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CRDA EVENTS
OTHER DANCE EVENTS
Click image for 2015 Fun Dance Schedule.
Mark your calendar.
To get PDF flyers for CRDA events, visit our Flyer folder.
Download, print, and take them to dances that you attend.
2015 Gala
The
2015 Gala will be held in Grand Junction. Register
now! It's not too early. Download the flyer and registration form here.
Click image for larger version or info.
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 Party Dance most 1st & 3rd Fridays |
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Find Other Square & Round
Dance
Events at
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Spring Dance, April 19, 2015
Information | Flyer
Fun Dances, throughout the year
Information | Flyer
Harvest Moon, Sept. 27, 2015
Information | Flyer
CRDA Gala, Nov. 6-7, 2015
Featuring Steve & Lori Harris and Randy
& Marie Preskitt
Figure Clinics: Becky & Dave Evans and
Ed & Elvira Glenn
Information | Flyer
Join the Fun!
YOU will
benefit from CRDA
Membership --
Discounts to Major CRDA Functions.
~6 Informative
Newsletters/Year.
Support Round Dancing in Colorado.
We have an unusually active state organization.
The more members, the more and better dances we can support.
If you love and
support round dancing -- support CRDA.
Join Now!
What is Round Dancing?
Round Dancing
is
basically choreographed ballroom or couple dancing, with all couples
dancing the
same figures around the floor at the same time, similar to a formation
dance team or to sequence dancing. Over the last 50+ years, thousands
of
routines have been choreographed to match specific music in almost
every dance style imaginable. A routine done to a specific piece of
music in Colorado USA is almost always the same routine you would do to
that music in Japan or any other place worldwide at the same level of
difficulty.
This formation-team type of dancing eliminates the traffic-jam feeling that you sometimes get while free-form ballroom dancing. Dancers are able to concentrate more on how they are executing figures and dancing as one coherent unit as opposed to trying to think about which figure or pattern to do next.
Dancers
rely on an
instructor to guide them through the figures in each routine, thereby
eliminating the need to memorize. In an average evening session a
couple typically dances 20-60 different routines.
Another distinguishing characteristic of Round Dancing is the use of a "cuer." Since there are far too many routines to memorize, a cuer calls out the name of each figure in the routine just before it is to be executed. If you have a memory lapse or are unfamiliar with a particular routine or figure, you can continue progressing with the dance flow until you get to a spot or a figure that you recognize.
Round
Dancers learn
from day 1 to associate each foot pattern with the figure name. This
makes it easier to teach future routines since the dancer has a
repertoire of figures at their fingertips (okay ‘foottips’). The
average dancer has a repitoire of hundreds of routines and will
typically dance 20-60 of these routines during the average evening.
Clubs and classes, in addition to putting on known routines, will also
typically teach part or all of a new routine or work on figures each
evening.
This is not to say that Round Dancing is better than conventional ballroom. Rather, the two complement each other. Round Dancing helps you strengthen your basic repertoire of ballroom figures and permits you to do some figures that you would not dare to try at a conventional ballroom dance. We find that each type of dancing reinforces the other and leads to greater enjoyment of dancing in general.
There
are 6
levels of
Round Dancing called phases. Phases 1 & 2 are "easy level" and
include two step (similar to a type of country western dancing) and
waltz
(bronze figures - enough to dance at your daughter's wedding &
elsewhere -- the basics). Phase 3 & 4 are the intermediate levels
(bronze & silver figures) and include additional waltz figures, in
addition to introductions to other rhythms in the International &
American styles. Rhythms include: foxtrot, quickstep (similar to Arthur
Murray foxtrot), International tango, American tango, Argentine tango,
cha, rumba, bolero, mambo, jive, swing, west coast swing, samba, paso
doble, slow two step (also called night-club two step), and others.
Phase 5 & 6 (gold, star, & above figures) take dancers into the
upper levels of dancing, including most of the figures you see at
ballroom competitions. At the upper levels, many of the Round Dance
instructors are trained by some of the best International &
American ballroom teachers/competitors in the world.
On our links page, you can learn more about just what round dancing is and the history of dance in general. There are many sources to help you find where you can dance and where there are teachers to help you learn more. Several manuals, technique books & videotapes have been created by round-dance organizations and individuals around the world, and the cue sheets for individual dances are readily available. There are many sources for good dance music and for dance shoes. You need to have a good pair of dance shoes.
Round
Dancing is good
exercise and provides a relatively inexpensive evening's entertainment:
the price for a typical club dance is about $10-$15 per couple
for 1-1/2 to 3 hours. In addition, the social camaraderie
should not be overlooked. Round Dancers tend to be extremely friendly,
sociable, and very helpful people.
Round Dance clubs & classes can be found in and around every major city in the United States & Canada, as well as many cities in Europe & Asia (especially Japan). There are also many weekend & week-long Round Dance festivals and conventions offered almost every week of the year. Many of these can be found in the DIXIE, ICBDA, and ROUNDALAB, Dance - Round Out Your Life websites & newsletters, and through local and international Round Dance organizations.
Colorado is very lucky to have a strong Round Dance organization, CRDA, and therefore a large number of Round Dance CLUBS & CLASSES and EVENTS. JOIN US and make Round Dancing in Colorado even better!
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