COUPLES DANCES
Couples dances, as their name implies, are performed as a couple. Typically, the
man leads and the lady follows, though not always. Each dance is performed around a
basic step sequence from which all turns and patterns are added to at the whim of the
leader. Because of this individual freedom to create a dance as the music moves you,
each couple on the floor may be doing the same dance, yet the look may be radically
different.
Though there are certainly many more couples dances than I have listed below, these
are the one's I enjoy the most. None of which am I greatly proficient at though.
But, that doesn't stop me from having fun!
- Two Step
- Waltz
- East Coast Swing
- Triple Two Step
CHOREOGRAPHED PARTNER DANCES
Choreographed partner dances, again as the name implies, are performed as a couple, but
are done to a choreographed step sequence. There is of course room for variation to
alleviate bordom, but the variations should not alter the look and feel of the
original choreography. These dances are usually flowing and graceful, and all dancers
on the floor are performing them in sync, which often adds to the beauty of the dance.
The dances normally begin with the first beat of the first verse of a song and are
repeated over and over until the music fades.
Again, there are hundreds of choreographed partner dances, many of which I have never
seen. I have learned quite a few, but my list of favorites can be narrowed down to
the one's listed below.
- El Paso
- El Paso Stroll
- Traveling Cha Cha
- The Shadow
- Wooden Nickel
- Desperado Wrap
LINE DANCES
This is probably the most familiar C/W dance form to most people. These dances are
typically performed individually to choreographed step sequences. The dancers form
multiple lines on the dance floor and all perform the steps in sync. Many times,
individual dancers will add variations to the basic choreography. As in the choreographed
partner dances, the variations should not alter the look and feel of the original
choreography. These dances range from the slow and graceful to the aerobic and jerky.
Easy to learn dances are normally only 16 to 32 steps in length. Intermediate
dances will run from 32 to 64 steps in length. Advanced dances can run anywhere
from 32 steps to over 256 steps. The dances normally begin with the first beat of
the first verse of a song and are repeated over and over until the music fades.
In this category, there are literally thousands of dances. I have well over 4000
step sheets of choreography in my library. As you might expect, I don't know them
all. And again, I have my favorites which I've listed below.
- Waltz Across Texas
- Beach Boogie
- Cruisin'
- Bar-room Romeo
- Smooth
- Barstools
- Kool Dance (aka Progressive Cowboy)
- Foot Boogie
- Ski Bumpus
- Stonewall Stomp
- Tush Push
- Watermelon Crawl
If you would like to discuss C/W dancing with me, please send email to: bobc@smart.net.
If you would like to see where I do most of my dancing, please check out the webpage of the
Southern Maryland Country Western Dance Association.
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