DANCE SPORTS: What They Are and Their Origins
- onay.ceren.2011
- Feb 1
- 3 min read
There are a lot of different types of dances in the world. For example, there are traditional dances that probably every country owns. There is ballet which is classic. Plus, there are new ones like street jazz and hip-hop. But, I do the ones that are stuck in the middle and the ones that people don’t even know they exist. I do latin, in other words, dance sports. And in this blog I will talk about their origins and how they were made up.
First we have Samba. Samba is a dance which is progressive so requires you to switch places while dancing. In other dances like Cha Cha Cha you will start and end the dance in the same place but in Samba you can start and end it in totally different places. Let’s talk about its origins. Samba originated from Brazil, Rio de Janeiro. The time it came out isn’t actually a thing because, it is so old. However, people gave it the name Samba and started doing it in the 20th century. The word "samba" is thought to be derived from the Kimbundu (Angolan) term samba, which referred to an "invitation to dance". So Samba has some carnival and happy vibes to it. And there's that. Let’s move on to Rumba!
Rumba isn’t a progressive dance like Samba. Where you start is where you finish. The Rumba originated in Cuba during the 19th century, but it actually comes from Africa. These dances were influenced by Spanish culture, resulting in a unique mixture of African rhythms and Spanish melodies. In the early 20th century, Rumba began to gain popularity in other countries, mostly in the United States. And so Rumba was added to the Ballroom Dances/ Dance Sports.
Then we have Pasa Doble. Pasa Doble is my favorite dance to do and it is also a progressive dance like Samba. Pasa Doble is a little bit different from the other dances because it has it's own music. In the other dances you can do it with tons of different music but in Pasa Doble there is only one rhythm or music you can use. It was made in Spain and it is like a little blend of Flamenco and Tango. It became popular in the 1930's and was added to the Dance Sports.
We have Cha Cha Cha now. The Cha-Cha originated in Cuba in the 1940s. It was developed from the Mambo, a dance that was popular at that time.The Cha-Cha is characterized by its rhythm and small, quick steps. The name “Cha-Cha-Cha” mimics the sound of dancers shoes as they do the basic step. By the 1950s and 1960s, the Cha-Cha had spread worldwide. It became a classic in Latin dance competitions. In my opinion, I am not a big fan of Cha Cha Cha but my dancer friends love it a lot.
And last but not least we have the infamous but actually known Jive. So, Jive is a dance that originated from America. It is quite catchy with it's upbeat music. And in fact, Elvis Presley is the creator of most of the music we use. So when Elvis Presley was in his prime time, he was the biggest face of Jive. It became a dance type in the early 1930s. American soldiers introduced Jive to Europe during World War II, where it quickly gained popularity. After it gained popularity it was introduced as one of the Ballroom Dances. And, by the way, it is not a progressive dance.
The reason I chose this topic is because there are not a lot of people that know my sport. Me, my friends and all my dancer friends from all around the world are trying to spread the sport that we do. So, I hope in the future more people will start doing our sport and it will become more international day by day.