Are there kinds of partner dancing that don't trace their origin to Europe?
August 6, 2007 4:15 PM Subscribe
Are there any kinds of partner dancing that don't trace their origin to Europe?
I guess the next question is going to be "how do you define partner dancing?" I'm not sure I've got a precise definition, but I know there's a few features I'm especially interested in:
I guess the next question is going to be "how do you define partner dancing?" I'm not sure I've got a precise definition, but I know there's a few features I'm especially interested in:
- Choreography that lets two people move together as a unit.
- Leading and following as a way for two dancers to coordinate what they're doing.
- Dance moves where one partner supports the other one's weight or momentum — I'm not just thinking of fancy dips and spins here, but also basic turning dances like the waltz where each dancer holds the other one in against centrifugal force.
I have seen Azteca (indigenous Mexican dance) choreographies where two dancers standing on one foot- each locks a leg with the other and spin around, keeping the other's balance. I'm not too sure if this is a post-Columbian move or not.
Most man-woman partner dancing is a very recent invention, none of the traditional folk dancing of Mexico ever saw any physical contact between men and women for example. It would have been considered highly improper, and all latin dance with the exception of indigenous dances would have been strongly influenced by European dance forms.
posted by wilky at 4:26 PM on August 6, 2007
Most man-woman partner dancing is a very recent invention, none of the traditional folk dancing of Mexico ever saw any physical contact between men and women for example. It would have been considered highly improper, and all latin dance with the exception of indigenous dances would have been strongly influenced by European dance forms.
posted by wilky at 4:26 PM on August 6, 2007
Here is an explanation of partner dance that you might find useful.
You seem to have a nonstandard definition of choreography. If you waltz with someone, it usually isn't choreographed. The lead determines what's going to happen, it is not a preset routine. Dances in competitions are usually choreographed, but most people who dance in pairs don't participate in competitions.
Offhand, the Tango did not originate in Europe. On preview, yes, it does fit the definition above.
List of folk dances, which a sufficiently motivated person might peruse to find answers to your question.
posted by yohko at 4:33 PM on August 6, 2007
You seem to have a nonstandard definition of choreography. If you waltz with someone, it usually isn't choreographed. The lead determines what's going to happen, it is not a preset routine. Dances in competitions are usually choreographed, but most people who dance in pairs don't participate in competitions.
Offhand, the Tango did not originate in Europe. On preview, yes, it does fit the definition above.
List of folk dances, which a sufficiently motivated person might peruse to find answers to your question.
posted by yohko at 4:33 PM on August 6, 2007
Response by poster: Oh, the tango definitely counts as a partner dance. But I don't think it counts as an independent invention of the techniques I'm interested in. I'm pretty sure that the position and the idea of leading and following came over with the colonists.
yohko — I used the wrong word; shoulda said "dance steps." When I waltz with someone, it may not be a preset routine, but I'm doing a certain step — one that mirrors the step my partner's doing and lets us move together well. That's the sort of thing I'm talking about.
posted by nebulawindphone at 4:57 PM on August 6, 2007
yohko — I used the wrong word; shoulda said "dance steps." When I waltz with someone, it may not be a preset routine, but I'm doing a certain step — one that mirrors the step my partner's doing and lets us move together well. That's the sort of thing I'm talking about.
posted by nebulawindphone at 4:57 PM on August 6, 2007
Response by poster: Actually, I'm realizing I may be wrong about the tango getting its lead/follow from Europe. I've read that it didn't evolve until the 1800s (by which point there was plenty of European influence in Argentine culture) but I have no idea about the milonga and the other dances that inspired it. If one of them turns out to have a partner-y form that predates colonization, then that's exactly the sort of thing that I'm looking for.
posted by nebulawindphone at 5:07 PM on August 6, 2007
posted by nebulawindphone at 5:07 PM on August 6, 2007
There tend to be not so many records of things predating colonization or 1st European contact in many cultures, but there were very likely many partner dances that arose at different points in various places even if they were not recorded by history.
The lion dance, from China, fits your definition as given thus far.
posted by yohko at 5:21 PM on August 6, 2007
The lion dance, from China, fits your definition as given thus far.
posted by yohko at 5:21 PM on August 6, 2007
It depends if you class the Caucasus as Europe. If you don't, the various versions of the Lezginka involve male-female dancing, and they don't appear to me much like standard european dances.
posted by claudius at 3:58 AM on August 7, 2007
posted by claudius at 3:58 AM on August 7, 2007
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by iconomy at 4:17 PM on August 6, 2007