BALBOA
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What is
Balboa?
Balboa is a close-hold dance, generally danced to swing music but also
suitable for some older, New-Orleans type jazz. It arose in the 1930s,
or possible the mid-late 20s, and is associated with the Balboa
Penninsula (Newport Beach, California). For many years it
remained local to that area, but since the mid 1990s it has spread
through the world; Sylvia Sykes
and Jonathan Bixby, younger
people who learned from the older generation, were particularly
important in this spread although many others have played, and
continue, to play a role..
Pure Balboa is a strictly close-hold dance. As the swing age came,
however, some Balboa dancers were influenced by open swing dances such
as Lindy Hop and adapted their dance to create "Bal-swing", which is a
mix of close-hold "pure" balboa and more open moves but still with a
distinctive 'Bal' style. The most famous originators and shapers of
Bal-swing were Maxie Dorf and Willie Desatof.
Where can I learn to
dance Balboa in Scotland?
Regular Balboa classes were introduced to Scotland by Edinburgh
University Swing Dance Society, who began classes taught by "The Swing Doctors" in
Autumn 2004.
This is the only place in the country to teach the dance. You can
contact the Society via the web page.
The basic step of Balboa
Stance: Balboa is not
danced in a Lindy-style "get down": instead, both partners stand
naturally, upright with knees slightly
bent (slightly means that you knnow they are, but nobody could tell
from looking at you). The lady should stand in front of the man,
slightly off-set and angled so that her sternum presses against the
middle of his right ribcage (or, of she has a fuller figure, her
cleavage is at this point). The man places his right hand on the lady's
back, at a level around the bottom of her shoulder blades. His arm is a
little raised so that the
lady's arm, leading to a hand draped either on or just behind his
shoudler, rests on his lightly near the elbow: this is important for
'connection'. The other arms connect and can be left either down at hip
height (rare) or in a loose ballroom hold, but not held out far to the
side. Each partner bears his/her own weight (the lady does not lean as
she would in, for example, Milonga) but there is a definite contact
going from the chest down to the upper thigh. This is important.
Steps:
Man:
1 - step back (small, shuffly step) on left foot. Bring the lady with
you.
2 - bring your R foot back to step beside your L one.
3 - Raise your L knee slightly so that your left heel is lifted. This
is called "hold" because your weight is still on R foot. Your centre
(chest) is starting to move forwards, though - if you froze right now
you would topple forwards very slowly.
4 - Put your L foot down where it is.
5 - step forward on R foot (small and shuffly again)
6 - step forwards on your L foot, next to R
7 - hold with your R foot: now your weight is starting to topple gently
backwards (this is subtle!)
8 - put your R foot down.
Lady:
There is a simple rule: always step underneath you and do not think
about any forwards and backwards motion: these are the man's problem
and you will mess him up if you try to help!
1 - step on R
2 - step on L
3 - Hold R (lift the R knee slightly to lift the heel off the ground,
the toes still touching the floor)
4 - Put your R foot down
5 - step on L
6 - step on R
7 - Hold L (lift the L knee slightly to lift the heel off the grounf,
the toes still touching the floor)
8 - Put your L foot down.
Usual Problems:
Be careful not to rock from side to side
Be careful not to bounce up and down too much: there is a little pulse,
but less than in a normal walk
You will probably have to travel forwards and backwards a lot at first,
but once you get the hang of it, make the basic more and more small and
subtle.
This page, part of the Swing
Dance Scotland web site, was last edited on 6th October 1998.
Please do not copy or use any part of the logo at
the top of this page without my permission (it is copyright, and meant
only for Swing Dance Scotland web pages and associated classes
and
events).
Jamie.Davies@ed.ac.uk
.