Since I was a very small I have been very fond of dancing. I began with ballet and then moved onto ballroom and latin dancing, including the Tango, then Meringue, and Salsa. The most difficult of these couple dances for me was the Tango. I do not know why. I just love dancing. When I was in Seville with my Mother we went to a performance of Flamenco dancing. It was a very dramatic evening, and I enjoyed the singing too. The dresses of the dancers were very elaborate.
Last night I had a great time watching a movie called ‘Take the Lead’. The lead actor was Antonio Banderas. At the end of the film I discovered this was based on a true story, and I just could not believe it, how fantastic was that. This particular dance class is now offered in schools throughout America, and the person who founded the dance classes was Pierre Dulaine. Another movie on dancing called Mad Hot Ballroom will be shown at 10pm tonight and I am already looking forward to that. In the movie ‘Take the Lead’ I was struck by what the Dance Teacher (Antonio Banderas) said to the Parents Teachers Association during a meeting at the Principal’s office in support of the dance classes. He said that dance classes have relevance to the students in the real world. The reasons are that dancing teaches the student respect – respect for their dance partner, and respect for themself. It shows young men how to treat young women with respect. It shows the young women that they can and must demand respect for themself. It shows young men how to treat young women with respect. It shows the young women that they can and must demand respect for themselves. Another interesting part in the movie relating to this occurs when the dance teacher is teaching the young man and young woman to dance together, when they cannot stand each other. The teacher says to the young lady, that although the young man takes the lead, it is up to her whether or not she chooses to follow. After students have completed the dance class at school, they have the opportunity to audition for the American Ballroom Theatre Youth Dance Company.
Pierre Dulaine’s dance school is called the American Ballroom Dance Studio that is a project of a non profit organisation called American Ballroom Theater. If you are interested in private dance tuition then you can book classes at the Dance Studio to suit your requirements, or you can join in a group class. To see the dates of upcoming classes you can visit their website and click on ‘events’.
Alice Letts 