Random DWTS Trivia – Old School Latin Dancing: Yes, They Actually Danced Liked THAT!
We all marvel over the slick, complex moves and lightening-fast turns & spins we see from the pros on DWTS. But as I mentioned in my last trivia post about Len, the way Latin is danced now is a far cry from how it looked back in the days of yore – and without saying too much, let’s just say that Latin ballroom has changed for the better since the days of Len 😉
What has stayed the same? The timing of the dances, and some of the original steps have been adapted slightly to be a bit more impressive and a bit less…hokey. 🙂 What is different? Pretty much everything else. Case in point? Believe it or not, below is a cha-cha from the 1972 World Latin Champions:
I don’t know about you, but I am thoroughly titillated by those sweet moves…and those hot costumes 😛 Notice how bouncy and campy everything is. If you’re in need of some more entertainment, I recommend grabbing yourself an adult beverage and taking in this clip of the professional samba round from the old BBC show Come Dancing back in the 80’s:
Still craving some sweet samba jazz hands? How bout a kinder, gentler paso doble? A throughly UN-romantic rumba, complete with elevator muzak, perhaps? Look no further, because 1979 World Latin Champions Alan & Hazel Fletcher have got you covered:
Amazing how a powder blue, bedazzled jumpsuit that would make Liberace green with envy can make the paso doble look so…sissyish. 🙂 You know something is truly cheesy when, years later (in 2007), a current professional Latin couple pokes fun at the old style in their show dance – and everyone, including the commentators, has a good hearty laugh, because they all realize how silly they looked back in their heydey 😀
I hope you’ve enjoyed this little Hump Day “blast from the past” – so the next time you find yourself complaining about a routine on the show looking dumb/hokey/boring/etc., just think: it could be worse…they could all still be dancing like this 😉
LOL Court! You keep making me laugh today. Great post and I love the corny costumes back in the day. lollll Thank goodness for change.
LOL I take a little time to understand that the guy dancing chacha on 1972 wasn’t with a rubber mask! LOL
thank you courtney! and post like this one is very welcome and interesting. some people don’t understand that the ballroom evolves…
For example, here in Brazil the dancesport is not well known. There are few places where you can practice the international styles. So, brazilians always mistake or don’t accept that the latin ballroom samba is very different from our samba (aka “samba no pé” that you can see on a gig or at Rio’s Carnaval, and is primarily a solo dance) and our ballroom samba (aka “samba de gafieira” or just “gafieira” or just “samba” too). I mean, for them the (latin ballroom) “samba” is not “samba”, you know?
But in fact the latin samba and the samba de gafieira have some roots in common like the maxixe but they took different ways… well this is another long story… hehehe. Same happens to tango, chachacha… I’m not a specialist on ballroom but I have to talk about this a lot of times to brazilians… =/
I also love the routines from Corky and Shriley
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nHlTvYHhvM
Mark doesn’t deny from where he came from.
FABULOUS videos! They are so fun and campy and the announcer’s comments are priceless. It seems to me like today’s dance routines and costumes are hottier and sexier, and less cutsie. But what a fun blast from the past! The Shirley and Corky video is also amazing. I love Shirley’s comment of “none” when the announcer asks her what are her weaknesses! She never puts a foot wrong; what a wonderful dancer she is and look at her incredible pupils: Mark, Derek and Julianne. What a great legacy from an amazing dancer and teacher.
Ok, that is a little different!! 😉 Thanks for the history lesson!
WE Were “…so beautiful…” we felt. Beautiful dancers, moves, even if dated. See where Mark, Derek and Julienne come from and strangely reminds me of The Legendary Juliet Prowse.
OK…that was strange…I don’t know but I prefer the ‘new’ style! But it’s great to see where the present style comes from. Thanks for the post C!!
And is it just me or the male dancer on the Paso looked more like a balarina at times instead of a madator!?