This weekend at the Asian Games saw competitors — dancers really — take the floor and waltz their way to a bunch of medals.
Their event was Dancesport, an obscure discpline that combines five forms each of ballroom shuffles (waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, slow foxtrot and quickstep) and Latin
dances — cha-cha, samba, rumba, paso doble and jive. Here the medals are not given on the basis of who’s stronger, faster, higher... but for far more complex attributes.
“Judges look for poise, posture, timing and basic rhythm, bodylines (dance poses) footwork and floorcraft,” said Dr Priti Gupta, one of the leading exponents of the sport in India. “One mistake in any of these areas and medal hopes go up in smoke.”
Dancepsort is closer to the Winter Games’ figureskating in that it combines athleticism with technical skills and artistry. But the right steps and posture aren’t enough, the dancers’ expressions too must match the mood of the music.
A slow waltz asks for half-dreamy smiles while the smouldering up-temp paso doble warrants aggression.
What is even more tricky is that competitors don’t know which song they are dancing to until they are on the floor and the music starts playing.
Like many other sports, this one too is dominated by the China. It bagged all 10 gold medals while the silver and bronze were shared between Japan, South Korea and Kazakhstan.