Ballroom Dance NYC Jive And Samba

Ballroom Dance NYC - The Jive and Samba

The most rapid of all the Latin dances would be the Jive. As stated by some sources the roots of this dance style are in New York's Harlem area (so check out a Ballroom Dance NYC) others put the origins of the dance with the Negroes of the south east United States where it was similar to the dances of the Seminole Indians. It depends on which source you are looking at, either the Negroes imitated the Indians or the Indians imitated the Negroes.

The Jive is a rapid paced, rhythmical dance that was impacted by a number of other dance styles including Boogie, African American Swing, Rock and the Lindyhop. In the late 1800's the southern Negroes held Jive competitions and the prize was a cake, which is how the dance at one time was known as the Cake Walk.

Unlike other ballroom dances the Jive does not require moving around the dance floor, but even though it looks like the dancers feet are flying everywhere, the feet should be directly under the body with the knees close together. You will see the woman being twirled with a lot of kicks. The music that is connected with the Jive is commonly called Ragtime, possibly because the dancers dressed up in their best clothes ("rags") or maybe because of the syncopation of the music, giving it a ragged feel.

Ballroom Dance NYC - The Samba

When the Samba music is played, its party time! The Samba originated with Brazil's Rio Carnival and is made up of several different South American dances. Walking and side steps are the main moves with heavy hitting rhythm and a lot of hip action the Samba is perfect for the party dance.

Slaves imported into Portugal during the 16th century brought with them their dances (a few of which are the Embolada, Catarete and the Batuque). Europeans considered these dances to be quite sinful as the dancers were so close that their navels touching. The Batuque was a very popular dance - so much so that at one time it was outlawed. The Batuque was performed in a circle with dance steps similar to those of the Charleston with a single dancer in the center of the circle. Down the line carnival steps were added and members of Rio's social set decided that once the dance had been modified to use the closed ballroom position, it was then a proper dance. Ballroom Dance NYC.

In due course aspects from all these dances and possibly others combined emerging as the Samba we know today.

There are things that the judges watch for in a good Samba - steps like the Volta (crossing in front of the body), the Samba Roll (moving the upper body in a circular motion when going through a 6 step turn), Botafogo (traveling walk that embraces a direction change) and dancers who have a reasonable balance of moving and stationary moves. They also look for outstretched arms and the distinctive peak of the Samba where the dancers throw their heads backward and their arms are splayed out to the side. So go to a Ballroom Dance NYC.

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