A guide to general dancing skills accompanies sequential photographs and foot-pattern diagrams illustrating the fundamentals of the fox-trot, waltz, cha-cha, tango, polka, and other popular ballroom dances.
Describes the history of ballroom dancing; presents photo-illustrated instructions for the waltz, foxtrot, tango, Viennese waltz, rumba, merengue, samba, cha-cha, mambo, East Coast swing, and hustle; discusses such topics as timing, rhythm, practice, and expectations; and includes an eleven-track audio CD.
Ballroom dancing has become an increasingly popular pastime for all ages, inspired in recent years by reality TV dance programmes throughout the world. As one of the most inclusive dance genres, it offers both a social and competitive outlet for every ability. The Essential Guide to Ballroom Dance offers a comprehensive study of the main ballroom dance styles, including the Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep and Tango. Topics covered include a brief history and development of ballroom dancing; a beginner's guide to partnerships, positioning and footwork; dance-specific techniques, steps and routines; the mechanics, application and fundamentals of movement; musicality and choreography and, finally, exercises, diet and nutrition. With clear step-by-step instructions, 150 colour photographs, and a foreword by Anton Du Beke, this is an ideal companion for the beginner ballroom dancer. Janet Cunningham-Clayton is a former Senior British Ballroom Champion and has over twenty-five years of dancing experience, and Malcolm Fernandes has over thirty years experience in the ballroom dance industry with a particular specialism in music.
This early work provides a detailed descriptive account of ballroom dancing that is thoroughly recommended for the dance enthusiast or historians shelf. Illustrated with step diagrams. Contents Include: Foreword; Introduction; Anyone Can Become A Good Dancer; How to Gain Self-Confidence; The Correct Dancing Position; First Principles of Dancing; Why Modern Dancing Is Easy To Learn; The Secret of Leading; How to Follow Your Partner; How to Recognize Dance Rhythms; How to Keep Time to Music; Dictionary of Dance Terms; The Fox Trot; The Waltz; The Tango; Collegiate Steps; Etiquette of the Ballroom. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.
In the summer of 1972, a group of young people in Bloomington, Indiana, began a weekly gathering with the purpose of reviving traditional American old-time music and dance. In time, the group became a kind of accidental utopia, a community bound by celebration and deliberately void of structure and authority. In this joyful and engaging book, John Bealle tells the lively history of the Bloomington Old-Time Music and Dance Group -- how it was formed, how it evolved its unique culture, and how it grew to shape and influence new waves of traditional music and dance. Broader questions about the folk revival movement, social resistance, counter culture, authenticity, and identity intersect this delightful history. More than a story about the people who forged the group or an extraordinary convergence of talent and creativity, Old-Time Music and Dance follows the threads of American folk culture and the social experience generated by this living tradition of music and dance.
Ask an old-timer what life was like in rural upstate New York during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and you will hear about the dances and bees that brought villagers and farmers together. You will hear of favorite fiddlers who held center stage with dance tunes taken from early British and American sources. You will hear of old-time music and its significance to a people making the transition from a rural, agricultural life to an urban, industrial one. Old-Time Music Makers of New York State is the first book published on this rich legacy of traditional Anglo-American music and dance. It traces the development of old-time music beginning with its movement into New York State from New England in the early nineteenth century and to its combination with commercial country music in the twentieth century. Exploring the regional character of the music and its meaning co the people who enjoy it, Bronner introduces memorable figures from the major periods in the development of old-time music, and he places their stories, their lives, and their music in the context of the region's cultural and historical changes. This is much more than a regional study, however. Bronner brings to the fore issues of national scope and interest. He discusses the relationship of old-time music to the commercial country music with which it has been closely aligned, and he challenges the prevailing wisdom that the origins of country music are in the South. Musician, fan, folklorist, and historian alike will benefit from and enjoy this book. The many musical transcriptions, annotations, photographs, and appendixes provide a valuable reference to be used again and again.