Bolero

[elisedance]

One day I am going to learn bolero again.... loved it when I did it many years ago

[cornutt]

It's one of my favorites.  A lot of the best bits of standard/smooth and Latin combined. 

[elisedance]

thats right - maybe not all but a lot of them - and romantic too

[dancingfool]

I compete in American Pro-Am and I must say that I will probably never feel like an accomplished dancer until the day I can dance the bolero well... or better than I do now.  There's no hiding bad or weak technique on such a slow rhythm dance ...

I stick with it because it is so beautiful and romantic and I really love it. 

When danced well ... rarely, as many of you have said ... but, a sight to see ...

[cornutt]

I'm beginning to realize that the exact amount of movement in bolero is critical.  Too little, and it's stilted.  Too much, and you create balance and connection problems.  I've been out-stepping a lot of my partners, which results in them being pulled towards me as I take my back rock. 

You also have to control rise and fall.  There is some foot rise, but not much, and you can't carry the rise into the rocks.

[TangoDancer]

I'm beginning to realize that the exact amount of movement in bolero is critical.  Too little, and it's stilted.  Too much, and you create balance and connection problems.  I've been out-stepping a lot of my partners, which results in them being pulled towards me as I take my back rock. 

You also have to control rise and fall.  There is some foot rise, but not much, and you can't carry the rise into the rocks.

The answer to your dilemma is to avoid the common error of rocking in the bolero. Replace the rocks w/ whisks. This will solve all of your issues; pulling of either partner off balance, outstepping the movement created by the whishks (this can not be controlled so easily when coming from a rock...explain later, if you like), and, most importantly, controlling rise/lower.

[Becca]

Bolero= E.V.I.L.

.... yes, yes it does.

[MusicChica]

The Smooth girl doesn't like bolero?  Interesting...

[elisedance]

[NZ_Guy]

I went along to an American Rhythm introductory workshop by Marcus Johnson and Yuki Haraguchi last weekend.  I didn't much care for any of them with the exception of the bolero which I quite liked.  It's not danced here though so I'm unlikely to try it again.

[elisedance]

Thats interesting - I always loved he bolero too (I danced american style social dancing about 20 years ago!).  But the rhumba is also interesting I think.  The other rhythms I'd rather do international.

[Burgess Penguin]

Now learning how to do Bolero with my girlfriend, taking a class together and LOVING it! Not sure why but the basic step was a bit elusive for me at first but started to come together. My own natural tendency is to rush the long slow step but learning to gear down. During some practice time afterwards, the lass material started to flow together for us and we were even experimenting a bit adding other things from our Rumba in, boy was that fun!!!

[elisedance]

I used to love the bolero, the big sweeping actions, but haven't done rhythm in over 15 years ...

[phoenix13]

I compete in American Pro-Am and I must say that I will probably never feel like an accomplished dancer until the day I can dance the bolero well... or better than I do now.  There's no hiding bad or weak technique on such a slow rhythm dance ...

I stick with it because it is so beautiful and romantic and I really love it. 

When danced well ... rarely, as many of you have said ... but, a sight to see ...

It takes enormous amounts of strength, flexibility and control,IMO. No wonder it's rare to see it done well. IIRC, in the American Rhythm syllabus, it's not even introduced until silver. (Is that right?)

Not an easy dance.

I remember once a lady at my studio had only one goal -- - to dance bolero, even though that was her very first exposure to ballroom dance.  Watching her do it was terribly painful, because she hadn't yet developed the ability to control and lengthen her stride to fill all the music. It was ugly. Bolero is not for the faint of heart.