Fun with dance research

[unclrashid]

I've been teaching what are basically beginner lessons for our Vintage and Traditional Tea Dance: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/pages/Vintage-and-Traditional-Social-Dancing-in-the-Delaware- ( Read more... )

Comments

[esprix]

I sense lessons the next time we go dancing... ;)

[unclrashid]

I doubt there will be a lot of polka anyplace we would go dancing!

[esprix]

OH, please - you've shoehorned polka into two-stepping with me before! :P

[unclrashid]

That's because June was so stupid she couldn't tell the difference between music for a 2-step and a polka. We have a new DJ now, and he's a different kind of stupid. Thinks any fast 2-step is a swing. Wouldn't recognize what a swing beat was if it stuck it's nose up his ass and whistled.

Can you tell I hate the bastard? He also cuts over to disco early if the kids outnumber the 2-steppers.

[sstormwatch]

That sounds interesting. It's been a long time since I did polka, but that "backing the lady" reads as a good idea.

[unclrashid]

It's a fun dance, but can be exhausting. Backing the lady can be used as a resting step along with open promenade.

Do you know vintage/German/Polish folkdance polka as opposed to American/Chicago polka? I don't know American/Chicago enough to know if it would work in that style.

[sstormwatch]

I have no idea which polka I learned. A folkdancing friend taught it to us for the Dicken's Faire we were going to attend and dance at.

[unclrashid]

American/Chicago style is where you pretty much bounce in place. Vintage/German/Polish is the style where you rotate and also move around the perimeter of the room at the same time. Probably what you would have learned for Dicken's fair.

Terminology is not always consistent because many people also use Chicago/Polish to refer to the style of music as well as the way it's danced, and you can dance either way to any of the music.