New Waltzing Book by Powers & Enge

Posted on May 10, 2013 by WildBill

Teaming up with Nick Enge, Stanford’s Richard Powers has extended his already wide-ranging coverage of new and old variations on the waltz to extol the benefits to one’s living style in “Waltzing: A Manual for Dancing and Living”. All ballroom dancers are familiar with the slow waltz, and more advanced ones with the fast Viennese waltz, but far fewer with the new cross-step waltz, and likely fewer with the older mazurka and hambo. And the truly adventuresome waltz geeks will want to try the five-step waltz and seven-step waltz, naturally in 5/4 time and 7/4 time respectively. Likewise, the authors have broadened the list the usual benefits of music, physical activity, and touch to include such aspects of living itself as social relationships, smiling/laughing, and giving. In keeping with the times, the publication of the book was crowd-funded. Sign up for a pre-publication copy ($20) here. Copies should be available in early June.

Retirees Burn Up Dance Floor in Florida

Posted on April 16, 2013 by WildBill

According to E. S. Browning in the April 16 edition of the Wall Street Journal, lots of folks in their 60’s and 70’s who have retired to Florida aren’t just playing golf or watching the ocean waves; they are jamming the South Florida bars and dancing. “Some are singles doing things they haven’t done since high school, this time without parental guidance.” To read the article please click on this link to the Wall Street Journal

Wilddancer Helps Survey Debonair Dancers Dinner-Dance Group Members

Posted on April 10, 2013 by WildBill

Couples dancing is social dancing. Even for long-married couples, romance is in the air. And the opportunity to enjoy a nice meal (and drinks) while talking with old friends or making new ones is a wonderful prelude to an evening of dancing. But it takes some effort to keep a dinner-dance group intact and lively. One such group is Debonair Dancers, located in Silicon Valley (where there are lots of other things to do). We at Wilddancer served as their consultant to survey their members during the first calendar quarter of 2013. You can see the results at survey.

Good Tempos for Exercising, Dancing

Posted on April 5, 2013 by WildBill

Quoting Costas Karageorghis, deputy head of research at the School of Sport and Education at London’s Brunel University, the April 2, 2013 Wall Street Journal says workout music between 125 and 140 beats per minute is best to boost stamina and motivation. Of the 17 couples dances that Wilddancer covers today, for which the standards federations or experienced teachers give tempo ranges, 7 of them are in this range, 6 are slower, and 4 are faster. Given our focus, we’d say that all 17 are fine for motivation because they are fun. Officially slower ones such as the (slow) waltz and the bolero are more romantic than fitness-producing, but samba, hustle, and polka are energetic … at least as measured by the sweating and shortness of breath they produce. And the faster ones–quick step, Viennese waltz, salsa/mambo, and country two-step generally use songs of shorter duration (except many salsas are long … maybe a measure of macho for male dancers).

Germans Protest Good Friday Dance Ban

Posted on March 31, 2013 by WildBill

Although the role of religion continues to diminish in Germany, strict rules against dancing on religious holidays are still in place. But according to the March 29, 2013 Wall Street Journal, these rules are increasingly being challenged. Traditionalists say that the dancers can dance 364 days a year, while reformers say “I’ll let you play, you let me dance”. We are betting on the reformers, though we doubt that there is much couples (touch) dancing of the sort this blog focuses on. But any dancing is better than none.

Politics, Other Trends Hurt Swing Dancing

Posted on March 27, 2013 by WildBill

The popularity of couples dancing rises and falls over time, affected by lots of causes and other trends, as chronicled by a Wall Street Journal article on March 18, 2013 and a subsequent letter to the editor on March 25. (East Coast) Swing music played by touring big bands such as Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman attracted a lot of dancers during the 1930’s and first half of the 1940’s, but it declined following the end of World War II, apparently a victim of several factors, including (1) the 1942-44 musicians’ union strike against the record companies, (2) the 1944 “cabaret tax” on venues that combined food, drink, and dancing, (3) wartime shortages of commodities that curtailed the amount of traveling that could be done by the bands, (4) loss of musicians to the military, (5) formation of BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.) that collected royalties from businesses who played music and distributed them to composers and publishers, enabling new forms of music such as R&B (rhythm and blues) and country to receive funding, combined with migration from the south of listeners and dancers who preferred this music over swing. This didn’t destroy couples dancing, but it changed the music that people listened to while dancing. For the most part Baby Boomers (born 1946-1963) grew up on rock & roll, and don’t identify closely with the older swing music. And in about 1963, it is said, the Twist destroyed touch dancing.

Dancing: Better than your Mobile Device

Posted on March 26, 2013 by WildBill

A human being’s “vagal tone” keeps you healthy by regulating your critical internal systems such as your cardiovascular, glucose, and immune response. According to the March 24, 2013 New York Times, Barbara L. Fredrickson, professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and her research team, conducted a study showing that vagal tone is improved by your spending face-to-face time with other people. While there are lots of other opportunities for this people interaction, dancing is an ideal one.

Dancing Improves Your Balance and Vice Versa

Posted on March 19, 2013 by WildBill

The March 12, 2013 Wall Street Journal, reminds us that good balance for surfboarding, like dancing, requires vision inner ear, and proprioception. That balance can be improved by using balance equipment to challenge the proprioception system, and by closing your eyes or nodding your head up and down to make the vestibular system of your inner ear work and adapt.

Will Teen Star on DWTS Boost Youth Interest in Couples Dancing?

Posted on March 18, 2013 by WildBill

The couples dancing community, especially dance studios and independent dance teachers, looked forward initially to the new Dancing With The Stars (DWTS) TV show, as it would have been expected to help drive a rebirth of interest in couples’ social dancing. Unfortunately, though, it was not a dancing show but a reality show, where the TV audience was more concerned about the personalities of the stars and the banter of the judges than about the dancing feats that skilled teachers could elicit from men and women who had been stars in sports or other pursuits. Hollywood got involved, with their interest in the ratings (i.e, watcher-ship) far exceeding any interest in the dancing itself. The stars were all household words in their own specialties, and often were no longer active in them, so they were happy to prolong their share of mind in American audiences. But the show did not drive many, or any, new students into dance lessons or studios. Now, however, there is a 16 year old woman named Zendaya who is a current star on the Disney Channel’s “Shake It Up” series. We can all hope that she will give a shot in the arm to couples dancing by her high-schooler fans.

Polka Dancing Deserves More Respect

Posted on March 1, 2013 by WildBill

Adding insult to injury, an unnamed online jokester opined that “The poor people on that [Carnival Triumph] cruise ship…having nothing but skeet shooting, shuffle-board and polka dancing to keep them alive”, per the February 16-17, 2013 issue of The Wall Street Journal. Actually, polka continues to be a hugely popular dance in many countries and many communities in the USA. It’s a fast dance, so it’s good for exercise. It can be done at all levels of expertise. It goes well with beer. What’s not to like? Well…, the Chicken Dance is a polka.