| Rock 'n' Roll | |
|---|---|
| |
| Genre: | Swing dance |
| Time of origin: | 1950s |
| Country of origin: | United States |
Rock 'n' Roll is a very athletic, competitive form of partner dance that originated from Lindy Hop. Unlike lindy hop, however, it is a choreographed dance designed for performance.
It was introduced to Dancing with the Stars in Season 5. It was also danced in seasons eleven and fifteen.
History[]
During the development of the musical genre rock and roll, dances to go with the music were also created. From Swing, which came into being around 1920, Lindy Hop emerged, the first partner dance ever to feature acrobatic elements. Lindy Hop was modified around 1940 to suit faster music, creating the style known as boogie woogie.
A 1959 dance book describes "Rock 'n' Roll" as "performed without undue tension, the body and legs being flexible, so that there may be a physical rhythmic expression of co-ordination with the beats of music." "...a dance which leaves much scope for personal expression and interpretation in style, movement, rhythm, and even in the manner in which the figures are constructed." The basic rhythm is Quick, Quick, Slow, Slow. The Slow steps "will be taken first on to the ball of the foot, the heel then lowering".