Modern folk dance with ballroom dance steps and latin dance steps

Cuban wriggle

Steps: rumba (English rumba)

2 couples line dance

Other dances - Contents

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20

Music notes in pdf format

Melody (violin, accordion)

Mel + 2 voice

Clarinet A

Clarinet B

 

Topics on this page

Dance-description

Steps and figures

Music

Video-reference

 


Our sailor has been to Cuba and was inspired to use rumba steps in a traditional Danish type folk dance.

We dance for the pleasure so you are free to select a relaxed informal hold etc.

                                                                

 

Dance description

 

Start: all couples stand in the line of dance (lod) after one another: Lady (L) to the right of Gent (G). Every second couple turn around so 2 couples face one another: in the big lod circle in the ballroom (or in a long straight line). L stands to the right of her G and faces her corner G = the opposite G. At the end of the dance G+L has moved forward to face a new couple.

 

Short description:

 

The dance consists of 4 parts: circle, couple dance with corner, chain, couple dance with partner:

 

1        circle of the 2 couples, clockwise and anticlockwise, walking steps or rumba steps

2        rumba couple dance with corner: basic steps, open and close fan, basic steps

3        chain until own partner in opposite place, walking steps

4        rumba couple dance with own partner: basic steps, New York, basic steps, spot turn

 

 

Description in detail:

 

bar no

1-8                Big circle, holding hands, clockwise and anticlockwise walking steps or rumba steps.

9-11              Couple dance with corner: 3 basic rumba steps, close hold.

12                 L right hand (rh) in G left hand (lh), G and L ¼ turn backwards G right and L left to stand side by side (on the side line) facing the other couple (fan is opened = throw away).

13                 (Closing fan:) G basic step (lf forward …), L rf close to lf quick, walk towards G lf quick, rf forward slow.

14                 L turns right under arms, 3 steps lf rf lf, G basic step; fan is now closed: closed hold.

15-16            2 basic steps with ¼ left turn back to place.

17-20            Chain, walking steps, 4 pr bar: own partner, next, partner again and just passing by so G now on opposite place stands to the right of his L facing inwards to opposite couple.

21-22            Couple dance with own partner: 2 basic rumba steps.

23                 Cross over (New York) facing inwards to opposite couple (to say good by).

24                 Cross over (New York) facing outwards to the new couple (to say how do you do, or hello, hi).

25-26            2 basic rumba steps.

27                 Spot turn, G full right turn lf rf lf and L full left turn rf lf rf.

28                 Spot turn the other way around, and then ready to circle with the new opposite couple.

                    

 

Dance steps and dance figures:

 

Rumba:

We here dance rumba as we normally know rumba to day in Denmark. That is cha-cha-cha rumba, where the chasse on cha-cha-cha is substituted by only one step.

(We have a different type of rumba in dance 19 Rump awash).

Rumba came to Europe in the 1920th and is an old Cuban dance which is the base of other latin dances (specially cha-cha-cha).


Rumba count:

We count to 4 in a bar: 1, 2, 3, 4.

If we change it to: 2, 3, 4, 1, we get the dance steps: quick quick slow where slow is on 4+1.

This is a common way to use. We can also count 1, 2, 3, 4 as: hip, step step step, where hip means a movement of the hip, specially for the ladies. (David & Denise use this count or calling in their instruction video). So we normally don’t move our feet on count 1. Therefore the melody with 4 notes pr bar is made with note 1 notably different from the following 3 notes.

 

Rumba basic steps:

G: stand or move hip on 1, lf forward on 2 quick, replace weight to rf on 3 quick, lf out to the left of rf on 4 slow; then hip 1, rf back 2 quick, replace to lf 3 quick, rf to right 4 slow. Close hold or 2 hand hold. L follows G. Hip movement is to the same side as the preceding side step. You decide how much you want to move your hips. This here can be defined as a new dance, where there is no demand of hip movement.

 

Cross over break  (New York):

Here from the opposite place and G standing to the right of L when facing inwards; they turn to face partner.

From close hold or 2 hand hold: G: ¼ right turn and L: ¼ left turn so G and L stand side by side facing inwards towards the opposite couple, L right hand in G left hand (waving with the free hand to introduce you as a couple or to present your partner, or to greet the opposite couple); G: lf cross over to the right in front of rf with ¼ right turn quick, then replace weight to rf quick, then ¼ turn back to close hold with lf to the left side slow. L the same mirror reflected. Cross over to the other side is similar, facing outwards towards the new couple.

 (David & Denise use instead the figure: opening (= hand to hand) where you here would first face outwards and then inwards: G lf cross behind rf ¼ left turn quick, replace weight to rf quick, ¼ right turn with lf to the left side back to close hold slow. L the same mirror reflected.)

 

Rumba walk:

The introductory circle of the 2 couples can be with simple walking steps: 1 2 3 4.

Or rumba walk steps: 1 stand and move hip to right, 2 lf walk, 3 rf walk, 4 lf walk, 1 stand hip to left, 2 rf walk, 3 lf walk, 4 rf walk …  How much hip movement you like (specially for a man) is up to you.

 

 

Music

The music is intended for easing the learning of rumba: the melody is made so it note for note fits exactly the dance steps: hip movement on the first special note of the bar, followed by 3 step notes: hip step step step. The 4 bars with the chain in simple walking is then with the more complex rumba beguine.

2 + 2 beats pr bar (as the simple proposal).

 

 

Video

These rumba figures can be seen nicely explained (in English) by David Syncamore & Denise Weavers, Latin American Dancing for beginners, 1984 (video Copenhagen Main Library).