My wife and I began dancing socially by taking group instruction in the early 1980s with no thought of competitive or performance dancing. Our first attempt at what might be viewed as a show dance was at a passenger talent show on a 1988 Caribbean Cruise. While the waltz performance itself was totally forgettable, the experience was not. I suppose we relied upon our instructor’s claim that after a single session of group instruction one’s dance skills would be superior to 95% of the general population. We continued with group instruction for several years and danced at practice dances and community events for at least the next decade.
We resumed formal instruction around 2008, this time with a combination of group and private instruction. I was fortunate enough to take private instruction from a young woman who had competed successfully at Blackpool in the Rising Star category and it wasn’t long before I attempted another show dance with her as my partner. I was not a very skilled dancer but the amount I learned during the process really amazed me. My next instructor was a young woman who was a professional theatrical dancer and she became my first partner in competition. In a very short time I began to see the benefits of both competition and show dancing in my general development.
My third instructor at this studio was the studio owner. She and I continued to compete as a pro-am couple and performed several shows together. One of the shows was a medley beginning with rumba switching to a short jive sequence which was followed by a cha cha finish. We performed a heavily choreographed cha cha and a tango that incorporated elements from international, American and argentine styles. Our most recent performance was a bolero with a few elements stolen from argentine tango. We are currently working on another amalgamation of rumba and cha cha. I am also working on a waltz show dance with my wife as my partner.
What Do I Learn?
Fundamentals! Core strength and balance see to be of greatest importance to me and inextricable. Everyone has some innate sense of balance. We walk, don’t we, and dance is, in a sense, walking to music. However, when we dance we don’t always walk in straight lines or with a constant cadence. Waltz and Paso Doble have the most regular cadence, at least for elementary figures, but some steps are forward or backward and some are to the side. Others involve body rotation during or between steps and more advanced figures add syncopation. In order to rotate and change speeds between successive steps requires that the body’s motion above the feet be more and more precisely controlled as the complexity of direction and timing changes increase in advanced figures.
Dances such as waltz, foxtrot (particularly in the International style), viennese waltz, bolero and argentine tango place great importance on smoothness of motion throughout changes of direction and step timing. Dances such as rhumba, cha cha, paso double, jive, tango and samba include rapid stops and starts in addition to quick directional reversals. Balance alone, no matter how good, is insufficient. Core strength and control becomes increasingly important to success.
I have learned that show dances increase the demands on balance and core strength to extremes. Show dances are performed for the enjoyment of an audience more so than social or even open classes of competitive dance. As a result, even syllabus figures may be altered so as to present the most pleasing visual effects toward spectators so are rather customized for the expected location of spectators. Balance instability causes the dancer’s weight to shift unpredictably. When weight is too far back attempts to change direction from backward to forward movement is slowed and similar problem is associated with all direction reversals when poor balance takes body weight too far away from the changed direction. Similar delays occur with rotational motion. If the core is not strong and controlled the head and shoulders tend to create a late start to the rotation and adds too much momentum into the rotation making it difficult to stop at a precise position. I have come to appreciate that the core strength and balance I develop preparing for shows transfers to both my social and competitive dancing.
About Arms and Head
In social dancing, to a limited degree, and to a greater degree in competitive dance, arm and head movements are added to many figures as artistic embellishments. Such movements are intended to add the perception of elegance for female partners and strength and confidence for male partners. However, except for the highest levels of open classes of competitive dance, arm and head movement is minimal since most of the time partners are “in hold” and only very rarely do partners not have a connection with at least one hand. Executing arm movements contributes to balance shifts and increases core strength demand. Head movements are used differently for various dance styles. Waltz, foxtrot and quickstep use relatively slow rotation of the head to face into or away from the direction of travel as a contribution to elegance. Tango often incorporates rapid glances to increase the impression of sharpness of movements. Virtually every dance that includes elements like spot turns, step turns or spirals employs a head movement referred to as “spotting” as both a theatrical element and a mechanism to combat dizziness. Competitive dancers use head movement much more than social dancers. Arm and head movement can be a distraction from accurate rendering of figures and tends to be better developed among more advanced dancers.
I have learned that in show dance neither arm nor head movement is optional. Both are intrinsic elements in the choreographed movements. They are designed to create specific visual effects and are frequently coordinated to the partnership. Furthermore, a show dance may be performed with nearly no elements in dance hold thus both arms may be free to create dramatic effect. Synchronized head and arm movements are much more common in show dances than in any other form. Such elements whether synchronized or not are designed to increase audience appeal.
About Lead and Follow
Lead and follow are taught to a greater or lesser extent to social and competitive dancers. Social dancers may repeat figures with the same partner so often that lead and follow become almost empathic. Competitive dancers that employ fixed routines may use lead and follow primarily as a timing device which is really what they are intended to do.
Show dancers tend to reduce lead and follow to timed simultaneous movements. Both partners should completely understand their own choreographic sequence so that when contact occurs it is completely by design and any observer’s impression of a lead which is followed is almost an illusion created by the choreographer. It is extremely difficult to create the theatrical impression of spontaneity that results from “lead-follow partnership” when it is not truly present.
Comparisons
There are two videos under this heading which have presented quite different challenges for me. The same choreographer, Bryan Malcolm, developed both routines however, the bolero was performed with my instructor and coach Patricia Malcolm while the fusion was performed with Bonnie London, another amateur student. That is a very significant difference for me. The choreography for each routine was radically different. The fusion used elements from three different dances, tango, argentine tango and paso doble as opposed to the bolero. A third difference was in the training approach. In developing the bolero the choreographer explained the sequence which the professional partner assimilated almost instantly then I, as the amateur partner, learned most of the sequence from my partner with occasional intervention from the choreographer. During developing the dance fusion the choreographer worked with each dancer individually and with the partnership.
Different Partners
With a professional as a partner is somewhat like driving a Ferrari where I had complete confidence in the car. I was confident that she had the technique and understanding of the choreography to maintain complete control. I was doing almost all of the learning. Once she had learned the choreographed sequence I learned everything from my partner. The “feel” was absolutely consistent. Working with an amateur partner with skills similar to mine was quite different. Neither of us was in full control. We were both learning the choreography, technique and theatrics together. Both of us could “feel” uncertainty in our partnership. This was despite the fact that we danced together socially and had danced competitively. The learning occurs in stages and through iterations. For me, the choreography was learned to some level following which I was able to appreciate the technique that allowed confidence in execution followed by some ability to perform more theatrically. Partnership “feel” was the last thing to develop. The learning sequence repeated over and over.
Different Choreographic Elements
The choreography for a show in a single dance style while complex was not nearly as difficult for me as the fusion of three styles. The bolero show dance incorporated a few elements from argentine tango but almost the entire performance was in partnership. The fusion mixed elements from international tango, argentine tango and paso doble however parts were danced as synchronized solo and parts were in partnership. Making transitions from solo to in-hold partnership fluidly presented a challenge as did maintaining synchronization during solo elements where my partner and I were not always looking at each other. Adding to the complexity was the use of a cane (simulated sword) as a prop.
Different Training Approach
I have alluded to this in the previous two sections but there is more to be said. While learning the bolero show dance I really didn’t work directly with the choreographer, I learned from my partner who translated the choreography, helped me develop my technique and worked to develop my performance skills. The choreography was broken down into segments, each segment was learned separately then joined with transitions. The music was selected during the development when one song just “seemed to fit”. The choreographer reviewed the product from time to time and made adjustments. Learning this way from a professional dancer / instructor who knew me and my capabilities was a relatively stress free process. While she pushed me past my limits it was a guided and gradual development.
The fusion was different. The music was chosen first and the choreographer gradually seemed to visualize a theme. What he saw was a combative chase. The choreographer worked directly with me to construct some initial elements of the first half of the sequence. He then worked with my partner and me to help visualize her part of the first half. We repeated the same approach to develop the second half of the routine. As the choreography became more stable the effort focused on technique. My teacher and pro partner worked specifically with me on technique and performance while the choreographer worked with my partner on the same things. Gradually we worked more in partnership and increased the tempo to match the music. Elements were added to link the two major segments and create a conclusion. Then it was rehearse, rehearse, rehearse combined with continued development separately with individual instructors. As we approached the date for a first public performance the partnership became more automatic. As less mental effort was required to execute the elements, time seemed to slow down for me and I began to find things to improve and the skill to do so.
The Big Takeaway
Some really interesting things happened to me during my training for show dances. There is a great deal of memory work in a two minute show dance. There are no repeats, unlike social dance or a competition sequence. Every movement has its own purpose. Everything learned can be repurposed to improve all aspects of my dancing.
I believe every aspiring dancer should attempt a show dance or showcase as some studios call it! I understand that the thought of being on stage performing for an audience can be frightening overcoming the fear can be extremely rewarding. In a show dance, everything taught by my instructors is used in the extreme to perform a superb show dance. It is also true that every attempt to perform a show dance lead me in the direction of mastery.