A Playful Misconception, A Childhood's Dream

Ladies and gentlemen, a very good evening to you all. For those of you who know me, you might have once or twice referred to me as “the dancer” (…). Though I’ve never considered myself that, but I guess it’s true; I can dance, a little.

I’ve started training in the arts of DanceSport back in the year 2000 while I was a student in the UK. DanceSport collectively refers to the competitive 5 Latin dances and 5 ballroom dances.

Generally, the 5 Latin dances are considered by many as more exciting, interesting and exhilarating to watch as compared to the ballroom section. And I can see why, because in Latin there is the playful and cheeky Cha Cha Cha (…); the energetic and explosive Jive (…); the ultimate Brazilian party dance that is the Samba (…); the sexy and seductive Rumba (…); and finally the very macho Paso Doble where the man acts as the bullfighter (…) and the lady is the… cape, not the bull.

But I personally feel that the ballroom dances can be just as interesting as the Latin dances, if you know what to look out for. While Latin requires you to be dynamic, in ballroom it’s all about the grace as you glide across the glistening dance floor. In Latin you need to separate your hips from your ribs in order to do this (…), but a straight and strong posture (…) is most important in ballroom. In Latin the man and lady dance apart from each other, but in ballroom they dance as one. The man will act as a frame for the lady to cling on to (…).

There are 5 points of contact in the ballroom hold. 1) the man’s left hand holds the lady’s right hand (…), 2) the man’s right hand placed on the left shoulder blade of the lady (…), 3) the lady’s left hand placed on top of the man’s right upper arm (…) (except for if you’re dancing the Tango then the lady will stick her thumb right into man’s armpit), 4) the lady’s left elbow rests on the man’s right elbow (…), and 5) the right abdomen of the man is in contact with the right abdomen of the lady (…).

Let’s start with the Tango. Most of you already know the music and style of the Tango as it has been done so many times before in movies, from Al Pacino in Scent Of A Woman to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in Mr & Mrs Smith. Out of all the ballroom dances, the Tango is the only one that requires an arrogant facial expression, because it’s all about the slinky seduction in the underground nightclubs in Paris. The knees are flexed throughout the dance (…), the movements are sharp and staccato (…), and the head flicks (…) are very prominent.

Second is the Waltz. A Waltz can be danced romantically between two lovers or in an endearing way between a parent and the child. Any 3-beat music (1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3) is a Waltz music. The key here is the gentle but distinct rise and fall emphasised through the legs. Allow me to give you a short demonstration. (…) [Josh Groban - So She Dances]

But for the third dance, the Viennese Waltz, it’s totally different from the Waltz. Back in the old days it was a dance for the royalties, all prim and proper. But in the modern day it can be danced romantically as well. The feet move a lot quicker as the dancers go around the floor in a circle. Not only that, the dancers themselves continuously spin in their own orbit while they are moving in the circle. Observe. (…) [Goo Goo Dolls - Iris]

The fourth dance is the Foxtrot, which was the most popular dance in the 20th century. Dancing movie legends such as Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, together with those classic tunes like, “fly me to the moon, and let me dance among the stars”; they helped the Foxtrot become a mainstream dance. The emphasis here is the continuous and smooth transition from one step to the next without ever stopping as the dancers float effortlessly across the dance floor.

Finally, the Quickstep, like its namesake, is the fastest of them all. Think of the analogy, a duck on water. The top half of the duck’s body is always calm and poised, but its legs in the water are paddling away frantically to keep itself afloat. Quickstep should be the same as well. Observe. (…) [Christina Aguilera - Candyman]

So there you have it, the five ballroom dances of DanceSport. If you are able to glide across the dance floor, be as smooth as if you’re skating on ice, as graceful as a duck on water, and still be sharp when you need to be; then you have just made a ballroom dance exciting, interesting, and exhilarating for the viewers.

Thank you for listening, ladies and gentlemen; you have been a great crowd. Back to you, Terence and Yani.