The Afton Dance Club
For Ballroom and Latin American Dancing
Information in and around Edinburgh, Scotland UK
The Afton Dance ClubFor Ballroom and Latin American Dancing |
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Standard Ballroom DancesThe five "Standard" Ballroom Dances include Waltz, Quickstep, Foxtrot, Tango and Viennese Waltz, and we try to include all of these into our regular twice weekly evening sessions of ballroom and latin dancing every Thursday and Saturday. The QuickstepThe Quickstep developed during World War I in suburban New York, likely performed by Carribean and African dancers. It eventually made its debut onto the stage of American music-hall and immediately became popular in the ballrooms. Note that Foxtrot and Quickstep have a common origin. In the twenties many bands played the slow-foxtrot too fast, which gave rise to many complaints. Eventually they developed into two different dances, with the slow-foxtrot tempo slowed down and the Quickstep becoming clearly the fast version of Foxtrot, currently danced at 50 bars per minute tempo. The Charleston had a deal of influence on the development of Quickstep. A bright, upbeat and often cheeky dance, the Quickstep is danced at all levels from Social through to competition ballroom dancing, also now known as "dancesport". The Waltz The Waltz is by its very definition a form of music in
3/4 meter or time. The first beat of each bar or measure is dominant with a strong downbeat accent, while beats two and three are
lighter. Characteristically, Waltz music is slow, sweet, melodic and fluid. It is often orchestral music, mostly lacking in
heavy percussion or drums, relying more on the melodic instruments to carry the rhythmic progression. The music can be vocal
or instrumental. The Slow FoxtrotThe Foxtrot was first introduced into the mainstream in 1913 by an American
named Harry Fox. It has since become one of the most popular and lasting dances of the twentieth century, but not before
going through many stylistic changes. Compared with today's standards, the original Foxtrot was moderately fast, simple and
unrefined, not unlike the music of the time. The popularity of the dance stemmed from its overall versatility and rhythmic
variation (Foxtrot is believed to be the first dance to introduce the "Slow" count, previously the popular dances such as
the Waltz and the One-Step used only a single-count rhythm). In the early 30´s Foxtrot began to take on a smoother and
more flowing quality in contrast to the new and exciting Latin dances hitting the scene. The Tango
The Tango was first danced in Europe before World War I, in 36 bars per minute tempo, although it is now danced at 33 bars per minute. It originates from Buenos Aires (Argentina)
where it was likely first danced in "La Barria de Las Ranas", the ghetto of Buenos Aires. It was then known under the name
of 'el Baile con Corte' (the dance with a rest). The "dandies" and dancers of Buenos Aires changed the dance in a
couple of ways. First they changed the so-called "Polka rhythm" into the "Habañera rhythm" and then
called it Tango. The Viennese WaltzThe Viennese Waltz remains in the
Ballroom section, but is now mainly danced at competition level. It is less free and more structured than the other dances,
by comparison having a more limited selection of steps and groups to learn, but danced at a much faster tempo [60
bars per minute], and so requires both technique and stamina to master. Often used completely out of historical context in
costume drama by Hollywood, but nevertheless, an attractive and colourful dance. Similar steps occur in various circle waltzes
worldwide, pointing to a common origin. Interestingly, the waltz was originally regarded in the same manner as the tango, being
the first dance where partners danced in the closed position with their arms around each other, and thus sure to lead to all
forms of sin and debauchery! [Have things changed much?] |
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