Basic knowledge and theory of Latin dance

Latin style dance is a general name for dance that originated from folk dances in Latin American culture and was improved by modern dancers and spread to all over the world. Popular dances in recent years include salsa, bachata, zuko, meringue and so on. Although Latin style dance has national and world-level dance competitions, it is not a competitive dance. The following is the basic knowledge theory of Latin dance that I compiled. Let’s take a look.

Basic knowledge and theory of Latin dance

1. Postures

Basics of duet dance: In a duet match, whether moving forward or backward, The arms of both men and women should be kept moderately bent to form an arc. Center the hands on both sides and keep the distance from the hands to the elbows constant during the movement. It should be noted that no matter how you jump, when two people have a point of contact, it should be an arc from the point of contact to the back, so that they can drive each other.

2. Principle of force

Basics of duet dance: There are two types of force used by couples: buckling and squeezing. Buckle: The force of the buckle is used when no dance steps or movements are produced. The force of "buckle" is generated with the back, which is the outward force of both men and women. When the direction of the force is unchanged and relatively stationary, use the force of the buckle. Squeeze: It is the inward direction of both men and women. Produced with midsection and one side of the body. When the direction of movement changes, backlog of force will be generated. Note: The direction of movement referred to here is that the two people have different directions. If the directions are the same, there is no need to turn into squeezing. The squeezing force is only once and does not last. It quickly turns into a kickback force after squeezing.

3. Examples

Basics of pas de deux: Take boys as a reference to give examples. When a boy puts his hand on a girl's back, the girl moves backwards. It feels like the boy's hand is a wall and the girl is leaning against the wall. When a boy puts his hand on a girl's chest (shoulder or clavicle), the direction of the girl's force is towards the boy. The boy puts his hand on the right side of the girl's body. The girl moves to the right and the boy moves to the left. The direction of force generation is always corresponding to men and women.

4. Degree of force

Basics of duet dance: The degree of force should be appropriate. It is appropriate for one party to let go and the other not to shake. During the movement of the dance steps, the two strengths of "buckle" and "squeeze" should always be kept even, and the change in strength should not be too large. Power is just a tool to convey signals to the other party, not to control the dance partner. Therefore, the strength does not need to be great. Both parties must be able to stand on their own center of gravity and cannot rely solely on the strength of the dance partner to stand firm.

The origin and development of Latin dance

The full name of Latin dance is Latin American dance. It is a folk dance popular in Latin America. It uses a man and a woman as the basic form. The dance steps and style are basically derived from the folk dances of the area. The origin of Latin dance has a very close relationship with Africa.

Since the 15th century, colonialists such as Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Britain, and France have been engaged in the slave trade, trafficking large numbers of African blacks as commodities across the Atlantic to various parts of the Americas... Needless to say, these blacks Folk dances with strong tropical African characteristics will also be brought to Latin America. It affects and integrates Latin American dances. In addition, it absorbs the dance styles of immigrants from other countries in Latin America, gradually forming Latin American dances with Latin American characteristics.

In 1925, the "Royal Institute of Teachers of Dance (ISTD)" scientifically standardized social dance and issued the "International Standard Dance" to the world. Latin Dance Steps". However, it took nearly half a century to truly systematically summarize, research and apply the theories, principles, movements and technical skills of Latin dance...

Latin dance has a long history. There are many variations of Latin dance, and there are many varieties, but the most popular ones that have stood the test of time are rumba, cha cha cha, samba, gaife and pasteur. These five dance types are regarded as Latin dances. representatives were included in ballroom dance as a competition event.

In 1960, Latin dance officially participated in the World Ballroom Dance Competition.

Latin dance has long been widely valued in the West. In our country, due to many reasons, it started late

Which types of crowd dance are suitable for Latin dance

Which Is one type of person suitable for long-term Latin dance?

In recent years, sports dance has developed rapidly in our country, and many fitness methods have emerged. For workers who are busy every day, it is important to choose an appropriate fitness and entertainment method and persevere. I have been thinking about which type of people should choose Latin dance as a way to exercise, and which type of Latin dance is more suitable. Later, I carefully observed the characteristics of Latin dance enthusiasts and gained some basic understanding.

Chinese classical dance pays attention to "heart, mind, and energy", focusing on hardness, crispness, toughness, and softness. Ballet also pays attention to Qi, but it is more about the control of the body by the muscles and bones. Latin dance is classified as a sports dance, which shows that it not only has artistic beauty, but also has the effect of strengthening the body. Compared with other dances, for Asians who don’t pay much attention to muscle training, long-term practice of Latin dance can exercise most of the muscles in the body and play a more obvious fitness effect.

Who is suitable to choose social Latin dance as a form of fitness?

Social Latin dance does not require high physical ability, is easy to learn, and can mainly be performed in dance halls or bars. Jump in and relax your tense nerves. People who have been practicing social Latin dance for a long time have some common characteristics: they are willing to spend money, like social activities, like to pursue novelty but not very perseverant, and prefer to focus on their career than dancing. Needless to say about money, the high consumption in the bar for a long time is a big sum. Most of them put their career in a more important position and only use Latin dance as a pastime. If you don't like dealing with strangers, you can't stick to it for a long time. There are both men and women in this category.

What kind of person is suitable for long-term competitive Latin dance?

Competitive Latin dance requires high technical skills and strong physical ability, which requires long-term study and practice. If you want to persist, you must first have a strong interest so that you can continue to persist when you experience frustration. Secondly, you must have relatively free energy. This does not mean free time. Some people’s work will bring greater pressure to their minds and they will focus on their work all day long. Such people are not suitable for choosing competitive Latin dance as a long-term career. fitness methods. Of course, those who choose competitive Latin dance must have a certain research spirit and like to explore complex things, so that they can learn, persist in, and continuously improve the five Latin dances for a long time. However, such people may inevitably let dancing affect their life or career, because if the leisure time spent on dancing is used to improve professional standards, certain results can be achieved. Perhaps due to life stress, there are fewer men than women in this category.

Which type of person is suitable for dancing flamenco?

Flamenco is a very expressive dance, and its fans can be considered a minority. This kind of dance with strong colors is suitable for people who are clear about love and hate, rich in emotions but not melancholy, very direct in expressing their emotions, and do not like to be restrained. Only such people can combine the bright percussive rhythm and provocation of flamenco. The dancing posture, strong explosive power and graceful arm movements are vividly performed. Of course, flamenco is also a kind of practice that requires a long period of concentration to achieve better mastery.

What are the essentials of Latin dance?

Hip movements are one of the iconic movements of Latin dance. In addition to bullfighting, the other four dance types all have crotch movements. It expresses the femininity of women to the extreme. It is difficult to imagine that there would be no dance without it. Hip movement Latin dance, for example, what Rumba will look like.

Crotch movements

Crotch movements are one of the iconic movements of Latin dance. In addition to bullfighting, the other four dance types have crotch movements, which make women more feminine. The performance is so extreme that it is hard to imagine what Latin dance, such as Rumba, would be like without hip movements.

As the saying goes, "seeing is believing", but that's not always true. The eyes can sometimes deceive themselves. For example, if the hip movement of Latin dance swings left and right, and you think it is twisted, it would be a big mistake. The hip's left and right swing is its surface phenomenon, not its inner essence. Any movement of the Latin dance body is the result of the feet exerting pressure on the ground, fighting against the ground, and then squeezing the body. The movements formed in this way are very solid from the perspective of foot movements, nailed to the ground, and rooted on the ground; from the perspective of hip movements, they are full of toughness and strength, like a elastic rubber at all times.

Arm movements

The arms are extensions of the body, and arm movements are the aftermath of body movements. Many people in Latin dance do not use their bodies to drive their arms, but want to use their arms to drive their bodies, and end up dancing like a fool. In fact, Latin dance is easy to turn into a show dance, and modern dance is easy to turn into a walking dance.

Foot movements

The feet have to exert pressure on the ground, fight against the ground, and squeeze the body. This requires practicing the strength and kung fu of the feet. The basic rhythm of standing is to practice This is the simplest and most effective method of kung fu, but remember one thing: never take the initiative to twist your hips, otherwise no matter how much you practice, it will be in vain, because the inner things are wrong, which is the so-called "different direction". Next The greater the effort, the further the mistake will be. Unlike Chinese folk dancers who have many things on their hands, Western dances are mostly about things on their feet. Just look at ballet, tap dance, and modern dance. You will know that the Four Little Swans have no hand movements at all. When dancing, the floor is your best friend. The greater the force given to the floor, the stronger the performance given by the floor.

Expansion

Introduction to Latin dance costumes

The five dances of Latin dance have their own styles, the passion of Samba, the liveliness of Cha Cha, the gracefulness of Rumba, and the bullfighting Strong, cowboy funny. The most important difference in style is the grasp of connotation.

For different dances, the choice of clothing is also very different. Based on my understanding of Latin dance and my summary of clothing sales, I have made the following classifications. I hope it will be beneficial to the majority of my fans in the coming year.

1. Rumba clothing selection

Rumba is an expression of lingering and beautiful love. There are more backlogs and long lines extending inside the body, so if you only dance Rumba, you can Choose mainly solid colors, more natural and romantic colors, such as white, pink, blue, etc. In terms of style, you can choose skirts with long lines that are more portable, and the hem can be slightly longer but can show the skin of the legs as you move, the waist and You can also expose some skin on your back, which will make it look swaying and allow you to clearly see the muscle movements in the midsection.

2. Clothing selection for Cha Cha dance

This is a relatively fast rhythm, so the hem should not be too long, try not to cover the straight knees, and it is best to use a body-hugging one Fabric, this will give people a stronger feeling of speed. Cha Cha Wu has no special preference for the color of women's clothing. Different colors can produce different styles of interpretation.

3. Samba clothing selection

Samba has crotch and knee movements, so these two parts need to be clearly exposed, and the hem of women’s skirts can be omitted. Increase the size, which will increase the visual effect of the waist movement range. In terms of color, it is best to choose a bright and slightly thicker color system, which will make it look more lively and unrestrained. Be careful not to choose super long wheat ear-shaped tops, as this will block the movements of your waist. This is by no means a good choice for people with dominant waist flexibility.

IV. Clothing selection for jive dance

Jive dance has a lot of bounce, so try to choose short clothes. Try not to put too many diamonds on the clothes, which will make the weight too heavy and the color stand out. But it shouldn't be too heavy. Looking light and refreshed is an important criterion.

5. Clothing selection for bullfighting

This kind of dance requires thicker colors and large skirts, with strong contrast and heavy and painful colors, such as bloody red.

Classification of Latin dance

International standard Latin dance is normative, strict and standard. It is a competitive professional dance developed and formed on the basis of Latin dance.

There are five types of Latin dance: rumba, cha cha, samba, jive, and bullfight.

Each of the five Latin dances has its own style, the passion of samba, the liveliness of cha cha, the gracefulness of rumba, the strength of bullfighting, and the fun of cowboys. The most important difference in style is the grasp of connotation.

They originated in different countries and regions. They were standardized and developed in the United Kingdom in the early 20th century and soon became popular in many countries. At that time, bars in social places were very popular in the form of socialization and entertainment; It was also very popular in Shanghai in the 1930s and 1940s. Later, it became an international competition through the unified regulations of the Royal Association of Dance Teachers, which has continued; the more famous competitions include the British "Blackpool" Dance Festival (78th), the British UK International Championships (51st), the British International Open, German World Dance Sports Championships, etc.

A detailed introduction to Latin ballroom dancing is:

Latin is divided into children and adults. If you learn the rumba and cha cha routines, you can get a bronze medal; if you learn the rumba, cha cha, and cowboy routines, you can get a bronze medal. You can get a silver medal; you can get a gold medal if you learn rumba, cha cha, cowboy, and samba; you can get a gold star if you learn rumba, cha cha, cowboy, samba, and bullfighting routines. The next two and three levels of Venus will be tested using your cultivation time. Of course, there are also those who only learn rumba, cha cha, cowboy, and samba routines and then take the Venus Level 1 exam. This depends on personal qualifications. Inevitably, you must have a solid foundation before taking the exam.

Rumba

Rumba originated in Cuba. The music is in 4/4 time and the rhythm is two, three, four, one. Each number stands for one beat. The tempo is about 27 bars per minute. Rumba dance is characterized by lingering music, soft dance, and graceful dance movements. Cubans are accustomed to walking with their heads on their heads and twisting their hips to both sides to adjust their pace and maintain body balance. The dance steps of rumba inherit this characteristic. Original dance style blended with modern sentiment. The movements are stretched, lingering and charming, the dance is lyrical, romantic and graceful. Paired with lingering and euphemistic music, the dance is full of romantic sentiment.

The most representative dance in Latin dance is Rumba, which is known as the soul of Latin. People who learn Latin dance usually learn rumba as their first dance. Rumba is a dance that expresses the love story between men and women, so its music is relatively soft and lingering, and its movements can enable the female partner to fully display the feminine charm and the curvy beauty of the crotch and buttocks. The closeness between the male and female partners is very beautiful. Another representative dance, Cha Cha, originated in Mexico. Although it has many similarities with Rumba, it is playful and cheerful, its style is completely different from Rumba, and its movements are chic, handsome and full of vitality.

Chacha

Chacha originated in Mexico. The music is in 4/4 time and the speed is about 31 bars per minute. The rhythm is, two, three, chacha, one. Each number stands for one beat, and each of them accounts for exactly half of the beat. Cha Cha Cha has interesting music, strong sense of rhythm, fancy dancing, neat and compact dance steps, lively and cute dance, and is widely popular all over the world!

Jive

Jive originated in the United States and was developed from a dance called Jitterbug. Jive eliminates all the difficulties in "Jitterbug" Actions, added some skills. The earliest record of jive is a book introducing jive published in Europe in 1944 by London dance teacher Victor Silvester. Pop, rock and roll, and American swing dance all have a certain influence on jive dance.

Jive is a fast-paced and energy-consuming dance. The reason why the jive is arranged at the end of the competition is because the contestants must make the audience feel that they are not tired after dancing the first four dances and can still face new challenges with great devotion. It is popular in the southern United States.

In jive dancing, the joints of the hands and feet are relaxed and dance freely, the body sways naturally, the steps are stepped easily, and the dance partner constantly changes positions and rotates in circles. The music beat is 4/4 and the speed is about 43 bars per minute. It is precisely because of its cheerful music, interesting dance style and lively and light steps that it has been recognized by more and more people.

Samba

Samba originated in Brazil. The music is in 4/4 or 2/4 time and the speed is about 51 bars per minute. Samba dance, with its warm music, dynamic dance and swaying steps, is deeply loved by people!

Bullfighting (Paso doble)

Bullfighting originated in France and developed in Spain. Its music is in 2/4 time and the speed is about 62 bars per minute. The majestic music of the bullfighting dance, the bold dance style, and the powerful and exciting steps are the reasons why people have a special liking for it.

Originally a Spanish march, the music is majestic and the dance style is full of masculinity. Everywhere in Spain the bullfight is used instead of the marching dance. Bullfighting is a dance influenced by bullfighting. The brass band above the entrance of the bullfighting arena is always playing marches, which is the so-called bullfighting music in Spain. The inspiration for the bullfighting dance comes from this music. It is also because of this music that the bullfighting scene itself was inspired. In short, the bullfight is an interpretation of the bullfight; the role of the male dancer can be compared to the matador, and the female dancer represents the red cloak used to attract the attention of the bull.

Aerobic Latin dance

Modern people like to seek novelty, and simple traditional fitness exercises are increasingly unable to meet their needs, so new Latin dance elements are added to it. People are Feel the Latin heat while strengthening your body, it's the best of both worlds. Traditional Latin dance originated in Africa and Latin America. It has the characteristics of enthusiasm, unrestrained and romantic style. Its dance movements are bold and rough, the speed is changeable, the gestures and footsteps are rich in content, full of passion, and the music rhythm is distinctive and strong. After Latin dance was introduced into the gym, Latin dance became aerobic Latin. The name immediately speaks of the creativity of Latin dance as a form of fitness. It is different from the national standard Latin dance. It is based on aerobics and incorporates the unrestrained and passionate Latin dance, making it more interesting and suitable for a wider range. There is also a big difference between aerobic Latin and Latin dance. Latin dance expresses more emotions and is too passionate and unrestrained, while aerobic Latin retains the health and unrestrainedness of Latin, removes complexity and exaggeration, and is more inclined to exercise. As long as they are in good health, the general public can practice it, and it is suitable for a wide range of age groups.

Finally, regarding the clothing requirements of Latin dance, because it is characterized by leisure, romance, and casualness, so when wearing it, pay attention to the style, style, and pattern that are consistent with Latin dance. When dressing, it mainly reflects casualness and decency. Pay attention to the overall coordination and fit with the color and size of the shoes. ;