The term Latin dance has two meanings, depending on whether the context is social or Ballroom dance.
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Latin dance
Latin dance includes a wide range of dances originating in Latin America and Cuba. Examples include the Cha-cha-cha, Rumba, Samba, Salsa, Mambo, danza, Merengue, Tumba, Bachata, Cumbia, and Bolero. Some also include tango and Argentine tango in this list, although they differ from the rest in their style. In Argentina tango is not considered folk dance as is the case with dances like chacarera, gato, escondido and zamba. Typical Bolivian folk dances are morenada, kullawada, llamerada, caporales and the recently created tinku. In Colombia one of the typical dances is the cumbia.[1][2]
Ballroom dancing
The second is a more formal usage, to describe a category of International style ballroom dances, also called Latin American dances or International Latin. It consists of the following five dances: rumba, samba, paso doble, cha-cha-cha and jive.
The last dance is not of Latin origin, and dance teaching organizations have used various terms. The ISTD (Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing)[3] uses the phrase Latin American Dance; the IDTA (International Dance Teachers' Association) uses the term Latin; a good compromise is Latin and American.
Comparison with English modern (or International standard) ballroom dance is not simple, but basically rests on the music, and the fact that most latin dances are not progressive (travelling) dances. The exception is the samba, and to some extent the paso doble. All standard ballroom dances progress round the ballroom anti-clockwise, and that includes the tango. Music for latin dance teaching is usually in 4/4 time, though most Cuban music is written in 2/4 time. This difficulty can be overcome by teaching steps in groups of four beats. Thus a typical Cuban dance of three steps to four beats covers two bars of 2/4 music or one bar of 4/4 music. Couples in the basic position stand face-to-face, and the basic hold is closed, with both hands holding partner, but with space between the partners. This differs from standard ballroom dance, where the couples' bodies touch, and the hold is described as closed.[4] Music may be Latin American or contemporary popular music; it is generally strict-tempo: a consistent and (for medals or competitions) a preset number of beats per minute.
In ballroom dance competitions, with their formal classification of dance programs, the International Latin class is subdivided into Professional and Amateur categories. In United States, the Pro-Am category is also used, when competing couples consist of one professional and one amateur. Ballroom dancing is popular with people from all different ages all over the world. The World Dance Council, the ruling body for competitive dance, has 51 full member associations.
See also
- World Latin Dance Champions
- International Latin American Dance Champions
- Dance and music of Latin America
- List of dances
- Glossary of partner dance terms
- Latin American culture
References
- ^ Box, Ben 1992 (and subsequent editions). South American Handbook. Trade & Travel, N.Y. At the beginning of each chapter (except Guianas) is a section on music and dance written by Nigel Gallop, an Englishman, fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, who lived and worked in almost every country of South America.
- ^ Box, Ben and Cameron, Sarah 1992 (&c). Caribbean Islands Handbook. Trade & Travel, N.Y. info under Culture headings.
- ^ The Imperial Society of Dance Teachers (as it was first known) is one of the earliest such groups. It was formed on 25th July 1904 at the Hotel Cecil in Covent Garden, London.
- ^ ISTD 1983. The revised technique of Latin American dancing. Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. London
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