LeRoc is a form of

Modern Jive Modern Jive is a dance style derived from swing, Lindy Hop, rock and roll, salsa and others, the main difference being the simplification of footwork by removing syncopation such as chasse. The term "French Jive" is occasionally used instead, r ...

, a dance style that evolved in the 1980s out of dances including Swing,

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 ...

and

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 ...

. The main innovation was to simplify the footwork, making LeRoc very adaptable to different types of music in a 4-beat, fast or slow. According to the particular teacher, it may incorporate elements of other dance styles including

Salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: A ...

and

Tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...

. Both LeRoc and, later,

Ceroc Ceroc is an international dance club with more than 200 venues across the UK as well as national and regional competitions and weekend events throughout the year. It also has franchises in many other countries in Europe, Asia and the Antipodes. T ...

evolved in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

during the Jive revival in the early 1980s, with dancers often being members of both clubs. LeRoc dances at the Notre Dame Hall, off Leicester Square, and Ceroc dances at the Porchester Hall in Bayswater rarely conflicted so it was easy to attend both, and rivalry between the clubs spurred the development of new dance moves. The split had occurred when James Cronin decided to trademark the word "Ceroc", and run the Ceroc club as a franchised business. The members of the LeRoc club, led by Michel Ange Lau, decided not to run it for potential income, preferring to concentrate on perfecting the dance. This means that, today, many unrelated Modern Jive organisations are free to use "LeRoc" in their names as it remains a generic term. "The LeRoc Modern Jive Federation" is a non-profit federation of independent dance teachers that was set up in 1991, but it is not mandatory to join. It offers advantages (such as membership of the

United Kingdom Alliance of Professional Teachers of Dancing and Kindred Arts UKA Dance, formally known as the United Kingdom Alliance (UKA), is a dance teaching and examination board based in Blackpool, England, and operates internationally. UKA Dance was established in 1902 and provides training in a range of dance st ...

(UKA) to its members. It is said that the dance style came from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, where Swing / Rock and Roll dancing had not been so suppressed by the onslaught of

Disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

. LeRoc was named by Michel Ange Lau to describe a "distinctive" style of rock dancing, or "''this'' Rock", while Ceroc, which appears a closer translation from French, is actually derived from "C'est le roc". Despite the reported French roots of LeRoc,Michel Ange Lau: "Dance Manual", "The History". 199

Modernjive.Com - History] there is currently very little

danced in France.

References

External links

The LeRoc Modern Jive Federation

AfterFive
"A Dancer's Guide", a free downloadable guide to dancing Modern Jive (including Ceroc and LeRoc), plus maps, links, etc.
Modern Jive Resource Centre

Modern Jive classes and events for the UK

'Lynda's List' of current dance events

Jiveoholics Anonymous - directory of dance moves
{{Dance Swing dances