Bolero – Spanish or Cuban? Part 2 Steve Holdener Last month I wrote that Bolero is a very slow and deliberate romantic Latin dance originating in Spain in the late 18th century. The music at that time was sung and accompanied by castanets and guitars. The Cuban Bolero tradition originated in Santiago de Cuba in…
Tag: Lets Dance
June 2015
Let’s Dance and SaddleBrooke Ballroom Dance Clubs: Viennese Waltz – Tales from the Vienna Woods (part 1)
Steve Holdener What is a cockchafer and its relationship to a bodkin? According to Wikipedia a cockchafer is a European beetle, and it’s also called a May bug, Mitchamador, Billy Witch or Spang Beetle. A bodkin has been described as a dagger, stiletto, ornamental hairpin shaped like a stiletto, or a sharp slender instrument for…
May 2015
Quickstep – a very quick trip around the dance floor
Steve Holdener Quickstep has been described as “a light-hearted member of the standard ballroom dances.” It’s fast and powerful but contains subtle syncopations. The first time I saw a couple dancing a Quickstep I thought it was a very fast foxtrot, and I was able to dance somewhat of a “quickstep foxtrot” even though it…