It’s easy to forget that the waltz is something we play as a community and it’s something that goes beyond a specific dance style. When asked about why the waltz and our dance style are important (and for what other reasons), most commonly the response is something like “We dance with a wide variety of people and at a high level, that’s important” or “Every other group has a waltz” or, “The waltz has a very important place among the dances. Dancing with an open mind is important.” So, it’s easy to forget that the waltz is a dance. When asked for why it’s important, most commonly the answer is a variation on an idea we’d heard a thousand times: that people are encouraged to think for themselves. “The waltz is a good way to meet people, it helps you feel like a leader and helps you connect with others,” or, “Because it’s so unique, you’ll only see it often at dances.”
“I wish I could remember this”
The most common responses to how the waltz connects with the dances that it is a part of are something like: “It’s just one dance, like any other dance, we only dance them because it’s an important part of the group. It’s a good way of sharing a unique aspect of our community in a positive way.” or, “People know that it’s important to us.” But these are only two answers.
This is the part where I think this is important to recognize and learn to recognize.
What if that’s the problem?
The thing with a lack of recognition is it gives rise to an almost perfect storm of bad things. People say “You’re a minority because you won’t dance one of those dances,” or, “You’re not a minority because you won’t dance your own special variation.”
It’s easy for people to get caught up in the whole “You’re not a dancer because you’re a minority” or “You’re not a minority because you’re not in our dance so you can’t do that.”
The reality is that the answer to this question is an incredible majority will dance any dance, in any part of the dance spectrum, in any circumstance that they are asked to do it.
Some will take dance or movement that is not theirs and put it on our dance.
Some will dance when there is no opportunity on the floor for them
social dance skills, theatrical dance, most popular social dances, types of dance theory, importance of social dance