Dance-Related Media

Television Broadcasts:

• The Ohio Star Ballroom Dance Competition will be aired on PBS, February 16th, 8pm. Many members of the competition team attended this event. Ask them for details!
• The 1999 Latin DanceSport Championship and the A&E Ballroom Championship -The national NBC telecast was on Saturday, June 12 from 8-9 p.m. EDT/PDT (check with Orlando for a copy).
• The 1999 DanceSport Standard Event was televised on A&E on Saturday, August 7, 1999 (check with Orlando for a copy).
• The 2000 World Latin DanceSport Championships at Miami Beach is on the A&E Network, Friday, October 28th, 2000, 9 - 11pm. (Check with local listings)
• A Documentary on Ballroom Dancing is on TLC, Saturday, October 30th, 2000 at 8pm, 11pm. (Check with our local listings)

Music CD's:

• "The Tango Project" [Elektra/Nonesuch] - your classic tangos argentinos
• "Introducing...Ruben Gonzalez" - Cuban piano legend playing classic Cuban tunes (cha-cha, rumba, mambo)
• "Wild, Cool and Swingin' Too" - 50's and 60's compilation, often in their original settings! Includes foxtrots (track 11 is a favorite!), some swing, and a little mambo and cha-cha.
• "Fiesta for Two (Vol. 1)" - one of the best strict tempo latin cd's we've found! All five competitive int'l latin dances are included, and the cha-cha's and jives are especially good.
• "The Mambo Kings" (movie soundtrack) - terrific mix of Latin music performed by the legendary Tito Puente and his ensemble. Includes mambos (of course!), cha-chas, merengues, and a bolero (track 8) that almost won an Oscar!
• "Strictly Ballroom" (movie soundtrack) - A combination of standard ballroom favorites and songs composed specifically for the film. Includes a variety of dances, samba, rumba, tango, waltz, and swing/jive.
• "Dance with Me" (soundtrack) - a contemporary mix of Latin dance music. Includes some great sambas, as well as some cha-cha and rumba.
• "Frenesi" (Linda Ronstadt) - Linda Ronstadt sings the standards of Latin music accompanied by the Ray Santos orchestra. Cha-cha, rumba, and mambo.
• "Swing" (The Manhattan Transfer) - a super CD for swing of all kinds! Mostly standard swing tunes with snappy vocals and tight harmonies. East coast, west coast, and lindy are all represented.
• "More Dirty Dancing" (movie soundtrack) - this addition to the first soundtrack of this popular 80s flick includes much of the actual dance music used in the film. Foxtrot and mambo.
• "A League of Their Own" (movie soundtrack) - swing/jive
• "Forever Tango" (movie soundtrack) - Argentine tango
• "Falling into You" (Celine Dion) - rumba
• "Sarandonga" (Chocolate) - cha-cha, samba
• "The Immaculate Collection" (Madonna) - hustle, samba
• "The Last Days of Disco" (movie soundtrack) - hustle
• "Pure Disco" (various artists) - hustle
• "Buena Vista Social Club" (various artists) - cha-cha, rumba, mambo
• "Oro Latino" (various artists) - cha-cha, mambo, rumba, merengue
• "Ultimate Salsa Party" (various artists) - a favorite artist on this is Frankie Negron
• "Merengue Mix" (various artists) - any version will get you moving!
• "Salsa" (movie soundtrack) - salsa music

Films:

• Strictly Ballroom - Australian, romance
• Shall We Dance? - Japanese (with subtitles), comedy
• The Tango Lesson - Sally Potter film, terrific argentinian tango
• Dance With Me - American, romance, Vanessa Williams, great latin dancing
• Swing Kids
• Dirty Dancing - Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, latin dancing and 80s hairstyles
• Swingers - a good swing scene at a bar
• Singing in the Rain - classic movie tap dancing
• Salsa - this movie has some fabulous dance steps

Books:

• Modern Ballroom Dancing [Victor Sylvester] - this book by the British Dance Master, world champion in 1922, has hardly changed since it was published a year before his death in 1977. It was because of his "English waltz programme" in 1922 that the waltz has been formalized as the "step-step-close" format that we use today. The aspiring ballroom dancer will find his detailed figures useful.
• Ballroom Dancing: The Romance, Rhythm and Style [John Lawrence Reynolds] - this book provides dance history, insight into the world of competition dancing, and an opinion on the future of dance in the US and Europe.
• Let's Dance [Paul Bottomer] - written by a professional dancer, this book contains basic steps, hints, and pictures for all the modern ballroom dances as well as argentinian tango, salsa, merengue, and other club dances. Especially useful for those who have difficulties with "floorcraft" or avoiding collisions and getting stuck in corners!
• The Ballroom Technique [Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance; 10th edition, 1984] - this book presents a detailed description in chart form of each of the various dance syllabus figures in the International Standard dances (waltz, foxtrot, quickstep, tango). Covers steps, timing, feet positions, alignment, and other technical elements of each figure. Excellent reference tool.
• The Revised Technique of Latin American Dancing [Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance; 5th edition, 1983] - same as above for the latin dances (samba, rumba, cha-cha, paso doble, and jive).
• Popular Variations [Alex Moore] - presents 230 of the most popular variations for social dancing.
• Popular Variations in Latin American Dancing [Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance] - presents a number of popular variations in latin dancing which are an excellent basis for many modern variations.
• Championship Ballroom Dancing - oversized coffee table book depicting the Ohio Star Ball and its history with many large color photographs!