Posts Tagged ‘ballroom dancing lessons’

“The history of dance on film begins with Astaire” – Gene Kelly

Who has not seen Fred Astaire dance on film and not wanted to learn to dance?  During his long career on the stage and in film, Fred Astaire has inspired many people to take ballroom dancing lessons and make dancing a part of their lives.  Astaire used a mix of ballet and tap that he integrated into his ballroom dance performances to create unique musicial numbers to captivate audiences and inspire current and future ballroom dancers.

Astaire, great dancer and great partners in ballroom dance

Not only did Astaire look good and dance well on his own, he made his partners shine as well.  “Let’s Dance” had Astaire partnering with a piano, chairs and a flight of stairs.  A hat rack was transformed into a graceful partner in “Royal Wedding”.    In one of his most well known dance numbers, “You’re All The World To Me” Astaire partners with an entire room, dancing on the walls and celling because he has fallen in love with a beautiful women who also loves to dance. 

These great dance numbers influenced dance numbers in film, including Mel Gibson’s “I Won’t dance, Don’t Ask me” dance number in “What Women Want” and Kermit the Frog’s hat rack dance in “The Great Muppet Caper.”  We would not have had Lionel Richie’s “Dancing on the Celling” music video if Fred Astaire didn’t do it first.

But some will say that the most inspiring dance partnership with Astaire was Ginger Rogers.

Dance commentator, John Mueller sums up Rogers’s abilities as follows: “Rogers was outstanding among Astaire’s partners not because she was superior to others as a dancer but because, as a skilled, intuitive actress, she was cagey enough to realize that acting did not stop when dancing began… the reason so many women have fantasized about dancing with Fred Astaire is that Ginger Rogers conveyed the impression that dancing with him is the most thrilling experience imaginable.” 

That combination of artistry and emotion hooked American audiences on “Fred and Ginger” movies and helped to leap frog ballroom dancing from a past time for the few and elite, to a fun activity for the masses. 

Astaire opened his first dance studio in 1947 in New York City.  His plan was to create an international chain of dance studios.  Astaire once said, “Some people seem to feel that good dancers are born, but all the good dancers I know have been taught or trained.  To me dancing has always been fun and I enjoy every minute of it.  I am glad that I can know put my knowledge to use in bringing personal confidence and and a feeling of achievement to so many people.”

Are you ready to start dancing now?

I know that walking into a ballroom or dance studio for the first time can be a little intimidating.  Why not start learning how to dance in the comfort of your own home?  With ZeDiamond Dance Method Learn the East Coast Swing 2 DVD set, you will be up and dancing in less than 90 minutes…  You won’t be dancing on the celling, but you will be out on the dance floor, showing off your dance moves with confidence.  You will be experiencing the same joy for dance that Fred Astaire did… and sharing it with the world.

See you out on the dance floor,

Amy Barnes

ZeDiamond Dance Method