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| internet source: staged dance |
I have been doing different kind of dances, but when I was going through the dances with people, it seems to me that a lot of people have a false impression towards Ballroom dancing, that they think ballroom dancing usually has fixed routines, but the other dancing like Argentine Tango, Salsa, Mambo, Bachata, Merengue are more likely the improvisation based. No doubt that the above mentioned dances are inspired by improvisations, however, I cannot agree that Ballroom dancing are routine-based.
Social dances, include Ballroom and others, do have basic figures, the Ballroom figures are grouped into syllabus, figures of the other dances are also grouped into some sort of manuals. Using the figures we can create routines, but we should conclude that there can only be fixed routines.
As a Salsa beginner, you will be taught the basic, the left turn, right turn, hammer lock. Then you will practice these until you are good at it, later on, you will learn more and more figures, and in the end you will be able to combine different figures in order to create your own routine. When you are dancing with someone you don't know, you might be inspired him/her to make something new up.
Same will happen in Argentine Tango. Beginners will learn the forward, backward walk steps, the Eight Step, the Ocho, the Cross and will be the told to practice them. As you advance and know more you can then create your own moves. The Milonga is just a good place for you to get inspired as the crowded floor may force you to give some concessional steps.
Then in Ballroom, it is in fact the same. After learning the basic steps, you dance with different people and learn to lead or follow while at the same time stay alert to floorcraft. In you class you may do it like 'Spot Turn-Basic-Hand to Hand' but on the social floor, it could be 'New York-Cuban Break-Spot Turn'. Or, in you class you learn your alignments, a step should be taken or end DW, DC or whatever, but on the floor with couples moving around, I do not think that one can exactly execute the same.
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| freestyle is part of the Ballroom Dancing's culture |
All in all, social dancing is basically freestyle. Simply think about social, then you will get the idea, you can't expect everyone else learn the same thing as you so in social functions, making judgments accordingly is an art of floorcraft. However, we do share some common rules which we refer to floor etiquette, so as to avoid 'travel accidents' on the floor.
**You may also like Floorcraft & Dance Floor Etiquette, and Understanding Basic Floorcraft.
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