Rock and Roll (dance)

Acrobatic rock and roll
Genre	4; 4
Year	1955

The double somersault, one of the most demanding acrobatic moves (Daniela Bechtold and Bernd Diel, World Games 2005 in Oberhausen, Germany)

Acrobatic rock and roll (spelled rock'n'roll by its organizing body, the

choreographed sport

, often done in formal competition. It is danced by both couples (usually of mixed gender) and groups, either all-female or four to eight couples together.

History

From

rock 'n' roll

as that genre developed. Today's rock and roll dance has gone far beyond these origins, especially in its gymnastic moves.

Technique and basics

The Rock and Roll form's specifics vary across the world, but its kick-step footwork style starts with the 6-basic step:

Leader starts with left foot kick ball change, kick step (left), kick step (right).

Follower starts with right foot kick ball change, kick step (right), kick step (left).

Another simple form of basic footwork uses a tap step:

Leader starts with their left foot and does a back step, then a tap step (left), tap step (right).

Follower starts with the right foot and does a back step, then a tap step (right), tap step (left).

The most obvious acrobatic feature of this dance sport are its kicks (into thin air) and its gymnastic elements like lifts, jumps, throws and flips. Today's rock and roll dance is focused on

formation

and can even be danced with one male and two females simultaneously, a form called "triples".

Over the years rock and roll dancing has experienced several important changes: the former 6-basic step was converted into the modern tournament's 9-basic step with its typical

body wave movement, which he uses to fling his partner from a sitting position upwards, and the throwing basic

movement, where she steps onto his hands and is catapulted upwards into breakneck jumps. Because of its demanding technique, high speed, and acrobatics, rock and roll is a straining high-performance dance and is most often performed by young dancers.

The name of the basic step comes from the number of separate actions. With the 6-basic one counts (1)step (2)step (3)kick (4)settle (5)kick (6)settle or (1)kick (2)settle (3)kick (4)settle (5)kick (6)settle, with the 9-basic it is (1)kick (2)ball (3)change (4)kick (5)settle (6)settle (7)kick (8)settle (9)settle. This means that a correct rock and roll kick will have the

supporting foot

settling on the floor a tiny moment before the kicking foot settles.

Dance categories

The "swan", a popular acrobatic move in the Junior class.

The World Rock'N'Roll Confederation (WRRC) recognizes the following dance categories for international competitions: ^[1]

Youth: No acrobatics allowed. Couples are 14 years old or younger.
Juniors: A maximum of four acrobatic moves are allowed under the category's safety regulations. Couples are between 12 and 17 years of age.
Main Class Contact Style: Two dances per couple and round. One is a dance program with no acrobatics allowed (footwork, or foot technique), the other an acrobatic program (acrobatic) requiring six acrobatic moves. The male may throw the female into the air, but no flips are allowed. Minimum age is 14 years.
Main Class Free Style: Two dances, as in B-Class. Only difference to B-Class is that almost all acrobatics (e.g. lifts, jumps, throws and flips) are allowed. Minimum age is 15 years.

National associations usually have additional classes (e.g., a C class for beginning competitive dancers). However, all have the four classes listed above (though some rules may differ).

Rhythm and music

Rock and roll dance works on the 4/4 measure, one basic step comprising six beats and therefore one and a half measures. Unlike much rock 'n' roll music, the dance puts stress on the first and third beats of each measure. Because of its non-off beat stressing and speed, the dance has now replaced traditional rock 'n' roll music with modern disco and pop music, played very fast, between 176 and 208 bpm.

Clothes

Current advanced tournament rock and roll dancers wear neither

fibre, made individually by special tailors

. One reason is that their acrobatic maneuvers have grown more and more dangerous, requiring rugged apparel that still provides freedom of movement.

The shoes they wear are especially important, as their soles must both grip and slip properly. The most common footwear is light

sneakers for the acrobatic programs.^{[citation needed}

]

Organization

The WRRC sets national and international rules and guidelines for tournaments and organizes the World Cups, European championships, and World Championships held every year for couples and bodies. All international competitors are ranked by points won during competitions. The

Olympic sport

.