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Ballroom Dance Resource - Articles on Dancing International Style - American Style: Always wanted to know the differences between the two styles of dances? Well, Miriam Ellis has written a wonderful account to satisfy your curiosity!"International Style Versus American Style of Dancing" Thanks to www.istd.org International Style Versus American Style of Dancing, by Miriam Ellis, Dual Fellow and Examiner - Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing FOXTROT: International Style Foxtrot is the essence of smoothness and sophistication. This is achieved by the proper use of the supporting leg, thus allowing the couple to travel a considerable distance using very few step patterns. Emphasis is placed on the very strong use of the feet. The “Topline” is also very important. This is achieved by stretching the chest muscles upwards and away from the partner, not by leaning back, which is a common misconception. Contact with the partner (at the mid-section) must always be maintained, whereas, in American Style, open work is often used, which is most attractive. Sway helps to facilitate the turns and embellish the movement in both styles. This is created by stretching both sides of the body; the opposite side being stretched more than the swaying side. Sway is not as pronounced as in the Waltz, because the Foxtrot is a very upright dance, and because the Rise and Fall is not as pronounced as in the Waltz. International Style Foxtrot is played at 28-30 MPM – a little slower than American Style. WALTZ: Like the International Style Foxtrot, the Waltz is also a very elegant dance. The Dance Position is the same as the Foxtrot, with the Poise being not quite so upright, due to the very pronounced Rise and Fall, as well as the Sways. The 2nd beat of each measure is delayed as long as possible, allowing the dancers to cover a great deal of ground in the Basic (Reverse - Left and Natural - Right) Turns. International Style Waltz is about 4 MPM slower than American Style. Also, as in the Foxtrot, contact is always maintained in the International Style, but American Style Waltz allows for a good deal of open work. QUICKSTEP: Quickstep is strictly an International Style dance. It can briefly be described as a fast Foxtrot. It is loaded with technique. Its’ nearest American Style equivalent is Peabody, whose speed does not allow for a great deal of technique, since it is played at approximately 10 MPM faster than Quickstep. Quickstep is very closely related to the Waltz, as they are both diagonal dances. Hence the commonly-given advice: “Waltz your Quickstep”. TANGO: Unlike the Argentine (American) Tango, which has a softness to it, International Style Tango is a very sharp staccato dance. This is caused to a great extent by the slightly faster, more “militant” type of music. There is no Tango Close (Tango Draw) in the International Style. A Progressive Link is used instead. Again, this is a much sharper movement, and is the most popular method we have of turning the Lady to Promenade Position, to follow with a Promenade Figure. It is not permissible to simply step into a Promenade Figure, without preparation, as is it in Argentine Tango. The Tango hold is very firm, and possessive on the part of the Gentleman. The Lady dances more to the Man’s Right Side than in any other dance. She “fills out” the Man’s Right arm. The sharp head styling used in International Tango is not only for effect. It is actually a reaction to the action of the body. VIENNESE WALTZ: International Style Viennese Waltz uses far fewer dance patterns than American Style. The tempo for International Style is customarily a few bars faster than American (60 MPM versus 54MPM maximum). The International Style hold is the same as the other Ballroom dances, maintaining contact throughout. Rise and Fall is more shallow than in slow Waltz, and Sways are not as pronounced, because of the speed of the music. The International Style Viennese covers a great deal of floor space. It is very elegant and sophisticated. The above five dances represent the International Style Ballroom. The following five represent the International Style Latin. RUMBA: International Rumba is considered by many to be an entirely different dance from American (Cuban) Rumba. Its’ forerunner was actually the Mambo, and was developed by an English team (Doris Lavelle and Pierre). They studied the Mambo in Cuba, and mistakenly interpreted it as a form of Rumba; consequently, they slowed it down and created an entirely new dance. It is, therefore, danced on the same beat as Mambo, i.e. 2-3-4-1, the Slow being on the 4-1, instead of the 1-2 in American Style. This gives the dance a completely different interpretation. Also, since the music is played 2-4 MPM slower than American Rumba, this allows every movement to be exaggerated, resulting in bigger lines and lots of style. The International hold is more open, allowing a grander overall picture – an absolute boon to the competitive dancer. This dance has been called “The Straight-Legged Rumba”, since the knee only bends when one leg passes the other, therefore the hip action is quite different from American hip action. As a result of this, the heel is lowered very strongly into all back rocks, whereas in American Style the heel MAY be lowered lightly on back rocks, with the Footwork being BH instead of BF. The Ball-Flat Footwork is stressed on every step, and is a direct result of the very strong use of the legs and the feet. The arm styling, also, is very evident. International Rumba is a very sensuous dance. CHA-CHA: The technique of International Cha-Cha is based entirely on this style of Rumba. The hold is the same, as is the hip action, which is less pronounced on the 4& counts. Footwork is the same (Ball-Flat), except where there isn’t time to lower the heel, when it is Ball of Foot only. Locking Actions are used quite frequently, with the “bounce, bounce, push” styling of this type of Cha-Cha, giving a unique interpretation of the dance. Back rocks are treated the same way as in the Rumba, in both styles. Despite these differences, however, Cha-Cha is one dance which allows both styles to blend very well, because many of the step patterns are similar, and both styles are danced on the same beat. The International Style might look a bit peppier, because it is played a little faster. SAMBA: There are only two Latin dances which observe Line of Dance, and one of them is the Samba. International Samba is a very interesting dance, mainly because of the different timings used. Although the basic rhythm is 1a2, many of the step patterns use a combination of Slows and Quicks, which adds a great deal of contrast. Whereas a definite (but not exaggerated) bounce is used on steps with 1a2 timing, other patterns have no bounce whatsoever. The hold is the same as the Rumba, as is the Ball-Flat Footwork, and the very strong use of the feet and the legs. A variety of hip actions are used:- International Style, American Style, with a definite pelvic action on all Samba Walks. Body Rolls are used in both styles. Arm styling plays a major roll in International Samba, and the entire look is big. It is a very sensuous dance. Like the Cha-Cha, Samba is another dance which can blend both styles very well, because of the similar step patterns, and the fact that the tempo is about the same. JIVE (Swing): Jive is the International version of American Swing. Although the two can blend very well, due to the many similar step patterns, there are some noticeable differences. Firstly, the Jive is usually danced quite fast – as much as 8-10 MPM faster than American Swing, which turns it into a very energetic dance. Secondly, the Jive travels more than Swing. Thirdly, the back rock in Jive is more pronounced than in Swing. And, since it is generally preceded by a triple step, where the Man follows the Lady very strongly, the contrast between these two moves is quite sharp. Since both Jive and Swing are treated as Latin (Rhythm) dances, the characteristic hip action is used in each style. In Jive, Triple Time is mostly used. Unlike Swing, which combines Single, Double and Triple Timings to great effect, Jive uses Single and Double time only occasionally. PASO DOBLE: Like the Samba, Paso Doble observes Line of Dance. International Style is danced slightly faster, and with a much more staccato action than American Style. The hold may either be very open, like the Rumba, or with light body contact. The American Style hold is somewhere between these two. The Paso Doble has a very proud, upright stance. In International Style most step patterns are led with the Man’s Right Foot. In American Style, the Man’s Left Foot invariably leads. American Style is a little softer, with a more “Spanish” look. Miriam Ellis Dual Fellow and Examiner Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing London and United States |
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