A dance of two stories

The Rumba – a dance of two stories

A long time ago and in a different life I danced a rumba that told two stories. The rumba is a beautiful Latin dance without comparison but sadly I do not often see it performed well. Originating in Cuba the movements that define the rumba involve hip rolls, bending and straightening of legs and a stillness to the upper body. However, the rumba cannot be defined as a collection of movements. It is a story and a very difficult story at that. The story involves a man and a woman in a seductive tale where the woman finds a coy voice to speak through her dance and her partner responds. In dancing a true rumba the voice clearly has another edge and, with it, another story. She is, indeed coy, but deep inside our dance soul she is absolutely in control and what is more, he knows it. Portraying that story through dance is lost on many couples as the woman takes one role or another. But she is missing the point. She has to make both roles work at the same time; it is the ultimate seduction and the audience should be left in no doubt of that.

The rumba demands the use of provocative eye contact and moments of suspension where the woman appears to hang off her partner. The dramatic intensity is all in the lower body but it is reflected in the eyes and that, in itself, makes the rumba a dance that requires convincing acting skills. The fundamental rhythm of the rumba us quick-quick-slow and requires excellence in weight transfer through the floor. The slowness of the rumba means that there is no room for error. It is a technical dance that demands precision but this needs to look effortless. I feel that it has become the dance that everyone wants to do but they are all rather scared of it. I think they are right to be scared. I can remember being distinctly scared ahead of my rumba performance, in fact, it still scares me.

The dance creates its own private dynamic between the man and the women but it requires a public performance and that sets up a tension. It is not easy to share intimacy with an audience so we are genuinely talking about effective acting skills to make this dance a success. The audience must be able to see the story unfold and absolutely believe in the relationship. I think much of this falls on the woman’s shoulder. She is weaving her double story and is thus leading the narrative. The smallest movement or the slightest expression can tell part of the story and she has to own that story and believe in it herself. Perhaps one of the tensions relates to the fact that there are the two parts to the story. Would it be more honest to be either coy or seductive? Bringing the two together might feel like we are betraying our sexuality in some way. However, it is the story of the rumba and if we are to be truly successful in performing it we must take on the full story.

To support this analysis I have searched and searched clips to find a rumba performed the way the story is intended. I eventually found it in an extract from the UK’s TV series ‘Strictly Come Dancing’. Rachel and Vincent’s rumba is hugely successful and convincing. Rachel manages to weave the magic of the story and you can clearly see the two sides as she draws the audience into the dance. Vincent is the professional dancer (Rachel is the celebrity) and he plays his supporting role so very well. But, ultimately this is Rachel’s success and for me it shows us the power of the rumba and maybe even hints at the power of women.