Paso Doble

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Paso Doble or pasodoble is a lively style of dance to the duple meter march-like pasodoble music. It actually originated in France [1], but is modeled after the sound, drama, and movement of the Spanish bullfight. Paso doble means "two step" in Spanish.

[edit] Traditional

Pasodoble is based on music played at bullfights during the bullfighters' entrance (paseo) or during the passes (faena) just before the kill. The leader of this dance plays the part of the matador. The follower generally plays the part of the matador's cape, but can also represent the bull or a flamenco dancer in some figures.

[edit] Ballroom

Paso Doble, like Samba, is a progressive International Latin dance. The Paso Doble (which actually originated in Southern France) is the Latin dance most resembling the International Standard style, in that forward steps are taken with the heel lead, the frame is wider and more strictly kept up, and there is significantly different and less hip movement.

A significant number of paso doble songs are variants of España Cañi (Spanish Gypsy Dance), in the Spanish Gypsy rhythm. The song has breaks in fixed positions in the song (two breaks at syllabus levels, three breaks and a longer song at Open levels). Traditionally Paso Doble routines are choreographed to match these breaks, as well as the musical phrases. Accordingly, most other ballroom Paso Doble tunes are written with similar breaks (those without are simply avoided in most competitions).

Because of its inherently choreographed tradition, ballroom Paso Doble for the most part danced only competitively, almost never socially — or at least not without sticking to some sort of previously-learned routine. This said, in Spain, France, Vietnam and some parts of Germany to the left of the river Rhine, it is danced socially as a lead (not choreographed) dance.