Men are matadors and la- dies are capes in the Paso Doble dance, according to Ed Salazar, the guest dance instructor during the Social Dance Club’s Dance Demo held in the gym on Nov. 7.
Photos by Cayce Berryman/Foghorn
R.J. Garza, a student interpreter for the deaf at DMC, came to the Dance Demo on Nov. 7 for a chance to learn something new.
Meaning “double-step” in Spanish, Paso Doble can be traced to the 19th century as a representation of bullfighters when they walk into the ring.
The man’s role in the dance is to represent the bullfighter so their feet stomp throughout the movements in the dance.
In a typical Paso Doble dance, the women wear long, flowing dresses to represent the cape, and they follow the “bullfighter” as he leads. The movements taught for the dance included the chasses to the right and left, the scorpion tail and the drag.
Jade Keller (middle) performs the “drag,” which is one of three learned dance moves in the Paso Doble dance sequence.
Salazar is the dance instructor at his studio, Shiny Shoes Dance Productions.
Thirty students and staff, as well as dancers from Salazar’s class, showed up for the free dance lessons and learned the basics of the Paso Doble and the two-step dance.
