The Christchurch
Ballroom Dancing Club

Script   Library

Commentary

 
  Wherever possible, scripts listed, are as original.  However, many published scripts contain mistakes, such as "Taking lady's RF (right foot) in man's LH (left hand) ...." and, "Tempo 506bpm...".  Where mistakes are apparently typing errors, these have been corrected with discretion.  In the case of timing errors, such as too many beats to a bar, or not enough, a calculated guess is used.  Some scripts describe footwork (heels and toes, technique), while others do not. Some apparently try to teach dancing with so much detail that the very person it is intended to educate, is totally lost.  A script to a dancer, is like a recipe to a chef.  And that is all it is!  A dance script that purports to teach dancing is doomed.  Within a short time a simpler version will appear.  There is often unnecessary duplication of fact.  "Facing LOD, turn 1/8 to R to face DW"  Odd as it may seem, the difference between LOD and DW is 1/8!  Time signatures seem to be a problem in Tango rhythm.  If there are sixteen bars of 4/4 time, then by simple arithmetic, the script requires thirty-two bars in 2/4 time if the beats per minute are the same.  Basically, it makes not a scrap of difference whether Tango is 2/4, or 4/4.  Such notation is merely a method of presenting the written music in a fashion which makes it easier to read.  If sheet music is downloaded from the Internet, changing the format from 4/4 to 2/4 time, simply spreads out the printed music.  The play-back is identical.  The computer pops a bar line into the written music, after every two beats.  Nothing else changes.  The critical piece of information is the notation which states how many beats occur per minute.  Without that critical piece of information it is impossible to argue anything.  Unfortunately, the dance crowd historically adopted the method of counting the number of bars per minute, when it is much more sensible to count the beats per minute as musicians do.  There are 64 beats in a single sequence of Tango.  Whether we choose to count in twos, (2 x 32 = 64), or fours, (4 x 16 = 64), makes no difference to the total of 64.  Most Tangos are counted, "1 and 2 and" ......  Quite acceptable for the "feel" of dancing Tango, but merely counting it this way does not automatically mean anything at all.  This is still 4/4 time, not 2/4.  (Pedantically, 2/4 time would be counted, "1 and, 1 and".)  Is it really necessary to state time signature on well worn rhythms?  The only historical instance of a four beat waltz is the Australian National Icon, "Waltzing Mathilda".  Is it any wonder then that the Aussies waltz rotary endings, in 4/4 time?  To dance the third step forward on a heel, in the rhythm, quick-a-quick, is to give the weak beat musical weighting it should not have.  (Aw come arn, youse just bean fussy!)  The music is generating a rhythm, thump-a-tap-a, thump-a-tap-a, thump-a-tap-a.  The dancer, on the other hand, is being ordered to generate a rhythm, tap-a-thump-a, tap-a-thump-a, tap-a-thump-a, which is clearly out of phase.  Obvious and perpetuated errors of this nature are a curse to teachers who involve pupils in dancing examinations.  Why must a pupil learn poor dance technique simply to pass an exam?  The dancer is a musical instrument!  We don't hear the output, but we see it.  The dancer should be conducting the band.  Just as well the musicians independently know their stuff, and they know to not watch us.
   Characteristically, the beat indicates where the heels and toes should be danced.  A heel hits the heavy beat, a toe hits the light beat. Waltz rhythm, heavy-light-light, is simply danced heel-toe-toe, with very few, and sparing, exceptions.   If a complicated chart of footwork is examined, the heel is always stated to be on the forward step on beat one.  Then why state the obvious?  As if that is still not sufficient, the dancer is instructed to allow foot-rise at the end of this beat, or that!  Rhythm Foxtrot has a rhythm, heavy-light-heavy-light, so the footwork is, heel-toe-heel-toe.  If the step is taken on a heavy beat (forward), then a heel lead is used.  If the step is taken on a light beat, a toe is used.  March rhythms are very strangely interpreted!  March rhythm has two heavy beats per bar, of equal weighting.  Left-right, left-right.  Has anyone ever seen a troop marching, heel-toe, heel-toe?
   Some scripts appear to bend the guidelines of musicality to breaking point.  A good musical guide is, "don't put strong movement on a weak beat".  If a new alignment is required, then commence the turn, (a weak movement), from a weak beat, and turn, (a strong movement), to the new direction from the strong beat, continue to turn, and let the turn die away during the bar of music.  To order the dancer to directly face the partner, and then swivel abruptly to a new direction on a weak beat, is poor scripting.  A standard waltz telemark is a case in point.  A musical dancer will create maximum rotation on beat one, glide the rotation to nothing on beat two, and step out with no more rotation on beat three.
   "Sway" seems to crop up from time to time.  When circling, lean (sway) into the turn, the same as leaning over to balance when running or cycling in a tight circle.  It is completely natural to sway into a turn, ask the skiers and the skaters, and the motor bike riders.  The foot on the inside of the turn (the lower side) will be a heel step, and the foot on the outside of the turn (the higher side) will be a toe.  If the rotation is to the left, then the heel will occur only on the left foot.  If the rotation is to the right, then the heel will occur only on the right foot.  Conversely, naturally occurring footwork indicates how much curvature a group of steps should have.  The feather step of the English foxtrot will look far more natural if curvature is introduced.  The stronger the curve, the more rise in the feet on the outside of the curve.  Less curve requires less rise.  How much rise and fall is there in the foot rests of a motor bike that is travelling dead straight?  None!  How much rise in the feet would there be if the feather step is danced dead straight?  None!  But then, without curvature, the feather step wouldn't exist.  Curvature introduces 'rise and fall'.  Standard practice dictates that the person travelling forward, has right-of-way.  Whoever moves backwards, moves out of the way, to left, or right, introducing natural curvature and hence, correct footwork, and hence rise on the outside of the curve.  The 'slow' of a feather step forward,  (beats one, two), is taken on a right foot heel, and the two quicks are taken on the toes, indicating that natural curvature is to the right.  How much rise and fall is there in the Viennese Waltz?  If the couple are travelling dead straight, there will be no rise and fall.  As soon as the couple curves to travel around a corner, then elements of rise and fall will occur.  Good scripting will match circling movement to the dance rhythm.  Fortunately most (but not all) scripts do.
   Some dances have changed beyond recognition!  Some have been passed from club to club with errors being introduced.  There are dancers who will deliberately change part of an established dance - just to be different!  Teaching methods vary.  Some teachers try to impose dance-sport, (stuffed dummy), robotic styling.  Some very successful teachers have no knowledge of any dance, or musical, technique of any description.  "Detail is at der udder end to dehead!"
   There are several completely different versions of a dance, with the same name.  Some dances which became popular, were not written down at all, and of those that were, written detail has been lost.  Scripts are collected in this library in good faith, because so much of the "old" way has been lost.  Where the author's, or authors' names are on the script, these are recorded.  Many of the scripts received, are hand-written, and there is no indication where the script was originally published, if it ever was.  Many scripts were, published by the 'Ballroom Dancing Times'.  Their dedication to dancing is already a legend.  Books are available which contain collections of dance scripts, and a useful list of these books is on the page Essential Books in the Member's Only section.

   Thank you to those who have forwarded information, especially the "old-timers" who send in bits and pieces to be placed on record.  Special thanks to Barrie Marr of Melbourne, for his collection of original New Vogue Scripts.

Also, special thanks to Charles Rowley, our Australian correspondent, for forwarding Australian scripts.  Charles Rowley has been hugely instrumental in the success of the Script Library, and its acceptance as 'the' standard by the international sequence dancing community.  Checking, and cross checking the accuracy, and sensible arrangement of text patterns, is time-consuming, and a labour of love.  Translating the old texts requires incredible patience, and a professional knowledge of dance manouvres.  We all owe a lot to the dedication of Charles Rowley.  Within the context of normal language, the script texts should be consistent.  There are two parts - "the command" - and "the observation".  "Close LF to RF", is the command,  " .. end facing wall ...", is the observation.  After so much work, we can now refer to our text style as "The International Script Library text format".  Command first, and then the observation to confirm that the command has been carried out correctly.

Happy dancing, and looking forward to another twenty-five years! 
ALAN WRIGHT - FNZFDT