You are right that improvisation is the original form of all dances and still is the case in all social dancing, both in partnering and in solo dancing. When danced in a nightclub with a band that is the case for belly dance. Also with a good drummer who is also watching the dancer drum solos are improvised. But they are also choreographed and must be if groups are performing. I have also done performances that are improvised as well as choreographed. See the same in swing, salsa, tango, Flamenco, tap, etc. All these dances are done in improvisational settings and also presented as choreographies. I don't know if Mahmoud Reda was the first to choreograph the dance but he is known as the choreographer who brought it to the stage and added other elements to create something for the theater. My mentor studied with Jamila Salimpour. I think I may have started sometime around 2005 but I really don't remember. Little routines like this are very encouraging and fun for beginners who are feeling very self conscious and so are very far from the ability to improvise. Jamila created a structure for teaching patterns and movements just like other dance forms. It's interesting as well to talk with tango dancers from Argentina who came up through the days of a much more basic tango with no structure or syllabus. It's only in recent decades that classes would be offered in elements like ochos and molinette. Now it's the norm to learn dance elements to build the tango. As a social dance it's improvisational and the same in salon competitions but in shows many tangos are choreographed. Merry Christmas to you and blessings for the new year!

Great to hear!

😂🤣😉

Many blessings to your family. We all loved Jack. He was bigger than life. He was one of the favorite DJ's in this area for events and he loved running out on the floor to dance and rushing back to get the next song up. He couldn't sit out a good piece of music

Thank you. I cover our lesson details so my students have an ongoing resource to refer to and I'm happy for others to find them helpful as well.

You have to watch past the first minute and a half where the pencil strokes are very light. I always include the very beginning although you may have a hard time seeing the strokes depending on your screen and your eyes. If I don't include the beginning people ask why. At around two minutes I start laying down color and the rest of the video is very clear as the drawing takes shape. You can forward the video to two minutes where the throat and eyes begin to shape up.

You are probably watching amateurs. The dancers in the professional field mostly come from long amateur careers. Starting as juniors, they will turn pro sometime in their 20's, and dance for years as pros (some sooner but mostly as adults). Those who don't rise high in the amateur ranks don't usually continue in the professional field. Europe is dominated in some countries by an organization called WDSF which approaches dance as more sport than art. Those couples will do more extreme actions with their heads and backs which is not what you will see in professional events. There are many great dancers here but perhaps you are not searching where you can find them. You probably need to search the names and finals of major competitions around the U.S like Ohio Star Ball, United States Dancesport Championships, Emerald Ball, etc, etc. Whatever you watch will be fed to you by youtube so you have to find the right key words. You could also check the NDCA website for a list of competitions in the U.S. so you know where to look.

As you might guess it can go on for quite a while. Each round is finished when one car is still running. If there's a fire there is a pause until it's out and the round starts up again. After each class of cars the area has to be cleared out and barriers are moved in until the next set starts. Then the barriers are moved out and the next round starts. Time also depends on how many cars are entered and how many divisions are represented. Before this event starts the kids have their chance but those events don't last very long. It's very cute though!

ha ha! Exactly!

I don't know and because of the narration I can't use an app although it's unlikely any app will ID it. We rarely danced to these Blackpool orchestra type songs but because of the national championships this could have been chosen to be more in that vein. Normally we would have had more Latin inspired rhythmical music.

@@brockertteambrockert Funny enough, the Samba song is 'Borriquito' of the singer Charo which is a staple of Spanish songs.

@@christianorsos I love the samba music and Charo of course!🥰

@@brockertteambrockert I’m 26 years old but have an obsession with 80s and early 90s ballroom dance performances. If there are more videos of that time especially Latin, I’d love to see them 💪🏻

@@christianorsos I do have some from the 90's in various styles but I will have to search for them. You might also look up Paul Rutherfood who publishes for Ohio Star Ball. Enio Cordoba also may have some.

Thank you. He did so great! This was just right for his personality

Yes, I'm loading it now

Thank you!

The contra check is a gold level figure so should only be danced by advanced dancers. I did this video as a reminder of the separate exercises needed for one of my students to practice on his own. I won't attempt it with a student until he can manage the balance and proper placement alone because it is very hard on the lady's back to try dancing with someone who is struggling. The various elements need to be co ordinated individually before partnering. That being said a couple might practice dancing a rock forward and back to understand the basic movement but putting the shape on it adds a lot of challenge. To protect knees and backs an adequate amount of solo practice is required. If the opportunity presents inself I may do one in the studio with a partner but there the noise of a busy studio presents a problem in hearing any of the instruction.

So sorry for my little voice. I wish my software would allow me to add more volume without increasing the outside noise. I put it up as far as it will go and the secondary volume feature in my movie maker just increases background noise. If you watch on a PC you can probably increase the sound on the computer setting as well as external volume control. I often have to use that setting to bring up volume on videos I watch. I have a mic but I can only use it when I'm close and not moving.

I really don't remember and I had in fact forgotten. It may have only been in the final at the time. Not all competitions had Viennese waltz either. Also for a few years the Rising Star Latin was syllabus only. The Imperial organization felt, correctly I'm sure, that too many couples were learning routines but did not really study the Latin dances. This is the case now in the American divisions where many couples are just learn routines. More and more competitions are requiring a basic demonstration preceeding the final and some are offering an event limited to syllabus material.

I do love this music!

The camera followed us because we paid for video at this event. There are always multiple cameras for hire at these competitions because they don't allow private video except for amateur kids. Cameras are on mounts on a table above the crowd so they do a good job as long as they don't mistakedly follow some other couple with a dress in the same color. Other couples would also be followed in the videos they would have ordered. Gene may have won this event although I can't remember exactly. I remember him doing very well in smooth and standard but I can't recall. There's always quite a variety of dress styles even in the standard division. This was the final six from a semi final of mixed ladies and gentlemen students so it was a competition. Two gentlemen amateurs were in this final.

Actually three men made this final. Shalene and Isabella also had their pro am students in the ranking.

@@brockertteambrockert Amazing, if these finalist men were Amateur students, it is encouraging for the many aspiring novices. Great show, great photography. What year was this? Do you have some of your most recent competitions or exhibitions on file?

@@Carpet-Safari maybe about 8 or 9 years ago. Yes, three male students made the final, always very difficult to do as these events are judged as couples which I think is a shame. The man creates the shape and manages the floor, so the amateur men are at a great disadvantage against male professionals. We don't do competitions anymore but there are recent showcases on my channel.

Thank you so much. We put a lot of thought into our shows and presentation. We hired many shows over the years at the studio and only a very few gave thought to the segue of one number to the next. We did not want to do competition routines or leave our audience waiting for excessive costume changes. It does take a lot of focus and endurance training to blend the numbers together and it is worth it. My channel reach is rather small and does not carry a lot of competition videos which seem to draw a lot of attention. I am always happy when I hear from people who have an interest in the deeper parts of the dancing, dance as a performance art, dance history, in depth technique notes.

I guess you have to know about it and look for it. We volunteer each year and I always donate a wreath as well. If you follow the facebook page you will most likely get a notification sometime in November

He is so precious. We love him with all our hearts! He is now nearly 12 but the cancer he had removed four years ago has returned aggressively. We are loving him desperately in these last days. So happy you also have enjoyed him. He stops traffic and creates huge smiles anywhere he goes. What a sweetheart.

​@@brockertteambrockertI'm so sorry to hear this news ❤️‍🩹 I hope Gandalf is surrounded with as much love as he exuded in his final days during the holidays 🙏 Prayers and love to you and Gandalf 💖

@@mei.mei1 thank you. We are really crushed by this great loss of our beloved friend and companion. He filled every space in our home and our hearts.💔💔