When I found the Double Rainbow notebook, there was a whole section of cryptic choreographical notations and another section on practice drills and another one on dance quotes. Then I found a couple of interesting Pros/Cons lists. At some point, I had considered switching teams and going to the dark side… Latin.
Hindsight being 20/20, this is a ridiculous notion. I hate moving fast and that's all Latin DanceSport is. Cha-Cha= fast. Rumba= you'd think slow, but there's all that contrast, so it's either fast or building up to be fast. Samba= duh, fast. Paso Doble= well, it's merengue, but then there's Jive= and that's just too much.
When I made the list of pros and cons for Latin and Rhythm (over 10 years ago), the main con that stuck out on Rhythm's side was "antiquated". I had been dancing for more than a few years and that's one of the adjectives I used for my style of choice? Touché.
Rhythm dances are neat. Cha-Cha, Rumba, Swing, Bolero, Mambo- they're all based on some awesome partner dance from the streets. They were created and used in clubs and parties… And then someone threw them on the competition floor.
There's a constant debate on what constitutes "American Rhythm" on the competitive floor. What seperates it from International Latin? The dances? The leg action? An occasional leg action? Should the dances be changed to reflect actual American rhythms?
It seems there are no hard and fast rules in American Rhythm. How much bend is "bent"? How long are you on that "bent"? Can you land on a straight leg just because it's pretty? How is the style supposed to progress (theme of the week tie-in! nice, huh?) when the top coaches don't agree?
I'd like to take "antiquated" of the list this century. Those dances are fun and they're a necessary form of dancing for anyone who wants to partner dance in a relaxed setting (and those Fred Astaire and Arthur Murray schools would be a lot less fun without them). I freaking love Bolero (one of the Pros on the Rhythm side) and I love teaching a good ol' box step to… anyone.
So maybe the higher-ups could decide what we're supposed to do and then make everyone do it.
Like so many other debates in the world today, WHEN WILL IT END?
One year ago: Experiment Cookin'– it's hilarious. You should read it. Or just scroll to the bottom.
Riot and Frolic 
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