Steps For Ballroom Dances example essay topic

This paper focuses on the aspects of ballroom dancing. I chose this site because of a few reasons. The main factor is that I live on campus and I did not have a way to get to any of the other sites. Another reason that I chose to study ballroom dancing is because I got a little taste of it a few years ago.

When I was in seventh grade there was a cotillion class offered. My mom singed me up for it against my will. At first I didn't want to go to the class, but after a couple of classes I was having fun. It was a great way to get to meet some girls and get to dance with them. This is almost the only dancing that I ever did.

There were a few things that were very surprising to me. First, there are many different dances that are considered to be part of ballroom dancing. I thought that ballroom dancing only included waltz and cha-cha. Later I found out that there were other dances such as tango and salsa that are also considered ballroom dancing. I believe traditionally these dances were not part of ballroom dancing, but when tango and salsa became popular dances around the world, ballroom styles of these dances were formed.

Although the dances are not the same as the traditional dance performed by indigenous people of the area they still have some of the same basic steps. When these dances made it to Europe the social aspect of dancing changed the style and mood of the dances. The venue that I went to was in Gerlinger Hall on Friday nights. The dance was held in a huge room about thirty feet by sixty.

There wasn't anything in the room. There weren't any chairs for people to sin on. The DJ was set up in the back of the room on a table. There was a table at the door were people would take the five dollars as you entered.

In the lobby there were a few couches and chairs for people to sit on and rest their feet when they got tired. There was also a coat rack in the dance room. If you came early to the dance there was a class that was offered. The teacher was very nice and was very clear when giving instructions. When someone was doing something wrong she would nicely tell them how to do it better.

First of all I went to the dances. I like the lesson because you learn all general facts about the dance that you are learning. When teaching the dance the teacher was forced to give a little background about the dance so we could understand the feeling of the dance. This is what I believe to be a very important resource I grew up in a small suburb of San Francisco.

Dancing was never a big part of my life. As I mentioned before I took a cotillion class when I was in Jr. High. When I was in eighth grade I started to swing dance. My girlfriend did it every week and she started to drag me along with her. I admit that I had a good time but I wasn't really good...

My school put on a lot of dances, about one dance every other month. I was never a big fan of the music that was played and I never was any good at dancing the way people do at dances and clubs. I myself am a musician. I play the cello and the bass. I love music. It is one of the only things in this world that truly makes me happy.

I say that I'm not good at dancing and that I don't like it that much but there is another truth behind that. I have just recently realized that I do dance. When I am listening to music that I get funky to, I dance. When I go to a concert I am dancing all the time, most likely for two hours straight. It was not until I began playing in my band and taking this class that I realized that I dance all the time. There is this one lick in a song that my band plays and every time it comes up I just go wild; Feet flailing in ever direction, bouncing around the room, never stopping until the lick is over.

It was not until my drummer, Rick, said that I was a funky dancer that I realized I dance more than I know it. So to recap: I had many opportunities to go to dances but didn't take most of them up. I like to dance when I'm feeling the music and the energy just starts to flow through my body, the music must be right. Being able to talk to people who are regulars at the venue helped a lot. Like before I felt very awkward dancing so I was turned off a little, but I know that I had to be unbiased so I spent a lot of time watching.

I'm sure that if I was more into it I could have had a better time. The best way to gather information was to talk to the lady who taught the class. She was very helpful. Secondly I think that I got the best information the night that I just sat back and watched. This allowed me to take notes on the spot and rally focus on what is going on, on the dance floor. I wish there was a wider variety of people who were accessible to talk to about ballroom dancing.

Most of the girls that I danced with were of about my age and they were either there because of fun or because of their ballroom dancing class. The people who are taking the class offered by the university were the best people to talk to. They informed me of many facts about how to behave and some background on the dancing it's self. If I were doing this next year I would have gotten more information on each specific dance that is part of ballroom dancing.

The cultural values of the group I studied were different than I expected. I have seen many movies and T. V shows set in the 1800's and dancing the waltz. The woman wore big puffy hoop dresses and the men wore frilly suites. The men asked the woman to dance and it was a very formal atmosphere. The group I studied at Gerlinger hall was very much different from the picture I had in my head. The feel that I got when I was in the dance hall is the same one I got when I was at school dances.

There were a lot of younger people there. The girls were dressed up way more than the guys who attended. Some of the dances that are danced in ballroom have grouping our where people dance. ["The different groups that are part of ballroom dancing are categorized by skill level. There are beginners, intermediate dancers and advance dancers. During the lesson there is also the teacher and her helper"] (Fn 2 1: 1-3) during open dance time one must hear the music and know what kind of dance is acceptable to be dancing and so they know where to go on the floor.

The teacher was very helpful during the lessons because she would tell us if there was some where we were supposed to be dance or some where we shouldn't be dancing during a certain style of dancing. The groups are divided on the dance floor by skill. The beginners are to stay in the middle of the dance floor. The more advanced people dance around the outside of the floor. This is because the advanced step is a more movement involved and the step forms a big circle. The beginning step is simple and you don't move around the floor too much.

When a more advanced person is dancing with a beginner the should stay in the center. Although the skill is in the couple the less advanced person is what needs to become the level in which the couple dances. This venue seemed to me to be based around having fun and getting meet new people. There was a very informal atmosphere at Gerlinger. Everyone is very nice and friendly. The first time that I was at the dance I ended dancing with this really old woman during the lesson.

For some reason I ended up with out a partner and the teacher asked her to dance with me. The teacher know the woman because it turns out that she is a regular at this dance. Her name was Fae and she was a rally nice lady. She even offered me some help and answered a few questions I had about ballroom dancing.

The feeling here is like this because everyone needs to feel comfortable about being there and dancing. This is a place for people to meet and have fun and the majority of the people were there to do so. There needs to be a tension less atmosphere of the dance would not do as planned and people would just be hang out around the outside of the dance floor... The basic idea behind the waltz and cha-cha is that the man is able to lead the woman's body but only using two points of contact at all times to move around the dance floor. -Box step: This is the step used for the waltz. It is a square stepping pattern.

The man first steps forward with his left foot followed by a quick side step to the right with the right foot. The woman follows in an opposite pattern. When the box step is properly learned that the couple adds a 1/4 turn to every other step. This allows movement around the floor and not just in a square all the time.

I was told there were much more advanced steps. The feel for the step is in a circular three. (Fn 1 1: 29-33) This is the step of the waltz and during all this movement the only place that is contacting the body of the other partner is at the hand and hip / shoulder. I learned this trust thing from one of India's friends whom I met while have lunch one day. She is in ballroom dancing class and I asker her to give me some information about ballroom. She said that the trust of the woman and the ability to guide by the man were the single most important things about ballroom dancing.

When dancing during the open dance it is rare to see the same sexes dancing together. Even during the lesson when the teacher had us line up and there were more women then men she had the women dance by themselves with an imaginary partner. The dance gives a sense that men danced with woman and that was that. However I did see a couple of girls dancing in the smaller room next to the main dance floor.

The night I went when they were dancing tango and samba I noticed a lot of girls dancing together. I'm not sure if it was because they were friends or wanted to dance with a girl but I noticed that it did happen a lot more. This is most likely because the formal aspects of waltz and cha-cha are not there so it is ok to dance with the same sex. The last night I went to the dance they were teaching salsa and Samba. This was a huge surprise to me because I didn't know that they were part of ballroom dancing. By talking to some people I found out that only in more recent days have these dances become part of ballroom dancing.

Although the dances are influenced by the traditional dances they are extremely different from the samba and salsa of Central and South America. ["This time we didn't go to the lesson. This was a mistake because they taught samba and salsa. This was a huge surprise because I didn't know that these dances were considered to be part of ballroom dancing. When they played the salsa type songs I couldn't dance because I didn't really know how. Everyone is so nice here.

They are willing to teach you how to dance. It was not as easy to pick up when the teacher teaches the class". ] (Fn 3 1: 1-5) During the night I noticed a few things that were different than before. There were a lot of girls dancing with each other. There were a lot of girls practicing with one another in the small room to the side. I also saw a lot of the same people that I have seen before.

There is this one couple who I have seen every time plus I saw then at the west coast swing venue I went to at the beginning of the term. This dance is a place for regulars most likely because it is in a good central location and it happens every week for people to enjoy. Manners are a big thing that I noticed between the people at this dance. Everyone is very nice and I was never turned down for a dance. Traditionally it was considered rude to turn down a dance even if you didn't want to. It is still like that to this day.

Another part of etiquette is that after a dance one must thank the other person for the dance. One more thing that was part of politeness it the position of the hands. During the dance you are never supposed to touch your partner in a sexual way especially when you are waltzing. This goes for boyfriend / girlfriend couples, it is just not polite. ["The most important thing to fit into the group is to have manners. When asking someone to dance one should always ask politely and say please.

When the song is over always thank the other person. The goal of the dance is to have fun. Something that would be inappropriate would be to touch our partner in a sexual manner (Grabbing butt or waist... ) Behavior differs from the groups. Not everyone has the same reasons for coming to Gerlinger.

The beginners and intermediate dancers are most likely try to meet new people. They are being polite and trying to get names and other info about the other person. I noticed that a lot of the advanced people danced with the same people. They came as couples and probably are dance partners. I think that it is good to dance with other people. It's like playing music.

When you play with other people it allows you to develop style and technique. (Fn 2 1: 25-34) When attending the dance at Gerlinger there was a very unique atmosphere. IT almost felt as if I was back at a high school dance. There we a lot of younger kids there, but I don't think that is the reason. The reason is because this is a venue for people to come and meet new people and have a good time. When looking back to the past this is the same reason that peopled danced ballroom.

At parties people would be dancing and the same gender roles were apparent. This shows that even though the styles of dance have changed the values which started this culture have remained even for a social event such as this one. The way that people behave is very typical of what you would expect from watch old movie depicting ballroom dancing. Everyone is very polite, and although the dance is informal the tension in the air gives it a formal feeling. This behavior shows that the culture from which this dance came was formal as well. Ballroom dancing was for the elegant and rich white folk of Europe.

They were the "proper" people. Although there are all kinds of people at this venue there is still a sense of arrogance and upper-classmanship. This venue is much different from some of the others one could find in Eugene. Because of the type and history of the dance things stay pretty calm. There are many younger people who attend this dance and that might be for a few reasons. The kind of dance done here is very calm and mellow.

There is no drinking involved and that is because it is on campus but more importantly it does not reflect the culture. In other dances such as salsa at Sr. Frogs drinking is a big part of the culture. The drinking allows people to let loose and go wild. They stop thinking about how poorly they are dancing and focus on having fun.

When looking at the venue in Gerlinger, there are much more conservative values through out the culture. Another dance to compare to is contact improv. I'm making a bold claim here, but I feel that a dance like contact improv would be more difficult as a beginner to learn and harder for one to become part of the group. The steps for ballroom dances have been set in stone for hundreds of years, but now times are changing and more creativity is being put into the art world. Some dances do not even follow a set pattern and that would make it very difficult to learn what to do. The people that I would se doing improve dances are people who are very creative and open minded to anything.

The people I saw at Gerlinger were more on the conservative side. In the world and country we live in today there is such a huge variety of people. I try to define American Culture and it is one of the hardest things to do because we live in such a cultural melting pot. From the upper-middle class town that I come from ballroom dancing seems like it would be a popular dance. Many of the parents in the area are conservative and like to believe in traditional values. Politeness and respect for everyone are things that my mom has taught me since the day I could understand.

This is the same way that ballroom dancing has been shown to me. Manners are everything and respect for the person you are dancing with and everyone around you are very important aspects of ballroom dancing. When I came to Eugene everyone was a little more laid back. This is one reason why I think that there are much more opportunities to experience other kinds of dancing. People are more open with their bodies and minds and it can be seen in the types of dances and the people dancing around the area. Although in Ballroom it was mostly men dancing with woman there are many dances where members of the same sex dance together.

In society today it has become much more acceptable to dance with people of the same sex. Peoples minds have opened up and many people have come to terms with their sexuality and feel comfortable dancing with people of the same sex. There are a couple of reasons why this would take place. First of all the couple might be homosexual. In society today there are a lot of gay people and it has become ok for gays to express their feelings and emotions though dance by dancing with each other. Another reason whey people of the same sex are dancing together is because of practice.

If I, as a man, were trying to learn the fallow part of a dance it would not be too much help if you were dancing with a girl. For one they might know how to lead and a woman has a much different feel in your hands so things might not feel right. If a man was teaching me to follow I think that I would be able to catch on much quicker. Modernly speaking there are no political aspects behind ballroom dancing. It was formed as a form of entertainment for the upper class.

However some of the dances that became part of ballroom dancing had huge political aspects when looking at where the dance came from. Take samba for example. Samba was a dance done by the poor people of Brazil. This was a way for then to unite and stand strong when they were being oppressed. When samba made it to Europe that aspect of the dance was no longer relevant which caused changes in the dance. When looking back upon doing this project I learned a few things about ballroom dancing.

For starters there are a variety of different dances that are considered a part of ballroom dancing. I also learned that even though there is a very formal history about the dance, today it is still a way for people to go have fun and meet new people. Although all the traditional roots are still holding together the venue there are a lot of open minded aspects that have snuck in through the changing of out society.