From: Jack Martin, Ph.D., Former Vice President and Music Director of Balboa Park Club Ballroom Dancers (The Club)
To: The Club's Board of Directors, Dance Instructors, and Club Members
Regarding: What is the difference between Standard/International (Std.) and American (Am.) styles of smooth ballroom dance? And am I ready to transition from intermediate to advanced lessons?
According to the professional dance instructors at the Balboa Park Ballroom Dance Club (the Club), the main difference between Std. and Am. is the 'separation of' and 'opening out of' dance partners in American style, versus the maintenance of the closed dance position in Int. style. The 2nd difference is the degree of focus on teaching ballroom dance technique versus teaching dance patterns.
Ballroom dancing is a sport and it's also a fun social activity. Am. ballroom dance, compared to Std., is a more relaxed style with less emphasis on the formalities of technique. The Club's main purpose for teaching Am. at beginner and intermediate levels is to allow students to get up and dance sooner than is possible when getting bogged down in the gory (finer) details of ballroom dance technique.
Items related to technique would include: foot placement, rise and fall, stance (posture and poise), dance space navigation or movement relative to your partner, navigation and movement relative to the other couples on the dance floor, swing and sway and contra body movement, directional positioning along the line of dance (LOD), dance frame (and related points of connection), head positioning, connection with partner, and more.
It might sound like a lot and that's because it really is. Hence, the Club's emphasis on Am. style at the lower dance levels.
Are you ready to move up to the advanced dance class? No one should be afraid to try out the Club's advanced dance class. Many of the dance patterns that you've learned at the lower levels will be reviewed but with more emphasis on executing them with better technique. Advanced dance patterns (silver and gold) will also be taught. Also, since the technique that you've learned so far will also be applied at the advanced level you already know more Int. style than you likely thought you did. Your transition will not be a quantum leap.
How easy is the transition? Well that will depend on how much you've applied yourself to learning Am. style. It will also depend on how much emphasis your intermediate level instructor has placed on the technique items mentioned above.
Also keep in mind that some, if not many, of the advanced students have been in the advanced dance class for quite some time (similar to when you transitioned from beginner to intermediate class). You will most likely know less than they. Since these are not private classes, we do not expect our instructors to spend excessive time catering to new student needs. The best thing for the transitioning student to do is pay close attention to what's being taught. Take the lesson plan home with you (syllabi are typically posted on our web site at www.balboaparkdancers.org) and practice practice practice. By the end of each month you'll feel better about being an advanced dancer. By the end of the year, you may see significant progress in yourself and your dance partner(s). With persistence, the advanced dancer will become a more graceful and more efficient dancer.
Becoming a better dancer, like becoming a better anything, should be challenging, interesting, entertaining, an adventure, at times frustrating, and at other times rewarding. Let's all try to find the best balance for ourselves and be the best and funnest dancer's we can be.
Jack Martin, Ph.D.
Vice President of Balboa Park Ballroom Dancers
Back to Balboa Park Ballroom Dancer's advanced dance lesson videos and syllabi for 2011
Some extracurricular advanced smooth ballroom dance technique instruction
Some Alignment Acronyms and Definitions