THE BALBOA RENDEZVOUS
B U I L D I N G B A L B O A C O M M
U N I T I E S
featuring the
INTERNATIONAL BALBOA CHAMPIONSHIPS
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BALBOA HISTORY – by Bobby Whi-te (Whee-tay)
From the ALL BALBOA WEEKEND PROGRAM in 2008:
The history of Balboa begins with a man who was fond of hiding in barrels with dogs, which I think you will find is evident in several of the classic dance steps. In 1509, Vasco Nunez de Balboa stowed away with his dog on a ship to hide from his debtors; he then went on to become one of the greatest Spanish conquistadors in history, discovering the Pacific Ocean (hard to miss, right?), naming dozens of cities, and ruling people under the classic method of government by raping and pillaging. In 1519, he was framed by his father-in-law and beheaded; reminding us all that in-laws can be trusted only so far.
Many years later, a posh seaside town in southern California was named Balboa in his honor, and, with the advent of jazz music, a dance step called the Balboa became popular at this seaside town. There is an interesting point here, and it is this: we know the exact date a specific man in the 1500s hid in a barrel with his dog; but we can’t tell you anything definitive about the creation of the 70-year-old dance called Balboa. This is because the only people who know with any degree of certainty, are sadly no longer with us. When the first generation Balboa dancers were in their 70s, younger dancers began searching for answers, but the old timers all had different opinions, none of which agreed, but most of which were “absolutely sure of the way it was,” providing once again that one might as well argue with bacon as with a senior citizen. And since the Balboa was a “street dance,” developed without any rules or regulations, every original dancer has a different idea about what it specifically is.
It doesn’t help that we never see old timers dance anymore. They more often sit in chairs and smile at people, until you ask them for feedback, at which point they growl, “That’s not Balboa!”
So what IS Balboa, and where did it come from? What we do
know is this:
1) Balboa (“Pure Balboa” or “Strict Balboa”) was probably influenced by the
Charleston, possibly even evolved directly from it.
2) It was danced chest-to-chest, probably because of
ballroom restrictions on
open-dancing (Gotta keep the joint full to get the most money out of an
evening).
3) The term “bal-swing” was not in the vocabulary of the
original dancers.
There were two separate dances: one called the Balboa and the other
called “Swing” (what we now term “So Cal Swing”).
4) All the original footage of the Balboa and Swing that has
been located would
take up the first third of a Friends episode. There are 230 episodes of
Friends. This means you have a 700% greater chance of seeing Ross than
you ever will of original Balboa. Think about that.
The original scene sounds like it was a pretty fun time: dance competitions at almost every dance with little dinky trophies and small money awards, live bands all over the place, and dance styles so regionalized that you could supposedly tell which high school the kids attended based on how they did their basic. However, as we moved away from World War II, America suddenly “grew up.”
The “feel happy” jazz of the depression and swing era evolved into manic, tense Bebop, and the original Balboa dancers lost their youth to the war. Swing dances were not near as popular as swing music had changed and all the dancers were old enough to start families and embark on their careers.
Over the next fifty years, the original dancers would use their swing dancing skills infrequently; dancing here and there, doing Balboa to disco music (“Staying alive, staying alive, ah ah ah ah) and that sort of thing. Then, in the 1980s, Hal and Marge Takier got together many of the original dancers at the family restaurant, Bobby McGees, which is sort of like a Shoney’s on acid. Twice a month they’d get together to dance, drink, and wear mu-mus. And they still meet to this day [addendum - McGees has closed down]. Here, the once-energetic-and-crazy swing dancers showed a different, more mature side of the dance, as years of refinement, relaxation, and bad joints had created a smooth hybrid of swing dances that most people now would probably call “Bal-Swing.” The invention of the camcorder is probably the most important thing to happen to Balboa. Years of taping at Bobby McGees have been instrumental in breaking down the dance as we know it.
So, sadly that is your rough history of Balboa. Words can attempt to describe the essence of Balboa, but are clumsy at doing so, and often give no better explanation than a demonstration by a clumsy dancer who keeps tripping and bumping into things. We could be more abstract, of course (“Balboa is a poem, you see? Say, what are you doing tonight? Would you like to come to my room and look at some etchings?”) but that is only helpful to those who already know what it is you’re talking about.
So, perhaps the real history of Balboa is found in its dancers; the old ones are passing away at an alarming rate, the new ones are evolving the dance. In this case, if you want to know the history, then learn to say these phrases: “Hi, you’re an original dancer, aren’t you? Would you mind talking about it?” and “Would you like to dance?” If you keep at it, there might be a time when you yourself will be qualified to sit in a chair all night, smile and say “That’s not Balboa!” ---
BOBBY WHITE
** No actual dancers were harmed in the making of this “history”. The views expressed in this “history” are strictly those of the author and do not reflect the view of anyone associated with ABW [or BR], it’s licensees or heirs.
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I felt this was a fitting take on Baloba given the unique opportunity we have on Sunday at the Pavilion with the largest gathering of original dancers.
Take advantage of that time - ASK
QUESTIONS - ask them to dance (if you are brave enough), and more importantly
enjoy the time being in place
of historical significance with those that created the dance we enjoy so much.
--- JOEL