Balboa: Modern Marvels

This disc is about adding moves to your “classic” Balboa/Bal-Swing by expanding things you know in Balboa plus bringing in moves from other dances - like Blues and West Coast Swing - while sticking to Balboa timing and footwork.

Nick and Sylvia do a decent job of showing you the “basics” in the three sections: “Out and In,” “Shoop Shoop De Doop,” and the (mostly) “His-hand-over-the-Guy’s-head” figures. After presenting the “basic idea” in each section they then show you some (some) variations that can be done “off” the basic ideas shown.

The “Out and In” section expands the size and energy of the “Out and Ins” taught in their earlier discs. If you learned and practiced those - a lot - some of these “new” moves have probably occurred to you already, but, if not, this is a short cut for you.

The “Shoop Shoop De Doop” figure is pretty easy and you can find ways to add it in other places, and other dances, once you see it done. It’s an easy “Slow-Slow-Quick-&-Quick” “rock and go” which is easy and big and bound to be more popular given that it’s useful as an “Out and In” variation and a “Back and Through” variation too. And, it works other places – as you’ll figure out. Easy is (usually) good.

The “Over-the-Guy’s head” stuff is a little harder – both to do and to make look good. You may now it, and the barrel roll, etc. from Swing, West Coast Swing, and even Country Western. The first OTH pattern is fine, but in the large Barrel Role pattern there’s an uncommon “reverse” in what we usually think of as a small “clockwise” dance. Tricky. But, these “stand out” moments are what people seem want to do now as Balboa becomes more a “Look at me dance” instead of a “Don’t mind us” dance…

The “Throw Out Redirect” in section 3 is a “bonus” move on the disc that doesn’t fit in the “OTH” category, but it’s a nice move anyway. We learned the basic pattern in Lindy and it’s a nice “surprise” move for the follow, and, a handy “Let’s move over here…” pattern for the leader if he wants. Nice to see this pattern “fit” into Balboa.

The “Porto” does fit under the “OTH” category in section three and if you’ve done the Damron and Damron variations from previous/other discs you’ll have an advantage in picking this move up. It should satisfy those who want something “different” to do, but be prepared to practice this a lot to get it smooth and safe for both sides – and the people around you. Kids… try this at home first.

The upshot of these “upgrades” will be to move your Balboa/Bal-Swing a bit closer to “regular” swing dancing. It will be “bigger” dancing that’s more “open” and less “closed and cozy” than “standard” Balboa… Maybe it’s as it should be… “Closed Balboa” was and is a “niche” dance - a fine dance - but the people dancing it “then” did it mostly because they had to… Swing is what they really wanted to do – and often did.