LATIN AMERICAN DANCE

Latin American dances are couple dances, that is, danced by a man and a woman.
a woman where the man leads and they are part of international style dances.
The dances officially known as Latin American are five:
samba
cha cha cha
rumba
double step
jive.
These dances, being part of a cultural tradition of many countries, differ in many ways.
aspects. Consequently, specific codifications have been produced that have
technically a validity and a justification for them. There are almost a hundred nations
which have joined the IDSf (International Dance Sport Federation) that establishes rules
the programs valid for everyone.

RUMBA
For scholars of dance history, the term rumba identifies a musical genre and
"coreico" includes a set of dances. In the Spanish language, the verb "rumbear"
defines a particular way of dancing, based on slow yet strong movements and
decided, which makes it the most seductive dance. The origin of the rumba dates back to the beginning of the
1900 in Cuba, after the abolition of slavery, which took place on February 10, 1878. Great
masses of blacks left the fields, where they owned no property, and moved away.
in the suburbs of cities to organize a new life. For these people, poor but
freed, music and dance soon became a way of being and living. The
Rumba is a dance that is based on four beats (each of which is characterized by
a step or from a shift in body weight) divided into accents that
they identify specific actions.
CHA CHA CHA
The characteristic figure of this dance is the chassé, which consists of a series of three
steps, the second of which closes on the stationary foot. The first two steps of the chassé are
they dance on two half beats that come out by dividing the beat in half
characterized by the number 4. Since the time signature is 4/4 and the musical measure has the accent
on the first beat. The base of this dance consists of the chassé. It must be executed.
many times to the right and to the left until assimilating the suitable style: the hips must
move in the direction of the leading foot, to the right or to the left. There are
4 different hypotheses on the literal meaning of the expression 'Cha Cha Cha', the two most
accredited are:
Reproduction of the sound produced by the shoes during the dance, particularly in the
triple step.
"Cha cha" is the name of a Cuban rattle, properly used during the dance.
The first figures built on this new rhythm were rather simple, very
similar to those today referred to as CHA CHA CHA CHASSE, LOCK FORWARD,
LOCK BACKWARD, CLOSE BASIC, SPOT TURN, ALEMANA.
Double Step
Literally translated means: double step. The original name was pas a dos = step at
The figures created for this dance have great artistic value, all inspired
all the actions of the bullfighter in the fight against the bull. It's not easy to dance the paso doble if not
it gets into the right spirit. The couple must be motivated and express energy.
this dance involves all parts of the body: the legs, the hands, the gaze, the
face as a whole. The knight must demonstrate remarkable character and physical strength. The
The lady's body must be lively: gentle and nervous. It is a Spanish dance that was born
in the early 1900s in the cultural and social environment of the arenas. Practically,
Initially, it was a particular musical base that accompanied the parade.
quadrilles in bullfighting shows. The music was powerful, very rhythmic and
engaging: the simple act of walking became a military march. One
The trumpet's call announced the beginning of the musical performance. Over the years, the
paso doble has also assimilated several figures belonging to flamenco and has elevated to
symbol figure the spot that requires stamping the sole of the foot at each closure.
In 1954, it was included as a discipline in LATIN-AMERICAN DANCES.
SAMBA
On the derivation of the term samba, we consider two hypotheses: Samba
derives from zampo, a designation that was used to identify two categories of
Brazilians: those of African descent and the mestizos of the Indian lineage. Samba derives from.
semba is the particular movement of the pelvis in some typical dances of Angola
Portuguese. In Brazil, the term samba was used to refer to the way of dancing of
slaves imported from Angola and the Congo and used in sugarcane plantations
sugar. Samba was included in competition dances (LATIN discipline
AMERICANE) after having acquired a complete form: on one hand, softening on the
musical piano down to the current 50-52 beats per minute; on the other hand,
through the coding of compatible figures, many of which are of considerable value
artistic and choreographic. The characteristic movements of this dance are: SAMBA
BOUNCE ACTION; PENDULUM MOTION.
JIVE
Jive is the most lively dance among Latin American dances. Its rhythm is frantic,
their figures require style, physical endurance, strength, and elasticity. The use of hands has
a decisive role no less than that of the feet. It concerns the eight small steps
danced and counted with the classic jive technique (left behind for the leader + right
he hits in place counting 1, 2, 3 & 4 left-right-left in lateral chassé 5 & 6
right-left-right in lateral chassé). To strongly syncopated rhythms were
initially create two particular figures: two steps in countertime the break-away: the
the lady was going through a separation and a reconciliation, without letting go of the
knight. In its first formulation, jive was danced exclusively by dancers.
he was subsequently taken up by the whites who added numerous figures to it and
they brought technical changes that made the execution more complicated and heavier.
After World War II, with the evolution of jazz towards bebop, the break-
away became the foundation of rock 'n' roll, while jive was subjected to a series of
revisions and stylistic refinements that have made it one of the dances still most
internationally prestigious.
AGONISM
Latin American dance is also practiced at a competitive level. As far as
regarding Italy (specifically the FIDS, Italian Dance Sport Federation, unique
recognized by CONI) we find a division into categories and classes depending on,
respectively, of the age and the level of preparation of the couple, as follows:
The categories, or age divisions, are as follows: 08/09 10/11 12/13 14/15
16/18 19/34 35/44 45/54 55/60 61/64 65/ol (considering the age of
older component of the couple.
The classes, or divisions based on the couple's preparation, are the
following: the lowest class is class D followed by class C, then as we go up we find
respectively the classes B3, B2, B1, A [A2, A1], AS which is the highest class. We are talking about
competition from class B3 to class AS (A Special, international class). Furthermore,
those who carry out the activity of technician, but continue their competitive career are
The M (Master Class) is planned where the lowest category is 18/ol.
In the categories 08/09 and 10/11, the classes present are only D, C, B3, B2, B1.

In the 19/34 and 55/60 categories, class A is divided into classes A2 and A1, where the
Class A2 is preceded by class B1 and class A1 is followed by class AS.
to move from one category to another, races are held, each of which
depending on the placement achieved, a certain number of points are awarded, which
allow access to a Ranking List. Italy is divided into three sectors (North,
Center, South), each of which has its own Ranking List. Based on the result of
official races, each pair earns a specific score that allows
to distill the Ranking List. The higher the position achieved in a race, the more
high will be the score acquired. Based on the scores obtained and the results of
Italian Championship (which includes all sectors), will access the class
a number of pairs defined by the regulations.
The international federation is the WDSF (World Dance Sport Federation).