How to gay dance
Do You Wanna Funk with Me?: A Beginner’s Guide to Gay Nightclubs
According to Soyouwanna.com, there are four steps for picking the perfect nightclub:
1. familiarize yourself with the city and its offerings
2. choose exactly what you’re looking for
3. get in
4. don’t make a fool of yourself inside.
Good advice, but you could just do it the easy way: find the busiest gay club in town. And then don’t make a fool of yourself. (By “gay bar”, I mean any bar that caters primarily to gay men or lesbians.)
That’s not to say that there is anything wrong with straight clubs. Some of my best friends go to them. If you’re not really interested in dancing and playing, but in mingling with stuck-up daddy’s girls or drunken frat boys, then straight clubs might be for you. Or if you like Top 40 pabulum remixed to the point where it is nothing more than a steady thump, thump, thump, then a straight club could be your bag. But if you want to go dance, party, and have a good time, trust me — a gay club is where you should be headed. Drinking is optional.
To be fair, there are straight clubs that play great music and have fun, nonjudgmental crowds, and there are gay bars that are nothing more than S and M (Stand and Model) clubs. Certain gay/lesbian clubs have their target clientele, of course — cowboys and cowgirls (The Round-up Saloon in Dallas), leather men (La Track in Montreal), punk lesbians (The Dyke Bar in Brighton, UK), and drag queens (1001 Pub Marylin in Istanbul), for instance — but what I’m talking about is your basic glitter-ball, all-welcome, humping-on-the-dance-floor disco.
Admittance to these clubs requires two things: enough money to pay the cover charge (which can be ridiculously high, I’ll grant you) and a positive attitude. You won’t have to prove to the doorperson that you are rich enough, cool enough, pretty enough, or popular enough to be there. It won’t matter if you are alone or with a group, unless the club has exceeded its allowable capacity, and most clubs don’t care what you’re wearing, so long as you are wearing something that covers the main things that need to be covered.
Years ago, I went to a straight club in Dallas with a group of friends, half of whom were refused admittance because they had on rubber-soled shoes. We wound up smuggling the same pair of leather-soled shoes out the door over and over, until each member of our group got in, but then they had to run around the club in their socks. We had been told that this particular club, now closed, was really hot, but it certainly wasn’t worth all the effort it took to get in. This wouldn’t have happened at any of the gay bars in town, and we definitely would have had a better time, as the doorman was just the first of numerous snooty employees we encountered, there.
If you’ve never been to a gay bar, there are a few things you need to understand so that you can have the right attitude. First, there are going to be homosexuals there. That may seem obvious, but it’s amazing how many people enter what is clearly a gay bar and say, “Hey, thar’s a bunch a queers in ‘ere.” And the homosexuals who are there will be dancing with one another, holding hands, hugging, and, yes, kissing.
A gay bar is one of the few places where homosexuals can express their affection for one another without being subjected to someone’s narrow judgment, or, presumably, risking harm to themselves, so expect it to happen.
If you’re straight, and worried that you will be sexually accosted by someone of (gasp!) your gender, just make sure that you clearly identify yourself as “with” someone or that you don’t want to be bothered — but thank you — and you should be fine. I went with three friends — a lesbian and a straight couple — to a gay nightclub a while back, but was separated from them immediately after entering the crowded club. I hadn’t gotten 20 feet into the club when I was stopped by a man who insisted on telling me, repeatedly, how beautiful my eyes were. I tried to politely extricate myself from the situation when I felt a hand grab mine. My straight friend Ron had come to my rescue, and with a quick “Come on, honey” from Ron, I was marked as taken territory and left alone for the rest of the night.
Of course, being labeled as “off limits” doesn’t mean you won’t be ogled, but whose ego couldn’t use a little ogling now and then?
Unlike what you may have seen on Queer as Folk, the overwhelming majority of gay bars don’t have backrooms and hallways where wild orgies are taking place. Sex, when it occurs, usually happens in the bathrooms and parking lots — just like it does at straight clubs.
Second, you need to understand that, unless you are a GQ or Cosmo model, you will not be the hottest person in the club. Neither will you be the most masculine or feminine person there. Even you if are a GQ model, it’s likely that some gym bunny will be better built than you, or if you are a Cosmo model, some drag queen or lipstick lesbian will be better put together than you. So not everyone will find you simply irresistible.
Third, there will be probably be some queers on drugs, and I don’t mean a bunch of stoners and cokeheads like you’ll see at many straight bars.
Drug use, particularly the use of ecstasy and other designer drugs, is higher among the gay population than the straight population, and some gays and lesbians equate a night on the town with a night of high-energy, drug-induced spastic dancing. Just give them room to dance and they won’t bother you, except maybe to tell you how much they love you, just because you’re there.
Finally, unless you are really looking to get picked up – and probably by someone of your own gender — don’t stick around till closing time. Once you see the crowd starting to thin out, it’s time to leave. Those who are still hanging out in a half-empty bar at last call are looking for something more than a last dance – just like at straight bars.
Having said all that, why should you go to a gay nightclub? Well, there are several reasons:
The music is better for dancing, unless you are looking to go two-stepping, hip-hopping, or ballroom dancing. I am a bit of a homebody now, but when I frequented the clubs, which was often three-to-four times per week, it was to dance.
In my quest for the perfect dance club, I tried, or was dragged to, discos of all varieties, so I know from experience that the best dance music is in a gay bar. The DJs there stay away from remixes of radio hits and focus on music designed for hi-energy dancing. And numerous dance masters and producers market their goods to gay clubs specifically. Sylvester, the late disco diva of the ’80s, was one of the first to target gay audiences, and he established a proud tradition of producing multi-layered tracks to which even the most rhythmically-challenged could dance.
You can dance with anyone — or no one. Try going on to the dance floor by yourself in a straight bar and see how many curious looks you get. Not so in a gay club. And while it’s OK for two women to dance together anywhere, you won’t see two men dancing with one another in a straight club. Even though he was straight and had a girlfriend, Ron and I went dancing together often; we both loved to dance, and if no one wanted to go out with us, we knew we could dance in a gay bar without being hassled.
Additionally, you can gather a whole herd of friends on the floor to dance. As long as you’re not crowding out others who want to dance, no one will care.
Except for the specialty bars which clearly indicate, oh, hardcore leather boys only — much like a biker bar is evident from well down the block — everyone is welcome. From gym gods to nerds to fag hags (the latter being the straight women who hang with their gay male friends) to straight couples who want to try some place new — it doesn’t matter. As long as you aren’t there to cause trouble, you can stay. Although, to be honest, the more you look like a deer caught in the headlights, the more the regulars will look at you oddly, so try not to freak out when you see your first drag queen or gay/lesbian couple making out.
It’s a good place to meet people. Naturally, like any club, you’ll run into a few pretentious and haughty regulars who look down on you, and you will encounter bartenders whose friendliness is directly proportionate to your tipping generosity, understandably, but by and large, most of the folks you encounter will be friendly, provided you are.
My friend Lisa, a dainty but adventurous sort, used to drag me into some of the toughest bars in Dallas. When we entered a truly scary lesbian bar, the initial looks we got convinced me we would die that night, but by evening’s end, the women were asking us to dance and upon our departure, gave us rib-crushing hugs. At a men’s leather bar, we came to know half the patrons by name, and when we returned two weeks later, we were greeted with cheers of “Lisa! Michael! You’re back!”
Still, there are a few things to keep in mind before venturing into your first gay bar. Many clubs have theme nights, such as Amateur Drag Shows or Leather Night, usually mid-week, so check the club’s schedule if possible. And often, gay clubs in smaller towns or rural areas are entrance-by-membership-only, to keep out the rednecks and others who want stir up trouble. Usually, the price of a membership is equivalent to the price of the cover charge, but you will have to fill out a membership form.
When I attended college in the homophobic town of Waco, Texas, getting into the one gay bar in town reminded me of entering a speak-easy during Prohibition, but once inside, the patrons were all nice and easy-going.
Having said all that, now a word of warning. Depending on the city, the parts of town where gay bars are located are often rough, and crime rates are high. Even when located in “nicer” parts of town, gay bars tend to attract con artists, pick pockets, and gay bashers looking to prey on the weak or drunk. Be sure to practice the common sense rules for a night-out on the town: don’t park anywhere dark or secluded, be aware of your surroundings, and appoint a designated driver. Having one sober person in your group will not only help insure you get home safely, it could also help scare off those who want to take advantage of any intoxicated state you might be in.
Ultimately, where you go out for a night’s entertainment should be decided by where you feel comfortable.
If you would prefer to have bamboo shoved under your nails to being around homosexuals, then best to stay out of gay clubs. However, if you have no problem with gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered people in general, they in turn will have no problem with you, so you ought to give the local gay bar a try. It’ll be fun.
What is Whacking (Waacking)? | STEEZY Blog
BOOM. POW. WHACK.
These energetic sounds aren't just onomatopoeias you’d find in a comic book...
They’re the inspiration for Whacking (Waacking) – a dance style characterized by striking arm movements, poses, and footwork!
Wanna learn more about the history and origins of Whacking? Keep reading.
Whacking found its start in the 1970s gay clubs of Los Angeles where high-energy funk and disco music dominated the airwaves.
It was in these clubs that poor Black, Latino, and Asian men found the freedom to express themselves through movement, despite the oppressive environments they faced in day-to-day life.
Originally called “Punking, Whacking emerged as a style that focused on empowerment and strength.
And while “Punk” was originally a derogatory term, the gay community reclaimed it as a positive action verb.
"Punking means to make something your b*tch. Instead of being defeated by a person or thing or situation, punking is how we flipped the script to make it our own."
– Viktor Manoel
Punking is the root of Whacking.
The moves were influenced by the glamour and drama of classic Hollywood film actresses, the over-the-top action of 1960s comic book heroes, and the sharp, quick movements of 1970s martial arts films.
In many routines and freestyles, you’ll see arm rolls that originate in the shoulder, elbow, or wrist that travel over the head and back – directly inspired by the use of nunchucks. (Viktor Manoel)
Whacking found its way out of the LA gay club scene and onto the Soul Train dance floor by way of a few original Punks, Arthur, Tinker, and Andrew.
However, due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980's, most of the original punks passed away or were murdered, leaving only Viktor Manoel as the last original Punk.
Then, the style faded out of the mainstream in the 1980's and 1990's.
It wasn’t until 2003, when dancer and choreographer Brian “Footwork” Green began teaching Whacking as a formal dance style that a new generation of Whackers was born.
After Brian, many other Whacking elders started sharing their knowledge with younger dancers, leading to an explosion in the Whacking choreography movement.
Although Whacking is now often seen in choreography, its original contexts were freestyle jams and battles.
But whether Whacking is part of a routine or in-the-moment expression, the core values of celebrating individuality, self-expression, storytelling, and performance still remain.
The basic “Whack” (original spelling) is an arm movement that creates a striking motion.
It’s literally like you're hitting or whacking something!
Watch this video to see how a basic whack is executed:
This name comes from the onomatopoeias splashed across classic comic books like Batman and Robin.
While “Punking” was the OG term for the style, “Whacking/Waacking” became the most popular name when the straight community fell in love with the dance style, but didn’t want to associate themselves with the term “punking.”
(The double “a” spelling of Whacking was used to differentiate the term from the negative slang, “wack”)
Aside from the whack itself, Whacking technique also includes hair brushes, extensions, posing, and fast footwork – all with a strong emphasis on musicality.
Wanna learn the Whacking style yourself?
Take Lorena Valenzuela's Beginner Whacking Program on STEEZY Studio!
She teaches all the essentials of Whacking/Waacking for beginners.
Just click here to start for free.
Cultural contexts of Whacking
Though decades have passed since its inception, the technique and cultural context of Whacking has been preserved by its communities.
Today, dancers continue to develop new means of expression through Whacking by experimenting with different types of music and elements of flair.
And while this style was originally created to empower people of color in the LGBTQIA+ community, it’s gone on to inspire younger generations of dancers of all backgrounds around the world.
Editor's Note: Facts in the article were researched by the author. Additional information came from interviews with original Punk Viktor Manoel.
Dances
Author: Pavel Gather
Psychologist, Lecturer Salsa and Tango
Dances
Author: Pavel Pavel
Psychologist, Lecturer Salsa
on At the start, you always want to get a quick result. When it doesn't happen, the hypothesis arises that everything takes time. After a conditionally acceptable time, humility comes to mastering pair dances, which, perhaps, is not given, and I will just do what I learned somehow. nine0003
This is the most common story of those who believe that the mere act of attending a pair dance class is enough to learn how to dance.
Absolutely not. If you want to really dance well, you have to make an effort outside of the dance class. A good teacher will definitely be needed, but the initiative should be on your side.
1. Listen to music
The most common and accessible advice that is given already in the first lessons.
And it definitely works. Music creates a certain atmosphere of the dance and intuitively you want to move to it. It doesn't matter where you listen to music - in the car, on headphones while walking or doing household chores. nine0003
An addition that will help you dance better is your active participation in the music. Sing along, dance or simply beat musical accents with any free parts of the body. In the subway, for example, it is enough to tap out bright moments with your fingers, in the car to sing along with sounds, and at home you can jump for pleasure.
2. Watch videos of good dancers
It's complicated, but also obvious. It’s more difficult, because without recommendations from more experienced dancers, unfortunately, it’s not so easy to find a good quality video on the net (I mean not the resolution quality, but the content itself). nine0003
Meaningful video viewing is about building an understanding of HOW dancers make a particular impression on a partner or viewer.
Technology is at the heart of everything. Understanding how the pros do it is a big step forward.
It is important to distinguish a show from a disco dance, a staged performance from an improvisation, a stylized dance from an authentic one, etc. Ask for recommendations and dance teachers will always throw off a couple of videos of worthy landmarks. nine0007
Tango Z. Showreel.
Online modern tango courses
Tango nuevo is the most advanced version of tango. We can quickly learn to dance from zero to a steep level.
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3. Dance in salsatecas/milongas/discotheques
A very delicate moment when it is worth coming to the first party. From a technical point of view, most students in 1-3 months have a sufficient set of figures and techniques to come and dance calmly. Psychologically, the same moment can be stretched out for an indefinite time. After all, it is imperative to “not lose face”, “learn more figures” and be sure what to do in case “there is an unfamiliar movement”.
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In fact, the partygoers don't really care (except for a small layer of non-professional teachers who want to help inexperienced dancers by treating them as customers in the future). It is important to come and try dancing after a month of classes. You can only with friends or guys from your group. This will be enough to feel the adrenaline and inspiration from the dance.
4. Dance with partners or partners not of your level
The conventional wisdom that you need to practice in groups of your level does not withstand the test of experience. Perhaps now your eyes widened in surprise, and you want to meaningfully read the phrase again. Yes, you saw everything correctly: when you dance with a partner of your level, you don’t grow anywhere. nine0003
It's important to understand that not only does it work one way and you have to dance with cooler dancers, but it works even more effectively the other way. It is no coincidence that teaching pair dances dramatically raises the level of the teacher himself.
You have an endless stream of very beginner dancers.
How it works. A more experienced partner needs to be "stretched". It's easy and obvious. With beginners, you need to take more initiative on yourself, see the general pattern of the dance more widely, turn on and insure more, try to be an example and be more careful. The quality of interaction begins to grow significantly. And wonderful partners too. nine0003
Dancing with partners of your level doesn't make you grow. Dance with both beginners and more advanced dancers
Dominican Bachata Women's Style Online Course
Want to learn how to hypnotize those around you with the most appetizing part of your body? On the course we will tell you all the secrets.
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5. Learn to dance for a partner and for a partner
Turks and Argentines are one of the best partners in the world. In Russia, partners are highly valued.-Step-16.jpg/aid1640374-v4-728px-Shuffle-(Dance-Move)-Step-16.jpg)
Why? The answer is simple. In Argentina and Turkey, it is not questionable for men to ask another man to lead in one piece or another and give feedback on the quality of the lead. For them, it will be a great shame to hear moralizing from a partner, or even more so to be known in the community as an insecure partner. nine0003
In Russia, due to the constant, often far-fetched, opinion that there are more women in pair dances, partners calmly get up and study their partner's part. Such partners then grow into very cool dancers and teachers. In no case do this at parties, only in class. Here we are talking only about the learning strategy. At parties, be yourself.
6. Do not memorize the links
Always try to look deeper and understand the through principle and idea of movement. Understanding what and how is done will make it possible to independently generate any sequences and chips. nine0003
Human memory is limited and there will always be a moment when something will escape and your repertoire will be limited by the size of RAM.
In Argentine tango, for example, there are seven levels of movement construction that, when mastered, will allow you to make millions of combinations. And how many dance sequences can you really remember? In rueda, more than 150 figures dance in a rare circle. It's hard to keep more in mind.
7. Develop your body
Many years of experience in teaching couple dance shows that as soon as everyone pairs up in a class, any progress in individual style ends. But it is the individual style that distinguishes everyone at the disco: partners change, and style is always with you. nine0003
The body as the main instrument of dance must be very plastic, responsive and emotional. Surprisingly, not all pair dance schools have a general physical warm-up. It is vital to tune the body and understand how it works.
You can always train extra and concentrate more on the basic steps, as their true value is as body work. The sequence of steps is, in fact, the simplest thing that can be in pair dancing.
The quality of individual performance determines the craftsmanship. nine0003
8. Try on the images of inspiring dancers
A psychological life hack for those who have already mastered the steps, but still feel that there is not enough brightness and drive. Most are terribly afraid of being someone else's "clone". Here the action is the same as under the influence of hypnosis - the more you resist, the more you plunge into an altered state of consciousness.
With a high degree of probability, you are already dancing like someone else's "clone". A meaningful fitting of someone else's image is that you mentally take the image of the one who inspires you (inspiration is critical in this case) and "put on" yourself. Then you start dancing and trying to feel in general how it is to be able, for example, to be the best partner or the sexiest partner in a disco. This is much more difficult than it seems. But it works extremely efficiently.
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9. Dance to offbeat music
Habitual rhythms keep you tight. Tango salon or speedy timba leave little room for experimentation and fantasy. Pattern dancing is always noticeable and is reserved for beginners.
The truly new is born outside of the usual. Look for places to experiment. If there is no place, organize self-training. The main thing is not to get carried away, because music determines the style. We bring something new to pair dances, rather than trying to change them. nine0007
Search, improvise, don’t be afraid to go beyond, develop in different directions, be inspired by music atypical for the style
10. Try your hand at basic dance directions
dances exist according to their own non-choreographic laws.
This is the deepest delusion, which has turned into a ceiling for the qualitative development of partner dances. After all, all professional dancers, for example, in salsa or bachata, build their ideas on the basic choreographic principles.-Step-18.jpg/aid1640374-v4-728px-Shuffle-(Dance-Move)-Step-18.jpg)
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Do not think that choreography is only applicable on stage. Any meaningful movement of the body can be choreographic. In general, try classical or modern choreography. Basically, hip-hop can work too.
11. Look for battle sensations
Pair dances return us to an active position of manifestation of our body. As in the days of our ancient ancestors, we impress the members of the opposite sex by how dexterous, hardy, sexy, etc. we are. Modern laws of the jungle in the entourage of large cities. nine0003
If you look around the dance floor, it becomes clear that the majority are clearly herbivores (not in the sense of vegetarians, but in relation to those around them). I am sure that predators are always more interesting in terms of the attractiveness of the image - try to find a counterbalance among herbivores, for example, a cat woman or a lion man.
The conversation is about an internal position, not about aggressiveness. Lability and lack of control are inherent in adolescents, and not in adult self-sufficient people.
Accordingly, even a training or friendly battle gives, on the one hand, practical skills - to make a bright sequence of movements, bring an idea to a climax, show a spectacular feature, on the other hand, develops the psychological basis of the dance - self-confidence, resistance to extraneous attention, self-control and self-control in complex elements. nine0007
12. Communicate with professionals
The environment shapes the internal position. Basically, real passionaries of the dance community are ready to openly talk, discuss and support the development of dance in every possible way. Universal principles and the ideas they articulate have a much longer and more practical perspective than meets the eye.
Accept that, for example, behind the words "listen to your partner" is not only a beautiful metaphor, but also a practical skill to literally listen to your partner.
Your skill will lie in finding the scope of the idea even in conflicting opinions. Most often, the contradiction is speculative and the truth lies in the angle of perception or situationality.
Your dancing growth will stop sooner or later. This can happen at the level of three basic steps or years of experience in teaching and show performances. Regardless of your level, the suggested 12 life hacks can get you off the ground and greatly accelerate your dance growth. There is no way here without your motivation and activity. Take your dance development into your own hands. nineOl000 Dangerous sexuality
Salsa: destroyers of stereotypes
Couple dancing as a source of strength.
Self-destruction of the couple dance community
The Salsa series as a mirror of the community
Mamita Fridays: salsa, bachata
Destroying the myths about leading pair dances
Does dancing make us better?
The seven deadly sins of teachers
Why we will never dance bachata like the Dominicans
Why tango?
Dispute over musicality
Selection of dances according to alcohol preferences
Where to find inspiration for dancing? nine0003
Terrible tango nuevo
Distribution of roles in a salsa party
Argentinean tango through the eyes of a salsa dancer
Is there a predisposition to dancing?
Which is more effective: individual or group lessons?
Sexual overtones in couple dances
April 29 - Dance Day.
What dances were like for our compatriots in the 19th-20th centuries For the third year, "Motherland" has been collaborating with the amazing site "Prozhito" (PROZHITO.ORG), which contains more than 2300 diaries of Russians of the 19th-20th centuries. The next issue of "Live with the Motherland" is dedicated to the International Dance Day, which is celebrated on 29April.
The style and spelling of the authors have been preserved.
1807 YEAR
Stepan Zhikharev, writer, playwright, translator, senator, theater-goer and memoirist
January 26/February 7. [...] On the 3rd of February, a big ball was appointed at Count Orlov's, which is called a feast for the whole world. There are many dancers in mind, but there are almost no dancers at all. Some well-known ladies who knew each other briefly in the count's house were commissioned by the young countess to recruit good gentlemen. I do not know why Katerina Alexandrovna Muromtseva considers me among the good gentlemen and offered to take me along with her eldest son.
"But I can't really dance," I said, "I'm shy and clumsy." - "Et pourtant vous avez danse chez les Werevkines et vous dansez souvent chez les Lobkoff, comme si je ne le savais pas" .). - "It's true, but the Verevkins had a ball easily, and at the Lobkovs I dance pour rire (for laughter - fr.) in my mug, and I don’t dance, but jump like a goat." - "And at the Orlovs you will jump like a ram - that's the whole difference! Talk to yourself incessantly with your lady - and they won't notice how you dance." nine0003
I refused, but Katerina Aleksandrovna resolutely announced to me: "Vous irez, mon cher; je le veux absolument: a votre age on ne refuse pas un bal comme celui du comte Orloff, ni une femme qui vous a vu naitre.Сest ridicule "(You will go, my dear; I definitely want this. At your age, they don’t refuse either such a ball as Count Orlov’s, or such a woman who saw you in diapers. This is wild! - fr.).
There is nothing to do, I will equip my ball costume: a puce tailcoat and a white waistcoat with a Turkish shawl vest.
I'll undress with my grip! nine0003
1808 YEAR
Adelaide Eleanor Sophia Hauswolf, Swedish prisoner during the Russo-Swedish War of 1808-1809.
October 30/November 11. In the morning, dad decided to go to a masquerade. [...] The hall was large, but poorly lit. Music was Semevsky. Only a few of the townspeople were in fancy dress, but their costumes were so bad that they could be mistaken for commoners. Luckily, they weren't dancing, just running back and forth curiously. The governor opened the ball with a Polonaise with me. I was wearing a uniform dress with a wide ribbon, which caused a lot of questions. nine0003
It was said that there were not many people today, but there were 130 people. The ladies were dressed in beautiful fabrics and adorned with jewels, but without elegance or taste. They danced so badly that even our maids danced much better than them, and of all the men there was only one who could somehow lead his lady. From a good life and constant sitting, the women here are so extraordinarily full that during the polonaise and round dance they drag their feet; from a waltz or a quadrille they are lost for the whole evening.
[...] I danced a lot and had a lot of fun, but dad was bored. At 12 o'clock we left. nine0003
1812 YEAR
Pavel Svinin, writer, historian, diplomat, editor and publisher of Otechestvennye Zapiski
11th [February]. [...] It is strange to believe that here (in New York - Rev. ) at the best balls only two violins squeak and a drum beats - and the American Cottillions somehow jump over them both in moderation and not in moderation - just to dance. Apart from the cotillion, nothing else is danced here. Fathers and mothers are against the waltz - considering it indecent for a girl. nine0003
Natasha Rostova's first ball. Frame from the film "War and Peace".
1829
Daria Fikelmon, granddaughter of M.I. Kutuzova, the mistress of the literary salon, where A.S. Pushkin
August 12/24. Saturday. A big reception at the Chief of Ceremonies Stanislav Pototsky. The ball was given in honor of Khozrev-Mirza.
All Persians miraculously kept themselves in high society, so alien to their way of life and habits. It seems to me that they could easily be forgiven for looking at us with surprise and, probably, even with slight contempt, because the mazurka and waltz, it would seem, should shock people who are used to the fact that their women live as recluses and wear a veil. . But, on the contrary, they seem to like everything here, and they are friendly to everything. nine0003
N. Rusheva. N.N. Pushkin at the ball. 1967 Photo: RIA Novosti
1831
Alexander Nikitenko, journalist, literary historian, censor, official of the Ministry of Public Education
6/18 January. Attended a ball with General Herman, class inspector at the Catherine Institute in the Smolny Monastery. All of our ballroom meetings are the same. The difference is only in the decoration of the rooms and in the greater or lesser luxury of the treats. Three kinds of people are usually present at balls: dancers, Bostonists and spectators, who in turn are divided into spectators of the game and dances.
The latter include obsolete ladies - the mothers of the heroines of the French quadrille and cotillion - or men invited to count. Dancing has always captivated me. I love to watch the play of faces of dancing couples. nine0003
Women especially provide grateful material for this; as for men's faces, they are very rarely expressive. At this ball I found no more than three or four; to them, undoubtedly, belongs the physiognomy of my friend, Ivan Karlovich Gebhardt. Two distinctive features of his character are surprisingly clearly imprinted on his face: light, graceful-sly subtlety of mind and nobility. His face boils with the play of life, blooming, beautiful. It is light, open, noble. But be afraid to meet his smile: subtle Attic irony will appear in it, like a thorn near a rose. nine0003
1833
Daria Fikelmon
February 14/26. The masquerade at Volkonsky's is the most beautiful of the festivities that one can only see. The Quadrille of the Empress from the opera "The Miraculous Lamp" was excellent and exceptionally rich.
She herself looked charmingly beautiful in her costume. Having bypassed all the halls with a cortege, the Empress sat down on the throne, and the participants in her quadrille performed dances very gracefully, but still they could have been better arranged. Then our quadrille began and had a great effect. We danced the minuet and gavotte just fine, and everything, admittedly, turned out lovely. nine0003
1840 YEAR
Wilhelm Kuchelbecker, poet and public figure, friend of Pushkin and Baratynsky, Pushkin's classmate at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, collegiate assessor, Decembrist
October 7/19, . After a very, very unpleasant yesterday, I had fun today like a child. Istomin started for us un petit bal de famille et imaginez vous (a small family ball, and imagine - fr.) I, an old bastard, danced quadrilles, mazurkas, waltzes without rest, and God knows what else, of course, confused the figures as well as possible ; but, really, we had more fun than at other prim city real balls.
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1864
Varvara Morozova, daughter of industrialist and collector A.I. Khludova, philanthropist
July 21/August 2. [...] I was looking forward to yesterday, confident that I would see V. I was expecting his arrival with emotional excitement. Finally, I saw him, and he bowed to me for the first time. I was in awe and eagerly awaiting the dance. I told Lydia that I would hate him, unless he invited me to the first quadrille, with trepidation I expected his arrival, he was not there, finally, he came up and engaged me. I was overjoyed and even went so far as to kiss Lydia's hand. How cute she is! Now, I thought, I have confidence in you. nine0003
Finally, the quadrille began. God, what attentiveness, courtesy, he seems to want to charm her. From the first minute we began to talk, and then all my suspicions were justified, and I am glad that I can boast of foresight. He said a lot of pleasant things to me, and so the whole evening flew by.
Peter Kropotkin, scientist, anarchist
2 September. Steamboat "Konstantin". [...] On the "Konstantin" the wardroom is 27 feet long (the width of the ship) and 16 feet wide. Here they arranged dances; found 2 violinists, concocted a triangle - that's the orchestra. Of course, there were hunters, and even more so hunters for dancing: priests, the daughter of an ordinary officer, steamship ladies, one ardent food official, the printer Andreev, Kononovich, myself, even Babst. One cannot be satisfied with quadrilles - the tremblant polka, the unchanged mazurka polka, the roll (waltz. - Ed.). But the roll did not go smoothly: the musicians did not know any other way than in three steps, convenient for dancing with a pipe in their hands or, perhaps, with a mug of beer - you can be sure that with such slow movements it would not have spilled. nine0003
1882
Tatyana Sukhotina-Tolstaya, eldest daughter of L.N. Tolstoy, memoirist
May 29/June 10.
[...] This evening papa was talking about what kind of person he would like to marry me to. He says, certainly for a person outstanding in something, but not a secular one. “Like, he says, if a mazurka dances well, it means that he is no good.” In my opinion, too. Are we being judged like this? And I tried so hard to learn how to dance the mazurka best of all, and when Misha Sukhotin told me that he was ashamed to dance with me, because I dance so well, and he is so disgusting, how proud I was! nine0003
September 29 (September 17). I just came from the staff room, where my mother is celebrating her name day. They bought harmony and treats, and they dance there. Their dance enthralled me. Arina the cowgirl dances wonderfully: she will pass so smoothly, then she will stop, she will move her shoulders and turn around quickly and start dancing again. I really wanted to go too, but it would be awkward, and they would feel it. No matter how beautiful the waltz and the mazurka are, it is incomparably and less and more beautiful, and goes straight from the heart, and most importantly, more original: everyone shows his character in his dance, and it’s good that this cannot be taught, everyone has his own special manner.
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1892 YEAR
Maximilian Voloshin, poet, translator, landscape painter, art and literary critic
December 17/29. The whole evening passed remarkably cheerfully. After a while, almost everyone had already gathered, and the dancing began. Olga V 1896 YEAR February 3/15. At a ballroom dance class at the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens. Photo: Karl Bulla 1900 January 11/23. I'm starting to write a diary! [...] Today we went to a dance lesson with the Naydenovs (cousin), where we now dance: polka, waltz, minion, pas de quatre - we dance all this! I love to dance, but only to watch when they dance dances that we did not learn, new ones - then it's very boring! Look around, yawn! nine0003 January 22-23/February 3-4. Some facts: then I wanted to be terribly, I was afraid and worried. Then there was some kind of fun dancing (polka, square dance), stayed until 5 in the morning and after that was quite pleased with the evening. Somehow I grew cold and lost my taste for balls (before that, I longed painfully to learn how to dance). Today, until the evening, I hardly thought, I went indifferently and almost confidently. And just as he felt embarrassed, proudly tormented by his boredom, and finally left. nine0003 And now it's just the opposite - again I painfully want to learn how to dance, again dances and balls seem to me something magical, a goal that I want to achieve, and I'm already thinking about the academic ball with thirst and I want to learn how to dance, well, at least a waltz! 1902 YEAR January 18/31. 1915 YEAR April 30/May 13. Vysniki. I went out into the garden in front of the house. A charming bright May night, the old house is lit in some places and acts as an elegiac bright spot among the ancient chestnut trees. Fun in the yard, tambourines, harmonica. The polka and mazurka are famously beaten off, couples are spinning. It is somehow inexpressibly sad to look at this fun. 2-3 days will pass, there will be Schmidts, Mullers and all sorts of Haudegen. Something like "Feast in the Time of Plague". nine0003 Celebration at the collegiate registrar's house. Early 1900s. 1920 YEAR January 13/26. July 12/25. Oswald Spengler (German) wrote the book "Death of the West", which has an incredible success. Yu. Pimenov. NEP. At the restaurant. 1927 1921 YEAR 5/I. Yesterday in the gymnasium there was a meeting of those who graduated from all the issues. 50-60 people gathered. E.I. Yermolova (Yermilova?) showed off her ballet studio. Ballet is now fashionable, as is poetry. As in the old days, very old, embroidering purses, the pianoforte and the French language were a necessary accessory for the upbringing of a girl, so now "poetry" - theoretical and practical - and ballet have become the same necessity. March 14th. I danced in the gymnasium with Kirill Focht, he is so sleepy, he does everything wrong. I didn’t even have much pleasure in dancing! Whether it's Styopa's business, it's nice to be with him, he's so dexterous. He is now quite firmly settled in my heart. 1927 February 2nd. For the first, and maybe the last time I saw dancing in Paris. There were many French women, and they gave the evening a peculiar Parisian flavor. Small figurines, cropped hair, raised shoulders, short dresses, lined eyes and bright lips - dolls, porcelain figurines. God ordered them to dance the foxtrot, it is stylish and even beautiful in its own way. And when our Russian aunt with breasts in three girths begins to bend, to stagnate, then this is ridiculous and ugly. Feature of the new dances: they are not cheerful (not my idea). The French women dance seriously, they perform sacred rites. No flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes. There is no fun and no beauty, but dancing does not always serve fun and aesthetics, and such a touch of two bodies, so close that you feel every curve of the body, reaches its own. Sometimes it is enough to take the hand above the hand to feel the trembling "of the whole body along." Yes, Marina! 1930 January 3rd. After supper, everyone began to dance the foxtrot, what an ugly dance it is: people press against each other with their whole bodies up to the head and then move in this position on the floor, making barely noticeable figures that in an ordinary position would be taken for indecent. People dance the foxtrot to hug each other, why can't they hug without music if they want to? Why is it considered indecent? Why is it not indecent to make voluptuous movements to the music? I don't understand why there are such conventions. I really liked Rudzutak's behavior, emphasizing my thoughts. One young woman (one of the people I like in this company) invited him to dance the foxtrot (he doesn't dance at all). He took her, put his arms around her, pressed her to him. She struggled, but he was strong, holding her a little so he released her and said that it was better than a foxtrot. In fact, it's better than the foxtrot. But not everyone is allowed to do this, and not everyone dares to hug a woman, and not every woman will allow herself to be hugged without music. nine0003 1934 December 17th. Left home at 8 yesterday, arrived at 1 1 / 2 at night; played with Oleg Vit. 3 hours in chess, (won), and from 11 am to 1 am - ... "and!" tango and foxtrot! Here are miracles in a sieve, I'm dancing... tango. For the time being, successes on the "bang", the sequence and "formulation" of movements do not fit in the head - the legs fail; summary, or what, start? K. 1936 YEAR Vladimir Lamzdorf, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Empire
Gears tells me about yesterday's costume ball at Grand Duke Vladimir's. [...] Sovereign yesterday, pacing around the living rooms, entering into conversations; it seems to me that his majesty goes too far in his modesty. Girs invited Princess Yusupova to a French quadrille at the moment when the sovereign was approaching her with the same purpose. "Ah, you have already been invited, so let's dance the next quadrille," the sovereign seemed to say. Despite all the efforts of the princess and Girs to prove that no previous agreement could compare with the honor of the royal invitation, the sovereign confirmed his decision and gave Girs the first round of a quadrille with Princess Yusupova. nine0003 Vera Khludova, 11 years old
Eugene Lansere, artist, member of the "World of Art" association
Saturday - Sunday. 3 am. I have just returned alone (that is, with Mile) from the very first ball at the Meisners. Mom, Cat, Manya and Kolya still remained. I only want (and only because I haven't written for a long time) to draw a small parallel with the ball at Uncle Lyulya's. Sergey Zimin, theatrical figure, philanthropist, founder of a private theater
U N.L. Zimin's blessing was a lot of fun. I even danced. To do this, they began to study with the ballet dancer Domashev, a wonderful dancer of the Bolshoi Theater. Small in stature, but surprisingly elegant, he fascinated us all, and we enjoyed studying with him. nine0003 Sergey Vavilov, physicist
Nikolai Golovin, professor of geodesy at the Moscow Land Survey and a number of other institutes
Yesterday was St. Tatyana, Alma Mater Day, Moscow University. The day before, the students of the Moscow Polytechnic [Institute and students of the Land Survey Institute] staged a concert-ball on Novaya Basmannaya in the house of the former Prince Kurakin. They invited me, they sent honorary tickets. But neither I nor Marusya could go there. Yesterday the students, and today the listeners reported that the evening was a success, there were teachers and professors with their wives. Many young people stayed until morning. Sofya Ivanovna Bocharnikova, our permanent clerk, stayed until 9hours of the morning. And after her departure, the hidden young people still danced until 11 o'clock in the morning. The artists were pleasantly surprised by the composition of the audience, it was "clean". They say that now it is the greatest rarity. Nikita Okunev, employee of the shipping company
It vividly proves that all civilized humanity is now in a period of collapse, an unprecedented catastrophe and on the eve of death. The mass seeks support in crude mysticism and ... in the foxtrot. It means "fox step", the so-called fashionable dance that came from America. This is the legacy of tango. In the tango, he says, there was the refinement of vice, and in the foxtrot there was only the rudeness of debauchery. nine0003 Nikolai Mendelson, philologist, teacher
Girls and girls from the studio in most external data do not have: bad figures and ugly legs. Two or three, however, nothing. Dancing, in general, is very mediocre. nine0003 Ksenia Solovova, chemist
Irina Knorring, poetess, memoirist, emigrant
nine0003 Olga Radivilina, schoolgirl
If you want to hug, then hug without music. nine0003 Boris Sushchenko, resident of Barnaul
Korovin. Village dances. nineteen36 year. Nina Kosterina, Komsomol member, daughter of the repressed writer and journalist A. Kosterin
I would like to start the diary from a date that for some reason stuck in my memory. It was April 8th. I was fifteen years old and celebrating my birthday. At the party I had Alik, Boris, Volodya, Volya, Lusya, Tonya and Vitya. I was worried before the evening and was afraid that it would be boring. However, the evening went well - not a single birthday of my life was so fun. And that evening, for the first time, I "risked" dancing with the boys - with Alik and Vitya. When Alik hugged me around the waist, and I put my hand on his shoulder, I involuntarily shuddered - it was such an exciting and joyful feeling. I have been dancing for a long time and love to dance, but never with such pleasure. Jokingly, Alik lifted me into the air: my heart sank, my breath caught and my cheeks burned with heat ...
In a holiday home.
1938
1937
Dmitry Mikhailov, high school student
November 23rd. For a long time I wondered: "Why don't our guys dance?" After all, the guys 2-3 years older than us already danced in the 8th-9th grades. They don't dance because they are embarrassed to learn. (And why don't I dance? Yes, that's why, too, perhaps).
This evening there were several guys and girls in the class for the rehearsal of the play. Well, they messed around, of course. I started talking about dancing. Galya Fursova told me: "Dimka, let's learn to dance!" And instead of the usual refusal, I said: "Come on." She looked a little embarrassed, but that's okay. For a few minutes she taught me to dance the foxtrot. Artemov V. (Pistik) immediately wanted to study. She taught him further and almost learned it. nine0003
And now I'm sure that all the "leading" guys in our class will start learning to dance.
1943
Galina Zimnitskaya, a student of the FZO, blockade
May 3rd.
I celebrated the First of May in a way I couldn't even dream of. We went to the factory yard, where they had a dance. I didn't dance because my shoes fell apart in the winter. I was in my grandmother's leather slippers and therefore huddled on the sidelines. But it didn't spoil my holiday. And in the yard, the bosses, a little tipsy, were dancing so much that it was a pleasure to watch. The accordionist played everything that was asked: a Russian, a gypsy girl, a lady and even a quadrille. nine0003
At rest. 1943
1944
Vladimir Tarasov, participant in the battles for the liberation of the Baltic States
Yesterday we were given warm footcloths and mittens. Suddenly the radio started playing tango. Kostya and I could not stand it and let's dance. How I would like to arrange a small evening, dance, have fun. But, alas, oh!Grigory Kasyan, political instructor
December 19th. Hospital N 3336. Toropets. The other day I learned to dance to the button accordion and have already danced the Boston waltz, tango and foxtrot.
