> I'm curious, how did Paso Doble become a part of International Competition?
> Was it widely danced in various parts of the world? Was it ever a social
> dance, as are all the other Ballroom/Latin competition dances?
Well, I'm a historic dancer and my period of interest ends around 1930. I don't do modern ballroom dance. However, I do have one 1927 manual, _Casani's Self-Tutor of Ballroom Dancing_, that briefly and not very clearly describes the paso doble as a social dance. Casini taught in England.
This section says, "This dance was first introduced into England when that peculiar 6/8 time was played to those tremendously popular tunes, "Valencia" and "Rosita." It is a peculiar rhythm, and to interpret it properly you must take tiny steps, transferring your weight from one leg to the other with a lilt.
Curiously enough, you may do any step you like. But the fundamental steps are really the Walking steps, done more or less on a flat foot, with very short steps, the knees slightly bent and quite loose.
[He goes on to suggest using a couple steps from the fox trot and blues sections of his manual.]
The turns were done [note: were] on the principle of the right hand turn
of
the
waltz . . .
This dance was [note: was] also known as a Spanish One-Step. It has never been danced very much in England. If you wish to try it over now, all you need to remember is that so long as you swing in time with the music there is no objection to using any step you please, but--_every step must be small._" [Fran Grimble]
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Last modified on: 2000, Thursday April 27.