Advanced
Styles TeachersChristoph Hellings & Daniel Sparber
Room36.00 CHF for students, otherwise 72.00 CHF
TimeInformation regarding the course room, please read!
This course will take place at 2 different locations due to Alumni-Pavillon not always being available:
12.6. Alumni-Pavillon (ETH Zentrum)
19.6. CAB F21 (StuZ, ETH Zentrum)
26.6. CAB F21 (StuZ, ETH Zentrum)
About this course:
This summer, you have the opportunity to learn—or learn more about—two latin dances, which often receive less attention than they merit: the Samba and the Paso Doble.
If you already have prior knowledge of the two dances, you will benefit from tips on technique and musicality to improve the look and feel of your dancing, and you will extend your figure repertoire. However, prior knowledge in the two dances is not mandatory, and anyone with at least approximately 1 year of general dancing experience will be able to follow our instructions and learn the basics of the two dances from scratch during the summer special.
The international style Samba is a couple dance that was originally inspired by Afro-Brazilian music and dances, and has developed into a dance style on its own. Characteristic elements include strong hip actions and a bouncing movement of the whole body. Due to its polyrhythmic music, the Samba is a very versatile dance consisting of not only one, but a variety of basic rhythmical patterns, some of which we are going to discover in this summer special.
When performed as a show or on dance competitions, the Paso Doble is a highlight due to its strong theatrical aspects: it is the danced interpretation of a Spanish bull fight, where the leader takes the role of the torero, while the follower might enact the cape, the shadow, or a mirror image of the torero, or sometimes a flamenco dancer. Beyond these dramatic aspects, which play a minor role in a social dance context, characteristic elements include the steady change between stationary elevated figures and extensive March-like movements. In addition to these basic movements, the summer special is also going to cover particularities of the phrasing of the music, including the so-called highlights and their role in a social dance context.