The Balboa is a
swing dance
Swing dance is a group of social dances that developed with the swing style of jazz music in the 1920s–1940s, with the origins of each dance predating the popular "swing era". Hundreds of styles of swing dancing were developed; those that have ...
that originated in Southern California during the 1920s and enjoyed huge popularity during the 1930s and 1940s.
History
Balboa came from Southern California during the 1920s. ''Balboa'' is named after the
Balboa Peninsula
The Balboa Peninsula (also referred to as "Balboa" or "the Peninsula") is a neighborhood of the city of Newport Beach, Orange County, California. It is named after Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the first European to sight the Pacific ...
in
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island, Newport ...
, where the dance was invented. The
Balboa Pavilion
The Balboa Pavilion in Newport Beach, Orange County, California, is a California Historical Landmark and a National Historic Place. Established on July 1, 1906, the Balboa Pavilion played a prominent role in the development of Newport Beach by at ...
, and the
Rendezvous Ballroom
The Rendezvous Ballroom was a large dance hall built in 1928, located on the beach of Balboa Peninsula in Orange County, Southern California, between Los Angeles and San Diego. The 1920s were the beginning of the heyday of public dancing to the mu ...
are credited as the birthplaces of Balboa when dance floors became so crowded that dancers invented a dance to swing music that could be danced in place. Balboa dancing continued in California throughout the twentieth century and spread around the world to the present day.
In 1978, two long-time Balboa dancers, Hal and Marge Takier, started a twice-a-month Balboa dance at a Bobby McGee's restaurant in Newport Beach. Dancers who danced at the Bobby McGee's Balboa nights and video footage from there became highly influential in informing the Balboa dance as it is done today. Two styles of modern Balboa dance developed, "Pure Bal" is danced in
close embrace
In partner dances, close embrace is a type of closed position where the leader and follower stand facing each other chest-to-chest in full or partial body contact. The dancers usually stand offset from one another, such that each has their ri ...
, and "Bal Swing" is danced in a mix of close embrace and in
open position
In partner dancing, open position refers to positions in which partners are connected primarily at the hands as opposed to closer body contact, as in closed position. The connection is through the hands, wrists, and fingers, and relies heavily ...
.
Alma Heaton included two pages on Balboa in his 1954 book "Ballroom Dance Rhythms", and a page of instruction in "Techniques of Teaching Ballroom Dance". Heaton described two Bal-Swing figures in 1967.
[Ballroom Dance Rhythms. Alma Heaton. 1967. Brigham Young University Press. pages 75, 76]
See also
*
Collegiate shag
The Collegiate Shag (or "Shag") is a partner dance done primarily to uptempo swing and pre-swing jazz music (185-250+ beats per minute). It belongs to the swing family of American vernacular dances that arose in the 1920s and 30s. It is believed ...
References
External links
Balboa & Bal-Swing History - Peter Loggins - Part 1
Balboa & Bal-Swing History - Peter Loggins - Part 2Balboa & Bal-Swing History - Peter Loggins - Part 3
Balboa & Bal-Swing History - Peter Loggins - Part 4
Balboa & Bal-Swing History - Peter Loggins - Part 5
All Balboa Weekend
Balboa Rendezvous Event
Eastern Balboa Championships
Twin Cities Balboa Festival
Incubalboa: Balboa Festival in the Catalan PyreneesKorea Balboa WeekendCalifornia Balboa Classic
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Swing dances