Entertainment And Art

Not to be confused with laminate flooring or Formica tiles, the Quick Step is one of the five main ballroom dances. The Quick Step was a popular march around 1850, but it has nothing to do with the modern ballroom Quick Step, which was blended from a variety of dance styles such as the Charleston but more notably the Foxtrot, which could be danced at either a fast or slow tempo to a variety of musical styles. The Foxtrot was all the rage in the 1920s and is still highly popular today.

Who says the French cant be Spanish? Witness the Paso Doble. Meaning double step in Spanish, this ballroom dance for couples is set to Spanish march music that is reminiscent of a bullfight in the heart of Spain. It is the same style of music that is played when a bullfighter enters the ring to salute the audience before the fight, and again at the end of the fight, just before the kill. This assumes, of course, that the bull doesnt win the fight.

Latin culture is considered by many to be the epitome of passion and romance. The great Rudolph Valentino was known as the Latin Lover, and made famous the Tango from Argentina, although he was actually Italian. One of the most sultry and erotic forms of music is the Bolero. The most recognizable music of this genre was written by Joseph-Maurice Ravel in 1928, although he himself was less than impressed with his own work and called it a piece for orchestra without music. This is the music heard when Bo Derek tries to seduce Dudley Moore in the 1979 movie, 10.

They say, If you can walk, you can do the Merengue! Thats hardly surprising, given the legend of its origin. The story goes that a soldier returning from war was honored with a large homecoming dance. Unfortunately, his leg was wounded, so he could only step with his good leg, then drag his other leg to where he was standing. The resulting step, step, left, right, left, right pattern in time with the 4/4 music gave rise to the Merengue.

Dont let your mother catch you doing the Rumba! This is a dance of raw sexuality and aggressive eroticism. In fact, I believe there are several states that require you to be married to dance the Rumba together. Of course, as with most dances of this nature, the ballroom version significantly tones things down a bit.