As a devoted ballroom dancer, I had my first exposure to Round Dancing during the weekend of November 6-7, 2004 at the 54th Fiesta de la Cuadrilla in Balboa Park, San Diego, California. [Editor's note: For maps and info on Balboa Park.]

With ballroom dancing, new steps/patterns are learned by repetition, until our muscles can remember the steps and our muscles can react to our partner’s lead.  Soon after, there is no need to remember the names of the steps.  It is only necessary to remember the steps, to listen for the beats and measures of music, and to follow our partner’s lead.  Since it is impossible to keep a lot of routines fresh in our minds (or fresh in our muscles) at any one time, the leaders in the dance tend to repeat familiar routines, and forget the new routines that they do not dance regularly.  Ballroom dancing also emphasizes learning techniques for performing steps, in order to make it cleaner and easier for both partners to dance their own part.  Just as important is performing a dance that is both beautiful to watch and graceful to feel.

For Round Dancing, popular music is choreographed by knowledgeable dancers who publish the routines or “dances” for all to learn and use.  Each dance is designated with a Phase or level, typically based on the complexity of the steps choreographed.  Round Dancing begins at Phase II and tops at Phase VI, the most advanced level. Dance teachers use the music to teach the routines by demonstration and by direction.  Dances are performed at parties with a “cuer” to call out, or prompt, the steps/patterns in sufficient time for dancers to react. 

Round Dancing for me was like jumping full force into an all new experience.   Since I am the follower for any dancing, I can only relate to Round Dancing from the perspective of a follower and not that of a leader.  Round Dancing was a multi-faceted experience for me: listening for the cuer’s instructions on the next steps or patterns, listening to the music, and feeling my partner’s lead.  At times, I found myself wanting to perform the steps as they were called out, when in fact the cued patterns are to be performed after completing the current pattern, and on time with the music.  The amount of time between the cuer’s call and the beginning of the pattern seems to be very critical, and for new Round Dancers like myself, needs to be consistent.  It is going to take practice for me to learn to listen to the cuer, to keep on time with the music and to keep on time with my partner, all at the same time.

Will Round Dancing influence my future dancing?   Round Dancing will definitely enhance my ballroom experiences.  It will provide the opportunity to dance a number of routines that are too numerous to keep fresh in my mind.  It will extend my dancing circles and allow me to meet more new friends who share my same love of dancing.  Since I tend to ignore the names of dance figures and learn them by copying the instructor, Round Dancing will reinforce my ability to remember names of figures.  As a complement, my ballroom dancing will improve my Round Dancing, by providing additional technique to increase my enjoyment of both styles of dancing.  The connection with both ballroom and Round Dancing will afford me many years of fulfilling dancing experiences.

You may contact Patricia Burke at pburke@rounddance.com 

© Copyright 2007 by WWW.rounddance.com

Top of Page

Home Page