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33-440: Fusion dance is a type of contemporary social improvised partner dance that combines different dance styles to create a new aesthetic. It does not require conforming to any particular defined dance styles, but typically uses a lead-follow approach that emphasizes musicality . It is performed within a community of social dancers that have a variety of views on what it means to Fusion dance, though typically involves creating

66-401: A connection with each other through a promenade handhold. The leader dances traditionally to the left of the follower. Some peoples have folk partner dances, where partners do not have any body contact at all, but there is still a kind of "call-response" interaction. A popular form of partner dancing is slow dance . Generally, partner dance has taken place between a man and a woman. Before

99-466: A dancer might employ popping in response to hip hop music. Fusion dances are held periodically in many cities across Europe and the United States. Many are organised events open to the public; others are small, private gatherings. "Fusion festivals" are held at various locations. These are typically three-day events in which various dance styles are taught during the day and social dances are held in

132-464: A large group perform a series of steps in triple time. Italian courts danced balli , with a wide array of choreographed rhythms, steps and positions for the dancers. These were documented in instruction books written by the dance masters who choreographed them for the courts. Social dances of lower classes were not recorded until the Late Renaissance . According to Richard Powers, courtiers in

165-567: A middle ground between individuals dancing alone or individually in a non-coordinated manner, and groups of people dancing simultaneously in a coordinated manner. Prior to the 20th century, many ballroom dance and folk dances existed in America. As jazz music developed at the start of the 20th century, Black American communities in tandem developed the Charleston and eventually the Lindy Hop by

198-400: A new dance style, recreating an already established dance style, combining existing styles of movement, or any combination of the above. The Fusion dance community emerged in the 2000s in the United States, and later spread to Canada, Europe, and other regions (although some think it might have started as early as the 1990s). The first national event that was officially for Fusion dancers was

231-516: A shift in social dancing toward rebelliousness. This shift was seen especially in teenagers who did not want to dance the same steps that their parents did. The dancing was mostly swing based but had a variations in different regions. Couples began dancing as individuals for the first time, sending the message that there did not have to be a leader and a follower. Partner dance Partner dances are dances whose basic choreography involves coordinated dancing of two partners. As such it occupies

264-456: A slow dignified manner in a circle, while farmers and lower classes danced in a lively fashion. The burgher middle class combined the dances with the processional as a "fore dance", and the turning as an "after dance". The Danse de Paysans' (Peasant's Dance) by Théodore de Bry shows a couple with a man lifting his partner off the ground, pulling her towards him while holding her closely with both arms. His Danse de Seigneurs et Dames (Dance of

297-447: A typical dance, a lead-follow approach is used in which one partner prompts moves and the other responds to them. To a greater extent than many other dance forms, fusion decouples the dance roles from their historically associated genders. Fusion culture also places significant emphasis on consent between partners. Fusion dancing emphasises musicality . The music style may influence a fusion dancer's choice of dance style. For example,

330-797: A weekend event held in both San Francisco and Sacramento, was a Lindy Hop event that likely had a strong influence on the growth of Fusion. The event featured a significant amount of non-Lindy Hop music (Blues, Rock 'n' Roll, and a smattering of other styles), encouraging dancers to fuse their Lindy Hop movements with other styles of music. Similar influences probably came from other Lindy Hop events and possibly some non-Lindy Hop events as well. Fusion dance may employ any dance technique, or arbitrary combination of techniques, associated with any type of dance. It usually incorporates dance partnering techniques such as connection , extension-compression, and frame , and may also utilise other techniques such as ballet technique , contact improvisation , and popping . In

363-630: Is best known during times when a significant demographic disproportion happens between the two sexes. For example, this happens during wars: in the military, there is a lack of women, while among civilians, able dancers are mostly women. For example, during the Second World War, many advanced leaders learned to dance Lindy Hop with two followers. Since the 1980s, double partner dance is often performed in Ceroc , Hustle , Salsa and Swing dance communities, experienced leaders leading two followers. There are

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396-451: Is four, Dianderl lifts up her skirt And shows me her knees", and in Bavaria one verse invites the girl to leave her bedroom window open to allow a visit from her partner. Dance partners stay together for the duration of the dance and, most often, dance independently of other couples dancing at the same time, if any. Although this kind of dancing can be seen, for instance, in ballet, this term

429-551: Is usually applied to various forms of social dance , ballroom dance , folk dance , and similar forms. Partner dance may be a basis of a formation dance , a round dance , a square dance or a sequence dance . These are kinds of group dance where the dancers form couples and dance either the same choreographed or called routines or routines within a common choreography—routines that control both how each couple dances together and how each couple moves in accord with other couples. In square dance one will often change partners during

462-733: The French Revolution created a shift away from formality. During the Regency Era, from 1811 to 1830, the Quadrille became the most popular dance in England and France. The Quadrille consisted of a large variety of steps that skimmed the ground, such as chassé and jeté . Most other dances of this era, such as the Mazurka , were performed in lines and squares. The waltz , which arrived in Britain toward

495-524: The Houston Fusion Exchange, January 4-6, 2008 . The Fusion Exchange was held in a different city each year for 7 years including, Houston, Portland, San Diego, Boston, San Francisco, Las Vegas, & Denver, and had a huge influence on the growth of Fusion around the US, inspiring many local scenes to start their own monthly or weekly Fusion events across the US. Another huge influence on Fusion has been

528-399: The "breakaway"). Another unique feature that was introduced in these early days were the first airsteps, also known today as aerials . These daring maneuvers were exciting for the audiences to watch, and when combined with live performances such as those by Ella Fitzgerald , became a staple of organized Lindy Hop performances. Other dances such as Collegiate shag and Balboa developed in

561-457: The 14th century has been preserved in manuscript, though without proper choreography, for dances such as the ballo , carol , stampita , saltarello , trotto and roto . The 15th century is the first period from which written records of dances exist. A manuscript from Brussels highlights the Burgundian court dance, which spread all over Europe, referred to as the basse dance in which

594-641: The 1950s, however, if there was not a sufficient number of partners of the opposite sex available, couples formed into pairs of the same sex. Sometimes this is also done as part of a dance tradition. In traditional partner dances done within certain conservative cultures, such as in traditional Uyghur partner dance, dancing is often done with the same sex as a matter of respect for the conservative culture. As learning both dance roles has become more common and social norms have changed, many events and competitions have removed restrictions. Typically, in ballroom competitions today, same-sex partnerships are allowed up to

627-468: The German poet Ruodlieb referred to a couple dance with a basic motif of a boy wooing a girl, and the girl rejecting his advances. Men and women dancing as couples, both holding one hand of their partner, and "embracing" each other, can be seen in illustrations from 15th-century Germany. At the end of the 13th century and during the 14th century, nobles and wealthy patricians danced as couples in procession in

660-461: The Lords and Ladies) features one Lord with his arms around the waist of his Lady. Syncopated rhythms gained widespread popularity for dancing in the last two centuries, although usually less complex and more regular than previous music. An old couple dance which can be found all over Northern Europe is known as "Manchester" or "Lott is Dead". In Bavaria words to the music include "One, two, three and one

693-824: The Recess Production events, which started with the Aspen Blues Recess in Colorado, in August 2008 and ran over 60 events between 2008 - 2018, branching out to Europe in 2012 . Another influence was the Tangoed Up In Blues workshops first held on May 20-22, 2005, in San Francisco, played a role in the Fusion community. The purpose of Tangoed Up In Blues was to bring the blues and tango communities together, compare and contrast

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726-584: The United States in the same time period but never saw the same international popularity as the Lindy Hop. Over the next few decades, popular music changed, moving away from the big band sound of swing to styles like rhythm and blues and then rock and roll . Due to this and other factors, the Lindy Hop evolved and mutated into a number of different styles. Dance styles such as West Coast Swing and Modern Jive integrated features of ballroom dances and new music to create distinctive but similar dances. In 1023,

759-469: The course of a dance, in which case one distinguishes between the "original partner" and a "situational partner". In most partner dances, one is the leader and the other is the follower . As a rule, they maintain connection with each other. In some dances the connection is loose and called dance handhold . In other dances the connection involves body contact. In the latter case the connection imposes significant restrictions on relative body positions during

792-439: The dance and hence it is often called dance frame . It is also said that each partner has their own dance frame . Although the handhold connection poses almost no restriction on body positions, it is quite helpful that the partners are aware of their dance frames, since this is instrumental in leading and following . In promenade-style partner dancing there is no leader or follower, and the couple dance side-by-side maintaining

825-516: The end of the Napoleonic Wars , was a partner dance in which partners danced more closely than had previously been considered acceptable. In the waltz, neither partner led. Individuals danced as equals, which was new at the time. The Polka was another dance that arose during this time in which partners were scandalously close. According to Powers, the dances of this time were "fresh, inventive, youthful, and somewhat daring," which mirrored society at

858-626: The end of the 1920s. Many cities had regular local competitions such as the Savoy Ballroom which accelerated the development and popularization of the dance. The dances were introduced to wider public through movies and regular performances such as those done at the Cotton Club in New York. An unusual (for the time) feature of the dance was the inclusion of sections where the dancers would move apart from each other and perform individual steps (known as

891-490: The evenings. Some festivals emphasise specific dance styles, such as Argentine tango , slow lindy hop , West Coast Swing , or blues dancing , whereas others encompass all dance styles. Social dance Many social dances of European origin are in recent centuries partner dances (see Ballroom dance ) but elsewhere there may instead be circle dances or line dances . The types of dance performed in social gatherings change with social values. Social dance music of

924-452: The late 16th century continually had to "prove themselves through their social skills, especially through dance." Recorded social dances of the late 16th century include the pavane and the Canary dance . Thoinot Arbeau 's book Orchésographie describes peasant branles as well as the 16th century basse danse and la volta . The peasants from the countryside supplied new dances to the court as

957-422: The music, so even beginners could participate. The introduction of the phonograph record marked a shift toward dancing to recorded music, as radio stations, jukeboxes , and sock hops played records to dance to. Swing dance in the 1930s has grown in popularity, taking many dance forms, some of them, such as Lindy Hop or West Coast Swing have survived to today. Rock 'n' roll in the 1950s brought about

990-519: The old ones' novelty wore out. During the Baroque Era court balls served to display social status. A formal ball opened with a branle in which couples stood in a line in order of their place in the social hierarchy, the most highly regarded couples dancing first. The Menuet and the Gavotte gained popularity. Balls often ended with an English country dance . France gained a pre-eminence in dance, but

1023-484: The silver level (the third level in competition, after newcomer and bronze). However, these are comparatively rare. It is thought that some partner dances actually developed with more relaxed gender roles. Prior to adoption by the mainstream, these dances did not actually normalize the man-lead/woman-follow paradigm. This kind of dance involves dancing of three persons together: usually one man with two women or one woman with two men. In social dancing , double partnering

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1056-678: The time. Towards the end of the 19th century, Americans were tiring of the court dances of their grandparents' era. In the early 20th century, Americans began pairing Victorian dances such as the Two-Step with Ragtime music . Other dances included the African American Cakewalk , and animal dances such as the Turkey Trot . The most popular social dance of the time was the One-Step . The dance consisted of couples taking one step on each beat of

1089-537: The two dance styles, explore the tension between new and old in both dances, and provide a fun dancing experience. Its precursor was a Fusion Blues workshop with six blues classes and one tango class in Portland in December 2004, held at Tango Berretín in collaboration with Fusion-PDX. There were also several events that influenced the Fusion community before the name "Fusion" was used. For example... in 2004, Lindy Booty,

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