers wear a dress with ruffles in bright shades. The shoes are of the same
color as the dress and are mainly high heels. Men used to wear ruffles on the bottom of
their dresses and on their sleeves. They now wear silky black shirt and black pants
along with Latin shoes.

REFERENCES:

https://www.dancingfads.com/about/news/the-history-of-the-cha-cha#:~:text=First
%20introduced%20to%20the%20United,to%20the%20famillar%20Cha%20Cha.
SALSA
HISTORY/LITERATURE
- Salsa dancing — as a dance to accompany salsa music  was popularized in the
1960s. It was primarily developed by Puerto Ricans and Cubans living in New York in
the late 1960s and early 1970s. Different regions of Latin America and the United States
(including countries in the Caribbean) have distinct salsa styles, such as Cuban, Puerto
Rican, Colombian, and New York styles. Salsa dance socials are commonly held in
nightclubs, bars, ballrooms, restaurants, and outside, especially when part of an outdoor
festival.

FIGURES OF STEPS

- When one thinks of Salsa, there is a dancing duo on stage, moving at breakneck speeds
to an uproar of fast-paced drums and horns. Salsa's tempo and pace are a rapid 150-
250 beats per minute. The Salsa step uses three of those beats and the fourth beat as a
negative. This syncopation is distinctive to all styles of Salsa. In fact, the negative or
absence is used to enhance and emphasize parts of the dance and music.

MUSIC USED

- This distinct genre of music is a mixed bag of sounds, traditions and people. Each one
has its own individual background which carries with it a history of all that came before it.
One must think of Salsa in the many levels that come together to encompass the culture
and the feel that is so appropriately named. Most superficially, Salsa is a type of Latin
American Music and Dance done solo or with a partner.

COSTUMES/PROPS

- Women wear high heels and dark-colored sequined dresses. Men wear well-fitted black
pants and shined shoes, coupled with deep V-necked shirts to show off the male
dancer's body as well.

REFERENCES:

https://www.superprof.com/blog/essential-ingredients-of-each-style-of-salsa/