Come Dancing Spiegeltent
For the uninitiated a Spiegeltent is a travelling Belgian "mirror tent" which originates from the late 19th century and is made from wood, mirrors, canvas and leaded glass... looks amazing!
Bestival's Come Dancing Spiegeltent has been one of the biggest success stories at Bestival over the last couple of years. By day it's been a place to learn some amazing dance moves - from Can Can and Vienese Waltz to African and Belly Dancing! And by night you get a chance to show off your new moves with themed nights hosted by the likes of Gaz's Rockin' Blues, The Magic Number Swing Band, Cut-a-Shine and Pussy Parlure.
It's always really busy, day and night (so much so that we keep on having to get a bigger spiegeltent!) and it's been truly incredible to see you lot showing off your skills and learning new ones!
Our 2008 line up of Dance Classes is yet to be announced, but here's 2007's info for now to give you an idea...
Friday
2.00pm - 3.00pm Can Can
3.00pm - 3.30pm Automatic Dance Club
3.45pm - 4.45pm Lindy Hop
5.00pm - 6.00pm Tap
6.15pm - 7.15pm Vienese Waltz
7.15pm - 8.30pm Finale with The Magic Number and celebrity judges
Saturday
1.00pm - 1.30pm Automatic Dance Club
1.45pm - 2.45pm Salsa
3.15pm - 4.15pm Belly Dancing
4.45pm - 5.45pm African
6.15pm - 7.15pm Samba
7.15pm - 8.30pm Finale with The Magic Number and celebrity judges
Sunday
1.00pm - 1.30pm Automatic Dance Club
1.45pm - 2.45pm Charleston
3.15pm - 4.15pm Belly Dancing
4.45pm - 5.45pm Mambo
6.15pm - 7.15pm Lindy Hop
7.15pm - 8.30pm Finale with The Magic Number and celebrity judges
And here's what they mean:
African Dance
"African Dance" is a generalised term for merged selections drawn from the thousand odd different dance cultures of Africa. This version draws on the major Polyrhythmic use of body isolations, i.e. Hips, Shoulders, Arms, Chest etc to enable various movements all at the same time. Dancers thus choose what to move to from the many different percussive instruments played in different types of African musical ensembles.
Tap Dancing
This style of tap dancing is more Bojangles than Fred Astaire, street dancing that made its way on stage rather than smooth Broadway, the latter in effect being a later derivation of the former. Born when the percussive dance styles of the British Isles, particularly the Irish, encountered the infinite rhythmic skills of African-Americans, it enabled all kinds of Americans to literally talk to each other with their feet. No notable tap dancer sounds like another, as Savion Glover has so brilliantly demonstrated as the dancing penguin in "Happy Feet".
Belly Dance
Known in the Middle East as Raqs Sharqi or 'Eastern Dance', belly dance draws on a long tradition of Egyptian folk dance and is still danced at weddings and parties across Egypt today. Characterised by fluid movements that travel up and down the body, erupting into percussive accents and shivers, belly dance encourages women to take joy in their bodies and in dancing with and in front of others. By focusing on improvisation, dancers learn to express a rich musical tradition and their own unique sensuality through the dance.
Charleston
When the mass migration of Southern African-Americans, who were looking for a better life in the North, started moving just before the First World War, they brought with them a treasure trove of dance forms including this gem which has been traced back to the Ashanti culture of what is now Ghana. Whilst it set the whole world dancing it also laid the basis for the Lindy Hop to emerge.
Lindy Hop
In the late 1920's in Harlem Lindy Hop was breaking out wherever people were partying. But it wasn't until the opening of the Savoy Ballroom that Lindy Hop got its name and a home. At the Savoy the Lindy Hop got hotter and hotter, as people danced to the top Big Bands in the land. And it got better and better, as the popular Saturday night competitions pushed good dancers to greatness. New steps were born every day. The styling got refined and was executed so well that the dance was a joy to watch as well as do. When it looked like it couldn't get any better, a young dancer named Frankie "Musclehead" Manning created the first airsteps in 1935, and the Lindy Hop soared.
Mambo
When Lou Bega re-released 'Mambo Number Five', dance floors in the UK were once again alive with Mambo madness. A forerunner of Salsa, Mambo is defined by 1950s Cuban Jazz and accompanied by fast and fun moves. The dance makes a memorable appearance in the hit film 'Dirty Dancing'.
Samba
The Samba leapt from the street of Rio, Brazil. However, the Samba danced in the International competition style Latin American is very different to the original Brazilian party dance.
Salsa
Salsa is a fun and flirtatious Latin American dance, fuelled by Afro-Caribbean rhythms and all-night partying. The dance fuses Cuban, Puerto Rican and Columbian styles into simple and lively movements.
Viennese Waltz
The Viennese Waltz harks back to days when the Viennese aristocracy danced to the music of Strauss and other classical composers. Today the Viennese Waltz is still danced socially, but the 'slow' or 'English' Waltz is more standard.