![Rocknroll-dancing-somersault-worldgames2005](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Rocknroll-dancing-somersault-worldgames2005.jpg)
Acrobatic rock'n'roll is a very athletic, competitive form of
partner dance
Partner dances are dances whose basic choreography involves coordinated dancing of two partners, as opposed to individuals dancing alone or individually in a non-coordinated manner, and as opposed to groups of people dancing simultaneously in a ...
that originated from
lindy hop
The Lindy Hop is an American dance which was born in the Black communities of Harlem, New York City, in 1928 and has evolved since then. It was very popular during the swing era of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Lindy is a fusion of many danc ...
. Unlike lindy hop, however, it is a
choreographed
Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...
dance designed for performance. It is danced by both couples (usually of mixed gender) and groups, either all-female or four to eight couples together. This is normally a very fast and physically demanding dance.
History
During the development of the musical genre
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...
, dances to go with the music were also created. From
swing, which came into being around 1920,
Lindy Hop
The Lindy Hop is an American dance which was born in the Black communities of Harlem, New York City, in 1928 and has evolved since then. It was very popular during the swing era of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Lindy is a fusion of many danc ...
emerged, the first
partner dance
Partner dances are dances whose basic choreography involves coordinated dancing of two partners, as opposed to individuals dancing alone or individually in a non-coordinated manner, and as opposed to groups of people dancing simultaneously in a ...
ever to feature
acrobatic
Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance (ability), balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sports, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most ...
elements. Lindy Hop was modified around 1940 to suit faster music, creating the style known as
boogie woogie
Boogie-woogie is a genre of blues music that became popular during the late 1920s, developed in African-American communities since 1870s.Paul, Elliot, ''That Crazy American Music'' (1957), Chapter 10, p. 229. It was eventually extended from pia ...
.
Technique and basics
Like other forms of dance, Rock and Roll has evolved around the world over time. Depending on your location, the basic kick step style starts with the Basic 6 step:
Leader
Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets vi ...
starts with left foot kick ball change, kick step (left), kick step (right)
Follower starts with right foot kick ball change, kick step (right), kick step (left)
There is another form of tap step basic footwork that is quite easy to learn:
Leader starts with their left foot and does a back step, then a tap step (left), tap step (right)
Follower starts with the right foot and does a back step, then a tap step (right), tap step (left)
The most obvious feature of the Acrobatic rock and roll dance are its kicks (into thin air) and its acrobatic elements like ''lifts'', ''jumps'', ''throws'' and ''flips''. Today's rock and roll is focused on
show and
competition dance
Competitive dance is a popular, widespread sport in which competitors perform dances in any of several permitted dance styles—such as acro, ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, modern, musical theatre, tap, and improv—before ...
and - with the exception of its name - has nearly nothing in common with the former rock and roll movement. It is danced in pairs or in
formation
Formation may refer to:
Linguistics
* Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes
* Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes
Mathematics and science
* Cave formation or speleothem, a secondar ...
and can even be danced with one male and two females simultaneously which is called "triples". Over the years rock and roll dancing has experienced several important changes: the former 6-basic step was converted into the modern tournament's 9-basic step with its typical
kick ball change. Other characteristics are techniques such as the man's
body wave movement, that he uses to fling his partner from a sitting position upwards, and the
throwing basic
Throwing is an action which consists in accelerating a projectile and then releasing it so that it follows a ballistic trajectory, usually with the aim of impacting a remote target. This action is best characterized for animals with prehensile ...
movement, where she steps onto his hands and is catapulted upwards into neck breaking jumps. Because of its demanding technique, high speed, and acrobatics, Rock and Roll is a straining high-performance dance and is most often performed by young dancers.
The name of the basic comes from the number of separate actions. With the 6-basic one counts ''(1)step (2)step (3)kick (4)settle (5)kick (6)settle'' or ''(1)kick (2)settle (3)kick (4)settle (5)kick (6)settle'', with the 9-basic it is ''(1)kick (2)ball (3)change (4)kick (5)settle (6)settle (7)kick (8)settle (9)settle.'' This means that a correct rock and roll kick will have the
supporting foot settling on the floor a tiny moment before the kicking foot settles.
Dance categories
![Rocknroll-dancing-swan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Rocknroll-dancing-swan.jpg)
The
World Rock'n'Roll Confederation
World Rock'n'Roll Confederation (WRRC) was registered in 1984, although its history traces to 1974. It is an umbrella organization for national professional and amateur Rock and Roll dancesport federations. Its statute that it "aims at promoting ...
recognizes the following dance categories for international competitions:
WRRC - Rules - Rock'n'Roll
retrieved 2010-03-10
* Youth: No acrobatics allowed. Couples are 14 years old or younger.
* Juniors: A maximum of four acrobatic moves are allowed under the category's safety regulations. Couples are between 12 and 17 years of age.
* Main Class Contact Style: Two dances per couple and round. One is a dance program with no acrobatics allowed (''footwork'', or ''foot technique''), the other an acrobatic program (''acrobatic'') requiring six acrobatic moves. The male may throw the female into the air, but no flips are allowed. Minimum age is 14 years.
* Main Class Free Style: Two dances, like in B-Class. Only difference to B-Class is that almost all acrobatics (e.g. lifts, jumps, throws and flips) are allowed. Minimum age is 15 years.
National associations usually have additional classes (e.g. a C class for beginning competitive dancers). However, all have the four classes listed above (though some rules may differ).
Rhythm and music
Rock and roll dance works on the 4/4 measure. One basic comprises six beats and therefore one and a half measures. Differently than the offbeat of rock and roll music, the dance puts stress on the first and third beats of each measure. The music is very fast, between 176 and 208 bpm. Due to non-off beat stressing and speed traditional rock and roll music has been replaced by modern disco and pop music.
Clothes
Currently advanced tournament rock and roll dancers don't wear petticoats
A petticoat or underskirt is an article of clothing, a type of undergarment worn under a skirt or a dress. Its precise meaning varies over centuries and between countries.
According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', in current British Engl ...
and jeans
Jeans are a type of pants or trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", with copper-riveted pockets which were invented by Jacob W. Davis in 1871 and paten ...
- as the original rock and roll dancers did - but rather multi-coloured costumes that are made of elastic artificial fibre
Fiber or fibre (from la, fibra, links=no) is a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often incorporate ...
and can only be purchased as individual pieces by special tailor
A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century.
History
Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...
s. One reason for that is that acrobatic elements have grown more and more dangerous, requiring both freedom of movement and enough durability to avoid tearing.
The shoes worn is one of the most important elements in Rock & Roll dancing. Their soles need to possess both "slip" & "grip" characteristics. The most common footwear are light jazz shoes
A jazz shoe is a type of shoe worn by dancers. They were popularized in jazz dance and other styles of dance including acro dance, acrobatic rock'n'roll, and in other activities, such as aerobics. Jazz dance can be done in any type of shoe, Jazz o ...
for the dance programs, while the acrobatic programs require more support for the female so sneakers
Sneakers (also called trainers, athletic shoes, tennis shoes, gym shoes, kicks, sport shoes, flats, running shoes, or runners) are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but which are now also widely used fo ...
made for aerobics
Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness (flexibility, muscular strength, and cardio-vascular fitness). It ...
dancers are usually chosen.
Organization
The '' World Rock’n’Roll Confederation'' is the organization that takes care of national and international rules and guidelines for tournaments. They organize the World Cups, European championships and World championships that occur every year for couples and formations. All international competitors are ranked according to points acquired during competitions.
The future for acrobatic Rock ’n’ Roll seems bright, the hope and main goal is to have the dance as a part of the Olympic games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
within the near future. WRRC is today recognised by the IOC
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
.
Notable dancers
Notable dancers of this sport, among others, is Katerina Tikhonova
Katerina Vladimirovna Tikhonova ( rus, Катерина Владимировна Тихонова, , kətʲɪˈrʲinə ˈtʲixənəvə, Putina, Путина; born 31 August 1986) is a Russian scientist, manager, and former acrobatic dancer. ...
, second daughter of the Russian president Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
, and Miguel Angueira, a French world champion of this sport.
See also
* World Rock'n'Roll Confederation
World Rock'n'Roll Confederation (WRRC) was registered in 1984, although its history traces to 1974. It is an umbrella organization for national professional and amateur Rock and Roll dancesport federations. Its statute that it "aims at promoting ...
* International Dance Sport Federation
The World DanceSport Federation (WDSF), formerly the International DanceSport Federation (IDSF), is the international governing body of DanceSport and Para DanceSport, as recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Internat ...
References
External links
– World Rock'n'Roll Confederation
{{Authority control
Dancesport
Swing dances
Gymnastics