Thursday, March 1, 2012

All About Ballroom Dancing - The Rumba

By Karri Owens


Unlike other ballroom dances, the Rumba emphasizes ones body movements greater than their footwork. The rhythm from the dance, which is emphasized by any kind of percussion, drums, pots, maracas, etc., is much more essential to the dance compared to the tune itself. The fascinating rhythms and mesmerizing body movements of the dance make it one of the more popular ballroom dances.

The Rumba was relying on the Spanish and Africans with most of the development of the dance going on in Cuba. The Rumba evolved in 1800s Havana, originating with the African Negro slaves who had been imported. The rural Rumba was originally for exhibition in lieu of participation. In some reference works the Rumba has been said to be a pantomime of the movements of barnyard animals while using steady level shoulders depicting the movements of slaves as they carried heavy burdens. However, executives will peek at the Rumba as a dance of affection and sensuality with the woman tempting he with her charms, teasing then withdrawing. Some go a step farther saying the dance is a pantomime of sex with the man dancing extremely fast in a very sensual yet aggressive manner with greatly exaggerated hip movements, and the woman responding with a defensive attitude. Whichever is correct, the Rumba is regarded as the sensual of all the Latin ballroom dances.

Son, Danzon, Guagira, Guaracha and Naningo are typical names for the Rumba. The Son, the slower more refined Rumba was obviously a favorite among the middle class Cubans. The wealthy portion of Cuban society preferred the Danzon, which can be an even slower Rumba using very small steps and more subtle hip movements.

The modified version from the Rumba known as the Son was unveiled in Americans in 1913. In the late 1920's Xavier Cugat formed an orchestra devoted to Latin American Music which really didn't build a following until around 1929. By the end of the decade Xavier had the top Latin American orchestra of his day.

Monsieur Pierre Lavelle, a London dance teacher, and his awesome partner Doris Lavelle were responsible for bringing and popularizing the Rumba along with other Latin American dances to Europe. In 1955 with the aid of Pierre and Lavelle the Cuban Rumba was finally named because officially recognized version from the Rumba.

During ballroom dance competitions the judges will be watching for the following: * Interplay relating to the partners - this is a dance of affection, a portrayal of romance. This is simply not the time for solemn, passive expressions * A powerful direct walk * Plenty of slow body shapes - our bodies NEVER stops changing its shape * Figure eight hip rolls - hips alternating inside a forward motion * NEVER leading using the heel, stay on the balls in the feet * The Cucaracha step - you ought to rock to the right or left then replace and close * The fan position - the girl positioned to the man's left side, at arms length at a 90 angle to the man




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment