How To Dance

By Anita Wright

This early work on dancing is a fascinating read for any enthusiast. Extensively illustrated with diagrams and intended to help people to acquire more easily a sound knowledge of ballroom dancing. Contents Include: The Dances; Rhythm; Dancing and Walking; Posture; Balance; The Line of Direction; Leading and Following; Positions in Dancing; the Fox Trot; The Fox Trot-One Step; The Waltz; The Tango; The Rumba; The Conga; The Samba; Jitterbug; The Polka; Party Dances; Children's Dances; Etiquette of Dances. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read Books Ltd.
• Release date: May 31, 2013
• ISBN: 9781473391819

Book preview

PART I

The Dances

Rhythm

Dancing and Walking

Posture

Balance

The Line of Direction

Leading and Following

Positions in Dancing

I

The Dances

BALLROOM DANCING  . . .  Social Dancing  . . .  Modern Dancing—these are all names given to the popular dances done by couples at formal and informal social gatherings.

The ballroom dances of today are:

The Fox Trot

The Waltz

The Tango

The Rumba

The Conga

The Samba

The Lindy Hop

The Polka

II

Rhythm

THE different rhythms of the dances—determined by varied grouping of musical notes, rests, and accents—distinguish them from one another.

Don’t let the complicated rhythm or character of any dance confuse you, because within all of us is an innate time sense, which makes us hear or feel or sense the beat of the music, and it is this beat that we dance to. It is this same instinct that makes us want to tap our feet on the floor when we hear a catchy tune.

In order to dance to different tunes, you need be concerned with only two rhythms: a three-time, and a four-time.

The Waltz is three-time, and all the other dances are four-time. In a Waltz, there are three quarter notes or beats to a bar of music.

The Fox Trot, Tango, Rumba, Conga, Samba, Lindy Hop, and Polka have four quarter notes (or two half notes) to a bar of music.

These half notes or beats are equivalent to walking steps. Do you know that when you walk, you are moving in rhythm? That is, in even intervals of time, like the ticking of a clock? And each person has his individual rhythmic intervals, depending upon his temperament. The next time you are in a hotel lobby, watch and mark the time of each person’s steps as he walks by. The rhythm expressed is really surprising.

When you walk to music, you cannot take your own pace. You must follow the beat of the music—then you are dancing. Quite frequently you will find a man who disregards the music entirely, using it only for atmosphere and insisting on dancing to his own rhythm. This is always uncomfortable for his partner, particularly if the beat of the music means something to her. Since there is no mechanical way of finding that beat, you must make yourself listen for it.

You need know only the value of two kinds of notes for us to explain to you all sorts of intricate steps.

Since it takes two quarter notes to make a half note, we shall call the half note a Slow, and the quarter note a Quick. (In the foot diagrams the Quick step is indicated by a black tip.)

Later in the book we go more fully into the individual dances, but it is interesting here to note the different basic steps of the various dances.

The Basic Step, or unit of measure of the Fox Trot is made up of two Slow steps and two Quick steps.

The Basic Step of the Waltz is made up of three even steps.

The Basic Step of the Tango is made up of two Slow steps, two Quick steps, and one Slow step.

The Basic Step of the Rumba is made up of two Quick steps, and one Slow step.

The Basic Step of the Conga is made up of four even steps.

The Basic Step of the Samba is made up of two Quick steps, and one Slow step.

In the Samba, the first Quick step is a little slower, and the second Quick step a little quicker than usual. In other words, we hang on to that first note and rush the next Quick step in order to keep the proper time in each bar. This is the characteristic rhythm of the Samba and distinguishes it from other dances.

The following exercise will help you to establish the relationship between the Slow and Quick steps:

Without regard for any special step, take four walking or Slow steps to a Fox Trot tune. (Use a Fox Trot record with a decided rhythmic beat.) After you have repeated this several times, and are sure that you are in time with the music—your steps synchronizing with the beats—take two Quick steps instead of the fourth Slow step.

Repeat the four steps, and then double the third count. That is, take two Quick steps which will consume the same time as one Slow step.

Then double the second count.

The two Quick steps must be taken as smoothly as one Slow or walking step.

Now, instead of walking four Slow steps, walk three.

Repeat the three steps, and then double the third count. That is, take two Quick steps which will consume the same time as one Slow step.

Do this many times because it is the basic step of our modern Fox Trot: Slow, Slow, Quick-Quick. (The words Quick-Quick are spoken in the same length of time it takes to say the word Slow.)

The dance pattern of the modern Fox Trot takes three beats, and the music pattern takes four. Thus you have a dance pattern against the music pattern:

In three bars of music, the dance pattern is performed twice.

III

Dancing and Walking

WHEN you are walking correctly, you are developing your first dance step. Good dancing depends on correct walking. To start any dance you must be able to stand easily with your feet close together—that is, on your narrow base.

From the narrow base position:

The woman is led more easily in any direction.

She more readily senses the slightest initial move of the man. And the following of that move often determines her confidence in herself.

The man more easily moves forward in that all-important streamline which makes for smart dancing.

Walking—Forward for the Man:

Stand with feet together.

As the body moves forward, lift heel of right foot and push off from it, landing on the left foot, left knee straight.

With the weight forward on the left foot, the right foot is poised in back on its big toe.

Push off with the left foot on to the right foot, right knee straight.

With the weight forward on the right foot, the left foot is poised in back on its big toe.

When the step is continuous, the position of the poised foot is hardly noticed because it blends so quickly into the forward movement.

Walking—Backward for the Women:

Stand with feet together.

Reach backward with a straight knee, the big toe touching the floor.

Melt back on to the foot, the heel touching, but with the weight over the ball of the foot—never back on the heel.

The body moves in one piece as its weight is carried forward or backward. The ease with which the body