Endangered Species
I was thinking the other day about the dances we enjoy and what the future holds for them. Looking back through history, many dances come and go. Some last for centuries while others are gone after a few short years.
Let me say that I’m not making any predictions. I’m just speculating on what the future could hold for some classic dance styles.
I am a great lover of music. I can listen to many different genres of music from big band to country to contemporary and I love them all. I wonder though, as music ages and generations come and go. What will happen to the dances we associate with that style of music?
Of course, we all know that dances are based on timing and not the music style, but I believe it’s safe to say that in most cases, the two are closely related.
What will happen to the waltz and quickstep in another thirty or forty years? Will we still be listening to the music from the big band era? Will it become more and more difficult to find contemporary music with the timing for these dances. Waltz maybe, but how often do you find contemporary Quickstep? Will Foxtrot someday become as rare as the polka?
What influences the popularity or decline of a particular dance? One thing that technology has given us is the ability to record and preserve music. This very well could be one possible reason why dances like Waltz and Quickstep have survived.
Prior to recorded music, dance styles were strictly driven by the popularity of music and what was performed live by orchestras or bands. I believe this could have greatly influenced the life of many dance styles.
I know much effort has gone into preserving the current ballroom and latin dances. The competitive organizations, local clubs and dance studios have standardized the dances to teach and hopefully we will see these dances continue in popularity for many generations to come.
What do you think the future holds for these favorite dance styles?
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