BALLROOM COMPETITIONS AND MUSIC

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 22 July 1935, Page 7

BALLROOM COMPETITIONS AND MUSIC

(To the Editor) Sir, —May I have some little spare to correct an impression conveyed to your readers by the Secretary of the Nelson Competitions Society. Mr Stedman is reported as saying that “a visitor, an authority on ballroom dancing mentioned that the average standard of dancing in Nelson was high and would be higher if the bands paid greater attention to the correct tempo.” What I thought I said, and certainly meant to say, was that the dancing possibilities were of a high standard. The dancing itself with a few exceptions is not high —but there are a number of dancers here whose aptitude for dancing is very high. That is, there is an exceptionally high proportion of natural dancers whose abilities only require encouragement and tuition to enable them to become really good dancers. That is where your competition should do good work. As conductor of th,> ‘'Red Madcaps” orchestra at the l’alais ltoyal Sydney, where all the Australian ballroom championships are held. 1 think I may speak with some little authority. Before these competitions wer ( > inaugurated the standard of dancing in Sydney was not high. For several years Melbourne couples invariably won the All Australian Championship. The reason mainly was that Sydney orchestras had not wakened up to the fact that modern dance music is entirely different in technique and tempo from “old time,” find the dancers suffered in consequence. Modern dancing is essentially slow and languorous. The old time waltz was raced' through at o 4 to GO bars per minute. The modern tempo is in the vicinity of 30 bars. The old time one step and military two step were GO bars whilst the ioxtrot of to-day varies from 32 to 30 bars. Your orchestras here all race their music hoping that the speed will cover up the deficiency of balance and tune that are inevitably associated with absence of and concentrated practice under a competent leader. Organisers of dances in small communities are also frequently to blame for the sins of the orchestras. A leader will frequently bo approached and told that he will be engaged for a certain dance if he will increase his orchestra from five to nine, lie naturally promises to do so and the result is that a well balanced combination is reduced to a blaring combination of discords. An orchestra over five should never appear without a conductor, nor should any orchestra appear without practice. And practice with a conductor who not only understands the musical part of it, but also the modern tempo. Best of all practice at all your rehearsals with a metronome and get the proper tempi from a good dancer. Competitors and dancers generally should insist on their bands playing modern tempo. Don’t let them foist music that is far too quick for todays’ easy graceful dancing. Patrons will dance better, more easily and more comfortably. —I am etc. ' LEO BOULT ERN. Nelson, l!)th July.