What's That Dance?
Ceroc
By Jackielou Perez
Image Courtesy of Ceroc Vancouver
Push pulls, flick spin, underarm pullthroughs, scissor spins –it’s all in the arms for this dance style.
A fusion of salsa and jive, Ceroc is an abbreviation for the French phrase C'est le roc. This modern jive usually attracts 150 people on a regular night in places like Australia and England. In Canada, Ceroc is still fairly new, averaging 35 people a class.
According to
Ceroc Vancouver teacher Kerry O’Donoghue, Ceroc is the easiest partner dance to learn because it has no complicated footwork.
“It’s just a step back and a step in, with spins and turns on the spot for the follows,” she says. “The moves are typically arm-led and new members are dancing by the end of their first night.”
O’Donoghue, who first joined this social dance to meet new people, says the thing she loves most Ceroc is that “it really does put the ‘social’ back in social dancing.”
“People can come with or without partners,” she says. “Everyone swaps partners during the class.”
Classes are designed as a drop in format so there’s always a beginner lesson each week. And with 19 beginner moves, dancers only need to learn at least three to create a routine. Ceroc can be danced to any music such as pop, dance or Top 40 and O’Donoghue says Michael Jackson songs are a crowd favourite.
At the moment, Ceroc can only be found in Vancouver and Calgary. So, if you live or are visiting the west coast make the leap and learn the octopus. You’ll meet new people, have fun and learn a new dance.
WATCH:
•
An example of a Ceroc beginner routine
•
Group performance at 2009 Ceroc UK Dance Championships
Kerry O’Donoghue has been dancing Ceroc for 11 years. When she was living in England, she saw an ad in the local newspaper, loved it and now an owner and teacher of the Ceroc studio in Vancouver.