Balboa (dance)

Balboa is a couple dance from the family of swing dances, which in the 1930s and 1940s was the first time in fashion and also again today enjoys some popularity; he is solid on many regular Lindy hop and boogie Camps part in the program.

Originally Balboa was mostly danced in 8 beats (8- Count) in closed dance attitude and was characterized by tricky footwork.

Balboa is due to the very tight dance pose especially ideal with full dance floor and makes dancing to fast music especially easy, but it works well at slower tempos. Enriched by opening figures, like Boogie and Swing, Balboa, Bal -Swing and becomes a particularly varied.

History

Named after the dance is the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach ( California ) to Los Angeles, where he was born.

Molding

Balboa has two basic forms:

• Pure Balboa: This version of Balboa is danced very closely and with much variation, the step technique. The main step techniques include the single -time Balboa, Balboa double-time and triple -time Balboa.

• Bal Swing: In this form, the couple opens the dance pose very close to dance spins and spins. After a character you come back into the tight stance, ie again in the Pure Balboa form.

Description

Some of the great Balboa dancers often said: " We can not tell you how to dance Balboa, but we can tell you When You Are not dancing Balboa. "

Body movement

The dancers are very close together and touch each part of the hip to the shoulder. This attitude makes it very easy to perform with the body and allows for very quick turns and figures. The feet remain largely under the body, sweeping movements are rare.

The dancing takes place largely stationary, that is, the couple barely moves from the square. For viewers is often only the footwork and the spins to see the interesting thing for the dancers is the lead small weight changes and the voltage from which the rotations occur. Therefore Balboa is often referred to as a "Dance for Dancers " rather than " dance for spectators ."

Due to the small, steady movements Balboa can be danced to very fast music, and he also takes up very little space. With slow music then elements from other Swing dances are often built to be expansive.

Basic Step

The most taught "up- hold" or " double-time " basic step is for the Leader as follows:

For the Follower, the steps are the same, but start with 5-8, then 1-4 only, so exactly offset by one clock.

The "down- hold" or "single -time" basic step is similar:

These basic steps can also be combined, eg 1-4 as in "down- hold", 5-8 as in "up- hold".

Stylistically, some prefer instead of "Tap " at the " hold up " to vary only one of several ways the steps is also a " kick" ( but still very small and flat occurs, one should not take his partner with it), but this is. Alternatively, the " tap " of the foot is hardly or not lifted from the ground, but rather slid forward on the floor. Also in the " pause" is a small step "Pulse" retained in the body, except the dancers want to take a "break" to emphasize in music.

The deciding factor in the Balboa are not the steps, but how this upper body balance and the position of the partner (and the couple ) controls. In so-called "one- Steps" or " Adlibs ", for example, steps 1 2 or 5 6 be repeated any number of times ( in different directions of movement ). Steps 3 & 4 and 7 & 8 then only one direction - change of foot and which can be carried out, inter alia, as an up - or down - Hold Hold. The " basic step " therefore serves rather to learn the leadership and step technique, some teachers would even view only steps 1 2 as a basic step, 3 4 already more than one.

Most of the figures are based on the basic step, and differ only by the direction in which the couple moved. For example, a " come around " half " hold down " (1-4) followed by a half " hold up " (5-8), wherein the rotation is initiated to 1-2, on the "Down" (3-4 ) is rotated and 5-8 again catch up the momentum. In the " paddle " repeating steps 1 2 or 5 6 at will, wherein said pair is on one side with the weight and rotates about the pillar.

Figures

• Throwout
• Come around
• Lollie Kicks
• Paddles
• Crossovers
• Twists
• Texas Tommy

Famous dancers

• Maxie Dorf
• Dean Collins
• Willie Desatoff