Publication Date
11-2022
Document Type
Bibliography
Organizational Units
College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, Lamont School of Music, Musicology and Ethnomusicology
Keywords
Ballroom dance, Music, American smooth
Abstract
American Smooth and Rhythm are the fastest growing styles of ballroom dance in America, and as new ideas for how to perform the dances flood the dance floor, so do new ideas for what music best expresses the character of the dance. The music of American Smooth is trending towards electronic forms of the tango and towards pop ballads in place of traditional Viennese Waltzes; meanwhile, the music of American Rhythm is trending away from its Cuban roots and towards hip hop. These innovations could potentially revitalize ballroom dance music for new audiences and also help dancers to reach a new height of expression by being able to better connect with the music. However, the dance community potentially risks losing some of the character that belongs to a dance by ignoring central aspects of the traditional music. Thinking about this will help to understand how the music adds to the character of the dance. After all, we know that music does more than solely keep time for dancers: otherwise, we would all just dance to a metronome.
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
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Publication Statement
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Recommended Citation
Endicott, Tommy, "Why We Don’t Just Dance to a Metronome: Examining the Musical Characteristics of American Rhythm and Smooth" (2022). Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship. 128.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/musicology_student/128