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Preview to Recent History

The fire started from a spark… ...then it was fuelled... ...then it was tamed... Same is the case with Dance.

There are two things equally important. One is giving the spark and the other is to add fuel to the fire to keep it burning. Both are equally important if one want a fire to cook a meal.

Similar is the case with all the Ballroom and Latin American dances of today, with the exception of Waltz and Paso Doble, which seems to have eastern influence. The Blacks provided the spark and the Whites fuelled it.

Dancing is universal activity among all the living things on earth. But it’s only possible if one is alive. And to be alive one needs to continuously progress in the arts of survival. Such arts are numerous and studying them all is not possible. So we make groups or society for the division of labour, such that one group can then specialise in a particular sphere and exchange the benefits with others for mutual benefit.

In such a case one has to work initially on ones own in ones field, before getting the other benefits. Which means that some necessary aspects in live would not be given the right priority or would be completely neglected. And this is what happened with the Whites.

Science was and still is in its infancy as there are a number of factors that still need explanation. Apart from this, considering all the known factors for a particular problem is near to impossible, so is the reason for the safety factor in use when designing. The Whites had given a tremendous support to science and its development as they found it the speedy path for a better life. Thus the science was their baby that needed to be nurtured and cared for similar to bringing up a baby. In the process most parents sacrifice their needs before the baby and the Whites were no exception. Thus the whites in their quest for progress and survival had unwittingly alienated themselves tremendously from Mother Nature.

On the other hand the Blacks on the African continent remained relatively untouched by the rat race of the rest of the world for the quest of better life, power and supremacy. Thus the Blacks relied more on Nature around for progress to survive.

When the blacks were taken to the American Continent as slaves, these aspects of the Blacks of being nearest to the Nature were simply irresistible and were picked up by the whites and developed further.

Few other reasons:

The Italians were very successful in standardising the music. Soon later the French followed the suit and standardised the Dances, when in the latter half of the 17^th. century Louis XIV had founded his ‘Academie Royale de Musique et de Danse’. For any thing to survive it must grow. Thus there was tremendous progress in the field of both music and dance. As a result it started slipping from the hands of the common people and the elderly, as the music compositions of the master musicians and composers, as Beethoven, Mozart, Shubert to name a few, and Ballet in dancing, became too intricate. So some thing new and different that catered to the masses was needed. This ‘new line of thinking’ was provided by the Blacks that was very basic and yet a powerful tool for the well being of the majority.

A man can be enslaved, but the culture within is still free.
Thus the Blacks continued whenever possible to practise their culture which was mainly dances for various occasion like the children coming of age, marriage, childbirth, exorcism and many more. The Whites realised the value of such education and entertainments based mediums and were quick to copy it in their own way.

The need for an identity is always there, which drove some Blacks to play only the black key of a piano. And in a quest to produce good music gave birth to a unique sound and the related movements to go with it that captivated the world.

So thank you Blacks and thank you Whites.

In the end, especially such couple dances, is of the people, for the people and by the people. Thus any new movement that is rediscovered undergoes metamorphosis as in the case of insects, such that it gets transformed to be compatible with the majority. It is often termed as the incubation period when a dance changes to suit the primary basic instincts and needs of mankind.

Thank you to the whole world.