How many dances do you do?

[Jmatthew]

Here in Corvallis, OR we're blessed with a college with a suprisingly robust dance department, with a pretty heavy emphasis on social dancing. We've noticed that while most of us here know 10-15 dances (at least the basic and a few moves) when we travel most people are a bit more exclusive in their dance choices.

So I'm just curious how prevalant this is outside of Northwestern Oregon. Is it pretty common for people to know a wide range of dances, or do most people focus more tightly on one or just a few dances?

[MadamSamba]

Jmatthew, in a night's dancing, from about 8:30 to midnight, we'd do about 34 dances with about half of them being doubles and the odd request (one or two) thrown in...being here in Australia, we've got our own style of ballroom dancing called New Vogue, so it's predominantly new vogue dances but only by virtue of the fact that there are so many of them.

But at studios around here it's a pretty typical mix: throughout the night you'd get all the modern dances danced, all the latin dances, all the street latin sans the Argentine Tango, unfortunately and the new vogue.

Most people are au fait with the modern, latin and new vogue, fewer people are familiar with the tango, salsa and merengue, but in this neck of the woods, people are pretty adept at performing all the general dances, if only just a basic, pre-bronze level set of moves.

[KevinL]

I feel that I'm a good social dancer in about 11-12 dances, and can do basics in maybe another 4-5.

There are groups around here who are focused on only one or a small group of dances, with the swing dancers and the salsa dancers seeming to be particularly limited.

The experienced ballroom dancers tend to be able to do everything, but only after a couple of years. That is due partially to how some of the local teachers run classes, though. Some teachers do a one-month class on a single dance, then the next month move on to another dance. Personally I feel this limits students too much, so I teach beginning classes that cover several dances each month. (Either Rumba, Cha Cha and Merengue, or Waltz, Foxtrot and Tango).

Kevin

[Sagitta]

Well, for ballroom you do have quite a few dances: waltz, viennese waltz, samba, mambo, cha cha, rhumba, tango, foxtrot, jive...so it would be easier to have some knowledge of quite several dances.

I know ECS, salsa, merengue, bachata, and zydeco. I also know a little of waltz, foxtrot, tango, cha cha, cumbia, and rhumba. :)

[MapleLeaf Salsero]

I know ECS, salsa, merengue, bachata, and zydeco.

Sagitta, what is zydeco?

[pygmalion]

Good question. What is zydeco?

And as far as how many dances I do, my answer depends. Do you mean do, or do well? Um. I DO about fifteen or sixteen ballroom/partner dances, plus another five or six swing/jazz/informal dances I learned as a kid, plus a dozen or so line dances, give or take. Do well? Maybe two.


I think that ballroom dance, just by its nature, tends to expose people to more dances up front. When you go to a ballroom dance, you're going to see/hear all sorts of ballroom dances done, usually, and if you're the curious type, you'll probably try them. And there's a lot of overlap with step patterns that makes it easy to make the translation.

But if you go to salsa or swing dances, you may be exposed to a few dances at most. It's not that the dancers might not be interested. There's usually just less variety available, IMHO.

[Sagitta]

I know ECS, salsa, merengue, bachata, and zydeco.

Sagitta, what is zydeco?

Zyedo as music is accordion-based music from south-central and southwest Louisiana. The partnered dance has 6 steps in a 8 beat basic. It is slow, quick, quick, slow, quick, quick. So in a way it is like dancing salsa on 3, except that the dancing posture and music are different. In salsa you tend to be on the ball of your foot, while for traditional zydeco imagine yurself sitting perched on a bar stool, dancing on a muggy hot sultry day/night.

There also is a short thread called Zydeco and Contra Dancing (http://www.dance-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=1113&highlight=zydeco) that you might want to check out.

[Jmatthew]

*nod*

What everyone is saying makes a lot of sense.

Most of my exposure has been to swing, latin, or West Coast dancers, who seem to focus entirely on their respective dances, with a few brave souls being "cross-over" dancers between Swing and West Coast.

I don't actually know anyone that considers themselves a ballroom dancer, although I'm sure there must be some, and it only makes sense that they do a bunch of the ballroom dances.

[Swing Kitten]

I would consider myself competant only with ECS and Lindy Hop... I've been dancing for almost one year and have never taken ballroom lessons.

[turtle]

lol, i'm learning hula... so that will make uh, one dance i can do :oops:

haha, i'm not kidding.. I went dancing with some friends, and a few of the girls are in a hula club up here, and after a night of clubbing (no not hula clubbing :wink: ) they decided we were going to have to perform in their next event. :roll:

I realize that isn't very helpful... don't let me distract you from the topic of this thread... :lol:

[jon]

Most of my exposure has been to swing, latin, or West Coast dancers, who seem to focus entirely on their respective dances, with a few brave souls being "cross-over" dancers between Swing and West Coast.

Many of the WCS dancers around the SF Bay Area also do Waltz, Country Two-Step, ECS, Hustle, NC2S, and Cha-Cha.

[Swing Kitten]

oh yeah! I forgot I know some hula! I'm pretty good with the hand movements :D

[pygmalion]

lol, i'm learning hula... so that will make uh, one dance i can do :oops:

haha, i'm not kidding.. I went dancing with some friends, and a few of the girls are in a hula club up here, and after a night of clubbing (no not hula clubbing :wink: ) they decided we were going to have to perform in their next event. :roll:

I realize that isn't very helpful... don't let me distract you from the topic of this thread... :lol:

Hey. Hula counts as a dance. So you can do one. That's plenty. Keep us posted on how the performance goes. 8) :D

[TheArchon]

Probably I'm gonna tell you a dance again that you all know, but i dont know the actual name(or its a variation dance), but is Polka a dance :?: I've never learned it, but its that westerns dance for country songs ,no?
It seems fun.

[pygmalion]

Yup. Polka is a dance. A really fun dance, if you ask me. :D These days, I see it mostly at Country and Western events or cultural/ethnic celebrations. But in the past -- nineteenth century, I believe it was quite widespread at balls and social events.

[dragon3085]

Do or Do well? 8) I think I do around 12 dances now with Salsa, WC swing, Hustle and Cha Cha Cha being my primaries.

[Blondie]

I do about 12 dances--waltz, foxtrot, tango, Viennese waltz, cha cha, rumba, EC swing, bolero, hustle, merengue, samba, mambo. On occasion I've been known to do country-western cha cha, waltz, and two step (in competition!)
:banana:

[tsb]

There are groups around here who are focused on only one or a small group of dances, with the swing dancers and the salsa dancers seeming to be particularly limited.

don't forget the argentine tango crowd.

it's my take that people who do what i refer to as a "club" dance are less likely to cross over to other styles.

let's see, ballroom, swing/lindy, WCS, argentine tango, salsa, etc. also vintage dance forms from the victorian (mazurkas, quadrilles, etc.), english regency & ragtime eras and certain folk dances (hambo, etc.) and probably some more if i thought about it.

[tsb]

Yup. Polka is a dance. A really fun dance, if you ask me. :D These days, I see it mostly at Country and Western events or cultural/ethnic celebrations. But in the past -- nineteenth century, I believe it was quite widespread at balls and social events.

yes, polkas were quite common during the victorian period. the samba is actually the brazilian version of the polka.

[dancersdreamland]

Dances I know, dances I know well and dances I actually participate in are all VERY different things. I am an ecletic...I like to try everything at least once. Following is a list of my favorites with a list of things I've tried but never really grew into:

Favorites
Belly
Irish
Jazz
Line
Tap

Additional Classes Taken
Ballroom (waltz, fox trot, etc.)
Latin (rhumba, cha cha, etc.)
Square
Swing

Video Instruction
Ballet
Hip Hop
Hula

Dances To Try Yet
Breakdance
Clogging
Modern

[Estella]

So I learned:
- Salsa
- Merengue
- Bachata
- Cha-cha
- Rumba
- Waltz
- Viennese Waltz
- Foxtrot
- Samba
- Jive
- Jazz-Dance
- Street Dance
- Hip Hop

But at the end I dance only salsa and bachata... :lol: and a salsa version of cha-cha!

[dancin_feet]

I do 13 dances. Though I am only concentrating on 7 for my medals.

Medal dances:
Cha Cha
Rumba
Swing
Triple Swing
Tango
Waltz
Foxtrot

Social (just for fun) dances:
Mambo
Samba
Salsa
Lambada
Arg Tango
Merengue

[pygmalion]

Just curious. How did you pick your medal dances? I picked the ones I liked best, or, in the case of smooth, hated least.

[ShyDancer]

I cant do all that many...I will break them down, the ones I feel confident in taking my stuff out on an open floor, Ones that I think Im so/so in and will still go out on the floor with the right partner,and the ones Im still not game to try out on the floor!

Confident
Cha Cha Cha
Rumba
Evening 3 Step
Waltz

So/So
Jive
Merengue
Salsa
Tango
Quickstep
Samba
Merrilyn

Not confident at all!
Mambo
Gypsy Tap

[bordertangoman]

I do tango. (and milonga)
c'est tout
do I care?
non
I keep learning more.

[dancin_feet]

Just curious. How did you pick your medal dances? I picked the ones I liked best, or, in the case of smooth, hated least.

They were picked for me. The studio splits their dances into two streams and you do one or the other.

Once I get to a certain level with the medals I'm doing I may swap to the other stream and do my medals in that as well.

[dancersdreamland]

Gypsy Tap

What is Gypsy Tap? The name sounds very unique and interesting. Please elaborate. THANKS!

[suek]

I think I've posted this before, or I'm having a deja vu moment.

Lindy hop
Balboa
Blues
Chicago Steppin'
Hip hop
Carolina Shag
Collegiate Shag
WCS

I have a little ballroom/Latin experience too:
Fox Trot
Cha Cha
NiteClub 2Step
Waltz

[dancin_feet]

Gypsy Tap

What is Gypsy Tap? The name sounds very unique and interesting. Please elaborate. THANKS!

Gypsy tap is a new vogue sequence dance.

[MapleLeaf Salsero]

Do well? None!

[pygmalion]

I can relate, MapleLeaf Salsero. :cry: :lol:

[amrimi]

Priorities at the moment:

Salsa
Rueda de Casino ( does it count as s second dance?)
Bachata
Merengue
Reggeaton

I also know some:

Cumbia
Bolero
Viennese Waltz
Waltz
Rumba
Tango
argentine Tango
Polka
Jive
Chacha
Quickstep
Discofox
Samba
Blues

Wow that are 19, wouldn't have thought I know so many dances.

Plus a couple of Linedances. Also tried out some basics of other dances but didn't learn enough to be able to dance.

[Sagitta]

I would count rueda as another dance...

salsa
cha cha cha
bachata
merengue
rueda
ECS
zydeco

know some: waltz, foxtrot, american and argentine tango, rumba, forro, cumbia

[standardgirl]

Let's see what I know:

waltz, tango, foxtrot, quickstep, v waltz
rumba, cha cha, jive, samba
ECS, WCS
hustle, bechata, merengue, polka, bolero, salsa, mambo
blues, arg. tango
country 2-step

That's 21 dances. Plus I can dance both in american and international styles, so together, that's 27 dances! I didn't realize how many dances I know....WOW

[bjp22tango]

Here in Corvallis, OR we're blessed with a college with a suprisingly robust dance department, with a pretty heavy emphasis on social dancing. We've noticed that while most of us here know 10-15 dances (at least the basic and a few moves) when we travel most people are a bit more exclusive in their dance choices.

So I'm just curious how prevalant this is outside of Northwestern Oregon. Is it pretty common for people to know a wide range of dances, or do most people focus more tightly on one or just a few dances?

Jmatthew,

Are you in Cool Shoes? (University Ballroom Formation Team) or do you just visit other cities with other dancers?

I think Cool Shoes has demo'ed at USABDA dances in Portland and Eugene, where you would find dancers doing all the standard Ballroom/Latin dances as well as an NC2S, Arg. Tango, WC Swing, Salsa, and Lindy Hop.

You just won't see the concentrations of dancers for the latter dances, because as you already mentioned, they are at dances that cater mostly to their passions.

In addition to the USABDA organization in Eugene, there are also two studios who hold regular ballroom dances (and one that turns into Salsa after the Ballroom dance is over).

Portland has at least three studios (not counting FA and AM) who hold regular dances and a few others that are feature CW or Latin.

Go to a USABDA dance in Portland and you will pick up all the flyers you would ever need for places to dance Ballroom :wink:

And to answer your question:

Dances I learned once but have to be dragged into now
Macarena
Electric Slide (Unless it's Frankie Mannings Lindy version)

Dances I learned before finding Ballroom
Jazz
Hula
Belly
Tap

Dances at all skill levels from follow only to able to lead without thinking about it

Salsa/Mambo, Arg. Tango, Lindy Hop, Balboa, EC Swing/Jive, WC Swing, Bolero, Paso Doble, Rumba Am & Int, Cha Cha Am & Int, Merengue, Samba, Quickstep, Foxtrot Am. & Int., Waltz Am. & Int.,
Tango Am. & Int., V. Waltz, Polka, Hustle, Nightclub 2 Step, C/W 10 Step,
Casino Rueda

Dances I will get to SOMEtime

Zydeco, Contra Dance, Blues

[Purr]

Dances I can do:

Waltz, tango, foxtrot, v. waltz
Rumba, cha cha, mambo, bolero, east coast swing
West coast swing, hustle
Paso doble, samba
Salsa, merengue

Dances I feel confident in:

:roll:

[Sabor]

Popular:
Disco (as in JT stuff) 8)
MJ dance style :lol:
Break Dance
Hip Hop
Street Jazz

Folklore:
Egyptian and Nubian

Latin:
Salsa/Mambo
Merengue
Cha Cha Cha
Batchata
Cumbia

Dabbled in (mostly used for styling but i dont dance proper):
Rock & Roll
Samba
Tango
Flamenco

[DWise1]

Let's see, roughly in descending order of ability:

West Coast Swing
East Coast Swing / Lindy
Night Club 2 Step
Salsa
Merengue
Hustle
Cha-cha
Country Two Step
Country Ten-Step
Ballroom Tango
Waltz
Country Waltz
Foxtrot
Rhumba

Line Dances:
Shim Sham
Country Cha-Cha
Dean Collins Shim Sham
Big Apple

I've had Casino Rueda and the Schottisch very early in my dancing instruction, but I do not remember the steps.

And I'm pretty sure that I could fake some Polka if necessary.

Wow, 18.

[pygmalion]

Dances I can do:

Dances I feel confident in:

:roll:

I can relate, sister! :oops: :lol:

[Purr]

Dances I can do:

Dances I feel confident in:

:roll:

I can relate, sister! :oops: :lol:

Resolution for the New Year: Work on confidence in dancing ability.

:friend:

[pygmalion]

My resolution for the new year? learn to dance. :oops: :lol: :lol:

[Sagitta]

Dances I feel confident in:

:roll:

Sagitta dance!! I can do that really reaalllly welll! :wink: :)

[Swingolder]

I've been dancing two years.
Somewhat comfortable with -
East Coast
West Coast
Lindy
Have taken lessons in, need lots more -
Cha Cha
Rhumba
Tango
Fox Trot
Waltz
Currently taking classes in -
Intermediate East Coat
Private lessons in -
Salsa

Wish I had started earlier!

[missy_xx]

When I'm being lead by someone who is a good dancer and a good leader it is easier for me to do the dances. Because I have learned some dances that I can't do on my own, but with good help it'll work out pretty good. I will try to name the dances I can dance. It probably won't be very clear, at least the salsa part. 'Cause here in Holland we use different name for the dances then in America and so. And I have learned dances that have the same name, but are danced totally different. But I will try to write down everything. I use categories as we use them in Holland. Here it goes:
SALSA: - Merengue
- Mambo
- Salsa (LA Style)
- Salsa (Cuban style)
- Bachata
- Son (Cuban)
- Son Montuno (Cuban, it's different from Son)
- Son Montuno (Come-back style)
- Bolero
- Cumbia
- Antillian waltz (I don't know how to translate it exactly)
BALLROOM: - English waltz
- Tango
- Quickstep
LATIN: - Cha cha
- Rumba (International)
- Samba
- Jive

And I can dance some Country and Rock 'n Roll. And grinding, but that doesn't count as a dance to me.
I want to learn as many dances as possible. Especially partner dances. At the moment I'm not doing any ballroom or latin anymore unfortunately. I hope to find a partner soon whom I can dance with. It's really hard finding one.

[dTas]

i think i'm right along the lines with most everyone else here... about 20 different dances...

ballroom (American, International...)
social latin (on1/on2, groups, cha...)
C & W (line dances, various different "steps" (2, 8, 10...) )

[Purr]

My resolution for the new year? learn to dance. :oops: :lol: :lol:

That's interesting to think about. When do we stop mechanically walking through patterns and steps, and stop rigidly acting out techique, and actually start dancing. I'm not sure. I thought I've been there a couple of time, but I don't think it's really happened yet. Maybe another breakthrough is on the horizon.

[pygmalion]

The just dancing part I can do. It's just dancing while bringing decent technique that has me worried. :?