Latin culture is considered by many to be the epitome of passion and romance. The great Rudolph Valentino was known as the Latin Lover, and made famous the Tango from Argentina, although he was actually Italian.
One of the most sultry and erotic forms of music is the Bolero. The most recognizable music of this genre was written by Joseph-Maurice Ravel in 1928, although he himself was less than impressed with his own work and called it a piece for orchestra without music. This is the music heard when Bo Derek tries to seduce Dudley Moore in the 1979 movie, 10.
Such evocative music necessitates a dance just as voluptuous in its sensuality. Bolero is an American Style dance, although it originates from Spain and Cuba and the versions are quite different. In the 1930s, when the Bolero made its way into the United States, the music consisted of nothing more than pulsating drum beats.
Originally from Spain, the Bolero was danced in 3/4 time. Combining the musical genres of contradanza and the sevillana, dancer Sebastiano Carezo invented the Bolero in 1780. It is one of the oldest dances of Spain, and is faster than the version that evolved in Cuba. The Spanish version was a shorter, different adaptation of the Fandango. The Bolero was a type of Spanish ballet, whereas in the Fandango, a man and woman danced around each other in a simulation of courtship, never touching.
The Cubans changed the rhythm to 2/4 time, but later switched to 4/4. Jos Pepe Snchez is credited with creating the Cuban Bolero in 1883. Today, performers dance the Bolero as a very slow Rumba, with slow, graceful movements that stir the blood and excite the senses. In fact, the Cuban Bolero was originally misnamed the Rumba in the 1930s. It is a dance of barely contained passion, as dancers are hypnotized by the music into a living dream and the audience is carried away along with them. Since the dance is an expression of the music, it can be performed as easily by a single dancer, a couple, or a dance troupe. The tempo is moderately slow the music is often punctuated with guitars or castanets.
The Cuban Bolero had great influence on Latin America, and it is recognized as one of the first notable exports of Cuban art. The dance is performed with three steps to four beats, as in other Cuban dances. The first step is taken on the second beat instead of the first, and the meter is slow, quick, quick, slow, quick, quick.
In dance competitions, the Bolero is one of five rhythm dances in the American Style ballroom category in addition to the Rumba, Mambo, East Coast Swing, and Cha Cha. Of all the rhythm dances, the Bolero is the slowest, with only about 96 beats per minute (about a beat and a half per second).
The body rises, falls, sweeps and stretches gracefully, as if painting a portrait with determined movement. It takes many years to develop a true bolero style, but from Los Angeles to Times Square, if you have passion in your soul and you want to impress an audience, there are few dances as evocative as the Bolero. - 30231
One of the most sultry and erotic forms of music is the Bolero. The most recognizable music of this genre was written by Joseph-Maurice Ravel in 1928, although he himself was less than impressed with his own work and called it a piece for orchestra without music. This is the music heard when Bo Derek tries to seduce Dudley Moore in the 1979 movie, 10.
Such evocative music necessitates a dance just as voluptuous in its sensuality. Bolero is an American Style dance, although it originates from Spain and Cuba and the versions are quite different. In the 1930s, when the Bolero made its way into the United States, the music consisted of nothing more than pulsating drum beats.
Originally from Spain, the Bolero was danced in 3/4 time. Combining the musical genres of contradanza and the sevillana, dancer Sebastiano Carezo invented the Bolero in 1780. It is one of the oldest dances of Spain, and is faster than the version that evolved in Cuba. The Spanish version was a shorter, different adaptation of the Fandango. The Bolero was a type of Spanish ballet, whereas in the Fandango, a man and woman danced around each other in a simulation of courtship, never touching.
The Cubans changed the rhythm to 2/4 time, but later switched to 4/4. Jos Pepe Snchez is credited with creating the Cuban Bolero in 1883. Today, performers dance the Bolero as a very slow Rumba, with slow, graceful movements that stir the blood and excite the senses. In fact, the Cuban Bolero was originally misnamed the Rumba in the 1930s. It is a dance of barely contained passion, as dancers are hypnotized by the music into a living dream and the audience is carried away along with them. Since the dance is an expression of the music, it can be performed as easily by a single dancer, a couple, or a dance troupe. The tempo is moderately slow the music is often punctuated with guitars or castanets.
The Cuban Bolero had great influence on Latin America, and it is recognized as one of the first notable exports of Cuban art. The dance is performed with three steps to four beats, as in other Cuban dances. The first step is taken on the second beat instead of the first, and the meter is slow, quick, quick, slow, quick, quick.
In dance competitions, the Bolero is one of five rhythm dances in the American Style ballroom category in addition to the Rumba, Mambo, East Coast Swing, and Cha Cha. Of all the rhythm dances, the Bolero is the slowest, with only about 96 beats per minute (about a beat and a half per second).
The body rises, falls, sweeps and stretches gracefully, as if painting a portrait with determined movement. It takes many years to develop a true bolero style, but from Los Angeles to Times Square, if you have passion in your soul and you want to impress an audience, there are few dances as evocative as the Bolero. - 30231
About the Author:
Looking for dance lessons nyc area? Visit DanceTimesSquare.com and work with the pros from So You Think You Can Dance! Receive a private dance lesson at their New York studio for $20!
