Joo: Could you tell me a brief background of yourself?
Louise: I’ve stayed in New York and I have been teaching students in Glasgow during the war.*
J: Where do you run your classes?
L: All over the places. *
J: Do you think ballroom dance is for everyone? Why?
L: Yea. Anybody who wants to connect with somebody else should dance it because it’s partnership dancing.
J: What is it about ballroom that attracts people?
L: I think it’s like having a connection with someone else. Whether it’s a personal connection or a love connection, or whatever it is, and everybody craves that feeling. The feeling to be able to move with someone. It’s like having a relationship without having a relationship. Such as waltz which involves the very subtle of body movement while latin is more sexual kind of body movement.
J: What are the significant changes or transition in ballroom dancing between the 1920s and now?
L: Well, I think it has changed to be more modern. The movements are a lot more fluid and natural compared to decades ago.
J: What are the perceptions of the people of Glasgow towards ballroom dance?
L: There is a generation of in Glaswegian that still remembers what it used to be. Some are still dancing. *
J: What about the younger generations? Should ballroom dance be reintroduced to them?
L: I think there are a lot of new students joining the class than in the past. Maybe of the TV shows.*
J: What is the average age range for your students?
L: 20s-70s. There is really a big range in their age. To give an average it would be between 30-40.
Technical Questions
J: What are the basic requirements for a ballroom dancing class?
L: It depends on how many couples you have. It needs to be a substantial size of room because ballroom is being done within the four walls. It needs to have an alignment around the room and big enough for couples to move freely.
J: Preferably a square or a rectangular space?
L: Rectangular.
J: What about the ceiling height?
L: As long as above the head [laughs]. I think for acoustics purpose, a higher ceiling is better.
J: How about the stage? Should it be in or in the middle of the crowd?
L: During competitions, it is often for the stage to be in the middle and the crowd surrounding it, so people can see the dancers dance past them. That is the interaction between the audience and the dancers.
J: That is all the questions I have. Thank you very much, Louise.
L: You’re welcome. Glad to be able to help.
* - unable to hear due to background noise. This post will be updated from time to time.
external source: http://www.uk.dancerspro.com/view.php?uid=111162
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