Guest: Development vs. Evolution: Choosing Our Artistic Expression

In a heated competitive environment, or even inside a structured training program, it is easy to view progress as a straight, ascending line.

We practise to get “better,” to climb the grades, and to conform to the rules laid out in the textbooks.

But a deeper look into the history and mechanics of ballroom dancing reveals a fundamental question every dancer must eventually confront:

Has ballroom dancing further developed over the last few decades, or has it simply evolved?

To understand where we are going as dancers, we must first understand the difference between these two forces.

The Linear vs. The Adaptive

To me, development implies a form of linear improvement. It is the act of making something qualitatively better than it was before: refining coordination, sharpening biomechanical efficiency, and mastering balance.

Evolution, however, is a shift in form without the same value judgment. It is change driven by the zeitgeist, athletic demands, and aesthetic trends.

If we look back at the origins of our dances, we see constant evolution.

Take the Slow Foxtrot. In its infancy, it was a much faster, ragtime-influenced dance. Over decades, it evolved into the smooth, legato, sweeping “stroll” we recognise today.

Is the modern version better than the original?

Not necessarily.

It is simply a different expression of the same soul, adapted to a different era.

But evolution is not always development.

Consider the extreme, exaggerated head positions often seen in modern competitive Standard. This is an evolution: a logical reaction to couples fighting to stand out on a crowded floor for the judges.

But is it a qualitative development?

Does it make the couple more balanced or intrinsically connected?

Often, it feels more like a stylistic trend than a structural improvement.

The Journey: From Egoless Sponge to Informed Choice

When we start dancing, we inevitably begin in what a fellow Ballroom Mastery community member beautifully described as the “egoless sponge” phase.

In this stage of our dancing infancy, we absorb everything exactly as we are shown, without question.

We have to.

Without mastering the basic alphabet of technique, we cannot hope to write poetry.

At social dances, we might play, experiment, and mimic what we see more accomplished dancers do. But as we grow, a tension begins to build.

We feel a friction between executing the steps with textbook precision and wanting to put ourselves into the movement through artistic expression.

This is where the power of informed choice comes in.

Understanding why certain techniques exist, and how they have evolved over time, gives us the keys to our own artistic freedom.

Technique is not a cage designed to lock our expression away. It is the language that allows our expression to become clear.

You cannot paint a masterpiece if you do not know how to mix the colours.

The Purpose of Technique

As we move past the beginner stage, we realise that the rules in the book are not arbitrary laws. They are functional solutions to physical challenges.

As the legendary Victor Silvester once noted:

“Everything in dancing has a purpose.”

Take lowering, for example.

We do not lower simply to move down toward the floor. We lower to store potential energy and accelerate into the next step.

If we bend a technical rule, it must always serve the underlying purpose of the movement.

This balance between technique, fashion, and artistic expression is brilliantly illustrated by the history of Slow Foxtrot timing.

• The 1990s Trend

It became highly fashionable to delay the “Slow” until count two, a styling popularised by legendary couples such as Luca Baricchi and Loraine Barry.

It served a clear artistic purpose: making the flight on the “quicks” look incredibly spacious and suspended.

• The Danger of Overcooking

In the hands of lesser dancers, however, this extreme delay can stop the continuous flow of the dance entirely, or cause the couple to fall hopelessly behind the music.

It takes world-class mastery to pull this off without breaking the dance.

• The Balance

Today, a more moderate delay, exemplified by dancers such as Andrew Sinkinson, is widely accepted.

It supports the core purpose of the Foxtrot: showcasing continuous, unhurried, characteristic flow.

Breaking the Ceiling

Our personal learning styles will shape our path.

Some of us learn through mathematical and physical breakdowns. Others learn through intuitive, integrative feeling and clever exercises.

But regardless of how we learn, we all eventually hit a performance ceiling if we rely on feeling alone.

To break through that ceiling, a detailed study of mechanics becomes non-negotiable.

Masters such as William Pino did not ignore the standards. They mastered them so deeply that they earned the right to stretch them.

Pino chose a specific, retrospective legato styling that was completely different from the athletic trends of his time. In his earlier stages, some might have viewed his choices as unusual. But his technical foundation was so strong that his artistic truth ultimately triumphed.

Finding the Sweet Spot

Whether we are competitors aiming to catch the judge’s eye, or social dancers enjoying the creative freedom of a crowded floor, our ultimate goal is the same:

to find the sweet spot where technical excellence and personal artistic truth meet.

We do not have to blindly follow every modern trend to be relevant.

Nor do we have to reject technical discipline to be expressive.

By understanding the rich evolution of our sport, we gain the freedom to choose our own path.

We can appreciate the dynamic athleticism of the modern era while still honouring the quiet, elegant beauty of the eras that came before.

The next time you step onto the floor, ask yourself:

Are you trying to fit into someone else’s box?

Or are you using the box to build your own stage?

By Ulrich Verstraete [Ballroom Mastery Member and Contributor]