Social & Partner Dance
“Every partnership begins with the courage to listen.”
History & cultural context
Social partner dances are made for the dance floor, not for the jury. Lindy Hop was born in Harlem at the Savoy Ballroom in the late 1920s, to the swing of big bands. The Argentine tango developed in the port cities of the Río de la Plata in the late nineteenth century; in 2009 UNESCO inscribed tango on its list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
Salsa took shape in New York in the 1960s and 1970s from Cuban and Puerto Rican music. Bachata came from the Dominican Republic and kizomba from Angola. What unites them is improvisation and the connection between leader and follower.
Masters, schools & legacy
Frankie Manning and Norma Miller carried Lindy Hop from the Savoy to the global swing revival. Tango lives in the music of Carlos Gardel and Ástor Piazzolla and in the milongas of Buenos Aires and Montevideo. Salsa grew with singers such as Celia Cruz and the Fania Records scene. Today these dances are learned at socials, festivals and community schools all over the world.
Dances of this world
Further reading
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