ABCs Dancing With The Stars is in it's 13th Season, and they have narrowed it down to 3 couples.
Whew! What, with 3 couples having to do so many routines in one evening -
The Tango, Cha-Cha, The Waltz - and I enjoy watching every minute of it!
~ But hold up!
Wait a minute ~ Stop the show!
Someone needs to tell the Execs. over at
ABCs "Dancing With The Stars" about the Brothers in
Inglewood, CA who are considered the BEST in Urban Contemporary Ballroom Dancing.
Who might that be? To answer that question, I went to the man that educated me -
Roy (Bro.Roy) Dennis, Roy will tell you it's all about the history of Urban Contemporary Ballroom Dance and how this style of dance came to be called Urban Contemporary Ballroom Dancing.
It got its start in Detroit, Michigan. There were three dancers - Capers Tyus, Tyrone Bradley and Linda Harris friends that grew up watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies, and they developed their own techniques and methods of teaching ballroom dancing.
Capers Tyus taught his brother Michael and his sisters, Dorothy and Gwen - you see, as you might know, it takes two partners, executing the steps derived from the cha-cha. Well, Capers Tyus took the style of dance cross country, always dressed to the "Nines" and taught so many others throughout the United States the techniques. This style of dance - "A three count movement derived from the Cha-Cha, an International ballroom dance with a soulful beat!" - became known as,
the "Detroit Ballroom" and or "Motown Ballroom".
During the early 80s, Capers and Michael that have successfully competed all around the USA.
This dance has a soulful flavor and is an extract of International Ballroom. They moved to Southern California, and continued to compete in the United States and Canada. In 1996, Capers Tyus(R.I.P) opened a dance studio in Leimert Park called "Dance in Motion", where thousands of people came to learn and dance this Urban flavored ballroom dance in night clubs throughout Detroit and LA.
Now, to fast forward, there is a group of gentlemen that Roy(Bro.Roy)Dennis and my friend
Lena Cole-Dennis introduced me to last weekend ~ I introduce you to, "The Gents".
"The Gents" are a group of well dressed, intelligent Black men who are Masters of
Urban Contemporary Ballroom Dancing. These professional men(career professionals) have found a way to work within the community to do several things;
1) Carry on the Art of Soulful Dance with style
2) Get women to want to exercise on a regular basis, because the movement that is required to do the variety of dances that they do, keeps one on the move! These Gentlemen - "The Gents", make women feel as if they are treasured and beautiful, no matter what size, shape, height, etc. Not judging or condeming the ones that are Full-Figured. Instead they welcome all, showing women that they can eat, socialize, look pretty and get their exercise in all within the same evening! Oh yes, these men go to work on the dance floor and the women follow - with a smile and grace.
It's a lovely thing, Urban Ballroom Dancing. It's a wonderful to actually see people of all ages and nationalities glide across the dance floor, having fun and exercising!
Hats off to Roy (Bro. Roy) Dennis and his entire team of people, from the reception area, Food Servers and Security ~ They are all professional and kind. Thank you all for your hospitality!
I would recccomend that everyone widen their horizons and take a course with friends and family. Practice for Wedding Dance Lessons, an office party with a twist, - just try something new!
Contact: Roy (Bro. Roy)Dennis @royyah@juno.com or Facebook or call 909.373.3954
Whew! What, with 3 couples having to do so many routines in one evening -
The Tango, Cha-Cha, The Waltz - and I enjoy watching every minute of it!
 |
| Motown Ballroom Dancers |
Wait a minute ~ Stop the show!
Someone needs to tell the Execs. over at
ABCs "Dancing With The Stars" about the Brothers in
Inglewood, CA who are considered the BEST in Urban Contemporary Ballroom Dancing.
Who might that be? To answer that question, I went to the man that educated me -
Roy (Bro.Roy) Dennis, Roy will tell you it's all about the history of Urban Contemporary Ballroom Dance and how this style of dance came to be called Urban Contemporary Ballroom Dancing.
 |
| Roy (Bro. Roy) Dennis |
Capers Tyus taught his brother Michael and his sisters, Dorothy and Gwen - you see, as you might know, it takes two partners, executing the steps derived from the cha-cha. Well, Capers Tyus took the style of dance cross country, always dressed to the "Nines" and taught so many others throughout the United States the techniques. This style of dance - "A three count movement derived from the Cha-Cha, an International ballroom dance with a soulful beat!" - became known as,
the "Detroit Ballroom" and or "Motown Ballroom".
During the early 80s, Capers and Michael that have successfully competed all around the USA.
This dance has a soulful flavor and is an extract of International Ballroom. They moved to Southern California, and continued to compete in the United States and Canada. In 1996, Capers Tyus(R.I.P) opened a dance studio in Leimert Park called "Dance in Motion", where thousands of people came to learn and dance this Urban flavored ballroom dance in night clubs throughout Detroit and LA.
Now, to fast forward, there is a group of gentlemen that Roy(Bro.Roy)Dennis and my friend
Lena Cole-Dennis introduced me to last weekend ~ I introduce you to, "The Gents".
Urban Contemporary Ballroom Dancing. These professional men(career professionals) have found a way to work within the community to do several things;
1) Carry on the Art of Soulful Dance with style
2) Get women to want to exercise on a regular basis, because the movement that is required to do the variety of dances that they do, keeps one on the move! These Gentlemen - "The Gents", make women feel as if they are treasured and beautiful, no matter what size, shape, height, etc. Not judging or condeming the ones that are Full-Figured. Instead they welcome all, showing women that they can eat, socialize, look pretty and get their exercise in all within the same evening! Oh yes, these men go to work on the dance floor and the women follow - with a smile and grace.
It's a lovely thing, Urban Ballroom Dancing. It's a wonderful to actually see people of all ages and nationalities glide across the dance floor, having fun and exercising!
Hats off to Roy (Bro. Roy) Dennis and his entire team of people, from the reception area, Food Servers and Security ~ They are all professional and kind. Thank you all for your hospitality!
I would recccomend that everyone widen their horizons and take a course with friends and family. Practice for Wedding Dance Lessons, an office party with a twist, - just try something new!
Contact: Roy (Bro. Roy)Dennis @royyah@juno.com or Facebook or call 909.373.3954
All photos are the sole property of Urban Contemporary Ballroom Dancing, and Roy (Bro.Roy) Dennis,
1 comment:
Hello!
My name is Santos, and I currently live in Greensboro, NC. I Love Urban Ballroom!! My wife and I were introduced to the dance about 3 year ago, and we fell in Love with it. We've been taking Urban Ballroom instruction, attending dance socials and workshops and just having a great time within the Urban Dance Community. We're currently assistant Urban Ballroom instructors at Smooth Grooves Urban Ballroom in Greensboro, and we look forward to attending dance class. I wish I had found Urban Ballroom years ago, but as they say "All things in their due time". In fact, I love the dance so much I recently developed a website dedicated to Detroit Urban Ballroom (dancemoods.com). Maybe you can take tour of the site and let me know what you think.
The only thing that disappoints me about Urban Ballroom is the fact that it doesn't seem to be widely recognized. I truly thing the dance has not gotten its due Distinction and Appreciation. When you go to various dance websites, they usually name a long list of dances they either teach or are familiar with, and it disappoints me to see that Urban Ballroom is never mentioned. I feel that needs to be changed. I think Urban Ballroom is worthy of being recognized as a mainstream dance style, and it should be better known. That was the main reason I developed my website. I hope to make Urban Ballroom more widespread and appreciated.
My email address is: dancemoods2016@gmail.com.
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