Text 3

Pre-reading activity.

Discuss the following questions.

1. What Latin dances do you know?

2. What do you think which are the differences between them?
3. Speak about your favorite Latin dance trying to describe it.

Latin dances

Latin dance is a general label, and a term in partner dance competition jargon. It
refers to types of ballroom dance and folk dance that (with few exceptions) originated
in Latin America.
Latin dance is mainly derived from three styles: Native American, European, and
African influences. The roots of Latin dance are deep and geographically embedded
because it dates back to the fifteenth century when indigenous dances were first
recorded by Europeans.
Following the music, movement history, and the rhythms, Latin dance evolved
over time and individual steps slowly shifted the repertoire of each dance. It has
several different forms and many modernized styles which creates a problem because
it is shifting away from its Native, European, and African roots. Although Latin dance
has been evolved and modified over the centuries, its Native Latin, European, and
African roots will always remain in the movements and rhythms of the genre. The
great thing about such genre is the rich, cultural history embedded in each dance.
Cha-Cha-Cha - This incredibly rhythmic dance created in Latin America
managed to meld together both the slow and very energetic movements, making it an
instant hit among the dancers around the world. The Cha Cha Cha, also called the Cha
Cha, is a Cuban-born dance, similar to the Mambo in style. However, after the basic
movement of stepping forward or backward and shifting weight between feet, the Cha
Cha Cha adds a quick set of three steps. This gives the dance its name since many
dancers count out these steps as "cha cha cha."

Rumba - Popularity of this Cuban dance came from its focus on sensual hip
movements of dance partners. Since its creation in 1930s many types of Rumba were
created, most notably Cuban Rumba (with the style of the African slaves which
created it), Catalan Rumba (with Spanish flavor), Flamenco Rumba and African
Rumba. The Rumba consists of two quick steps and then a third slower step that takes
two beats to execute. Dancers use a box-like pattern to guide their movements.
Though dancers originally danced the Rumba with quick steps, ballroom Rumba
dancing (Latin dancing most often seen in competitions) has emphasized slow,
romantic steps with a focus on hip movements.

Samba - Samba is a famous dance and musical genre that originated from the
coast of Africa and land of Brazil. Today infectious rhythm of Samba is regarded as
the national dance of Brazil, and its famous Brazilian Carnival gathers millions
Samba dance fans every year. Samba is Brazilian in origin and danced to music of the
same name. Many different forms of Samba dancing developed in Brazil, some for
couples, and others for individuals - solo dancing. Different musical styles are paired
with different Samba dances. The speed of the dance varies according to the music.
Samba is one of the most well known Latin dances.

Mambo - This Cuban dance that accompanies the music of the same name was
introduced in 1930s. The Mambo originated in Cuba. Its signature move is a three-
beat step moving forward and then backward while shifting weight from one foot to
the other. One member of a dancing pair performs the backward motion while the
other moves forward.
 What really gives the Mambo its style, though, is the hip-swaying action the
weight shift creates. Although the Mambo is a couple's dance, the basic step has
appeared in everything from line dancing to aerobics videos, where individual dancers
perform the three-beat step either alone or as part of a group.

Tango - The Tango is a dance of seduction, born in the Buenos Aires dockside

brothels on the cusp of the 20th century. Yes, done well it can take your breath away.
And yes, it will take you some serious practice to get that good. From its earliest
provocative dance floor couplings to the embrace of the racy choreography - subdued
but not sanitized - by upper class Argentine society, the Tango proved irresistible. The
dance mirrored its times. Through waves of immigrants, military coups, decades of
relative prosperity, and eras of social upheaval, the Tango expressed grief, passion,
nationalistic pride, pessimism, and celebration. But it always relied on the stylized
sensual moves, staccato foot steps, flexed knees, and the highly focused connection
between partners that still typifies Tango today.

Glossary

To derive ծագել, սկիզբ առնել

To embed ամրացնել, զետեղել
Indigenous dances տեղացիների, բնիկների պարերը
Roots արմատներ
To evolve զարգանալ
To be modified փոփոխվել, ձևափոխվել
Box-like pattern քառակուսի կաղապար, ձև
Dance competitions պարային մրցույթներ
Infectious վարակիչ, տարափոխիկ
Couples պարային զույգ
Individuals անհատ պարողներ
Signature move հիմնական, բանալի շարժում
Hip ազդր, գոտկատեղ
Swaying ճոճվող, օրորվող
Seduction հրապուրանք, գայթակղություն
Irresistible անհաղթահարելի
Relative prosperity հարաբերական ծաղկում, բարգավաճում
Social upheaval հասարակական տեղաշարժ,
փոփոխություններ
To typify խորհրդանշել, մարմնավորել, օրինակ
հանդիսանալ

Post-reading activities.

Task 1. Choose the right answer.

1. Which word is synonymous to the word “competition”?

a. Challenge
b. Contest
c. Ceremony
d. Championship
2. According to the text most of the Latin dances originated in …………..
a. North America
b. Africa
c. Latin America
d. Europe
3. Latin dances are mainly derived from …………………..
a. Three styles
b. Two styles
c. More than three styles
d. African-American styles
4. The word “indigenous” means
 a. Genius
b. natural
c. native
d. original
5. Following the music, movement history, and the rhythms
a. Latin dance evolved over time.
b. It had several different forms and many modernized styles.
c. It which created a problem because it was shifting away from its Native,
European, and African roots.
d. It will always remain in the movements and rhythms of the genre

Task 2. Are the sentences True or False?

1. The Cha Cha, is a Cuban-born dance, which is not similar to any other style.
…...
2. Dancers of Rumba use a box-like pattern to guide their movements. …….
3. Samba is a famous dance and musical genre that originated from the coast of
America and land of Brazil. ………
4. One member of a dancing pair in Mambo performs the backward motion while
the other moves forward. …….
5. Tango expresses grief, passion, pessimism, and celebration. ...........

Task 3. Match the words with their definitions.

1. Choreography a. repeated pattern of sounds or movements

2. Infectious b. combine or mix
3. Rhythm c. a strong feeling of love, hate or anger
4. Meld d. the art of designing and arranging the steps in
dances
5. Passion e. quickly influencing others

Task 4. Fill in the gaps with the following words or word-combinations.

(Influences, sensual moves, national dance, three-beat step,
roots.)
1. Tango always relied on the stylized …………, staccato foot steps, flexed
knees, and the highly focused connection between partners that still typifies
Tango today.
2. Although Latin dance has been evolved and modified over the centuries, its
Native Latin, European, and African ………. will always remain in the
movements and rhythms of the genre.
3. Although the Mambo is a couple's dance, the basic step has appeared in
everything from line dancing to aerobics videos, where individual dancers
perform the ………. either alone or as part of a group.
4. Latin dance is mainly derived from three styles: Native American, European,
and African ………… .
5. Today infectious rhythm of Samba is regarded as the …………… of Brazil,
and its famous Brazilian Carnival gathers millions of Samba dance fans every
year.

Task 5. Translate the following sentences.

1. Լատինական պարերի արմատները գալիս են դեռևս XV-րդ
դարից, երբ տեղաբնիկների պարերն առաջին անգամ
արձանագրվեցին եվրոպացիների կողմից:
2. Դարերի ընթացքում Լատինական պարերը շատ
փոփոխությունների և զարգացումների են ենթարկվել,
սակայն պահպանել են նրանցում խորապես արմատացած
մշակույթային հարուստ պատմությունը:
3. Հայտնի են Ռումբա պարի ավելի քան չորս տարատեսակներ՝
Կուբայի Ռումբա, Կատալանյան Ռումբա, Ֆլամենկո Ռումբա
և Աֆրիկյան Ռումբա:
4. Այսօր Սամբան համարվում է Բրազիլիայի ազգային պարը,
իսկ հայտնի Բրազիլական Կառնավալները ամեն տարի
համախմբում են Սամբայի միլիոնավոր սիրահարների:
5. Տանգոն ամենաերիտասարդն է Լատինական պարերից և
թերևս ամենագայթակղիչը: Այն զարգացել է 20-րդ դարի
կեսերին, Արգենտինայում:
Task 6. Speaking activity.
Get acquainted with the passage and answer the questions.
It’s April 1959 and a small American Presidents Line steamship is making the
slow journey across the Pacific, toward San Francisco. On the upper deck, a young
man from Hong Kong, where the ship began its journey, is swinging his hips and
stepping in time to music, while a group of well-heeled, mostly middle-aged
passengers follow and try to imitate his movements. The passengers are here to learn
the cha-cha, a crazy new dance from Cuba, the world’s youngest revolutionary
socialist state. Their teacher is a good dancer — he’s won cha-cha competitions in his
native Hong Kong, they say — and even though he’s traveling down in the lower decks
of the ship, the first class passengers have caught wind of his special talent and invited
him up to school them in the licentious charms of the cha-cha. The teacher is just 18
years old, and he has the slender hips and willowy limbs of a boy still growing into his
frame; he’s a walking linguine. But there’s something else there, too. A charisma. A
bravado. And the suggestion, perhaps, of some coiled violence. The teacher is cobra-
quick on his feet. His name is Bruce Lee.

Speak about Bruce Lee’s both talents.

Is it possible to be talented in more than one sphere?
Do you know other examples of many-sided people?