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Ceroc
Partner Dancing
Tuesdays
7:30 PM at
Riverwest Brewery
925 W Chicago Ave
Downtown Chicago
312 337 9033
rockin'
like the Brits
Down with disco. Out with swing. There's a British dance craze poised to get Americans moving to music, and it's called Ceroc (pronounced sir-rock).
A contraction for C'est le roc (French for "It's rock n' roll). Ceroc is an adaptation of French jive or jazz partner dancing. In England, one quarter million hoofers practice the trademarked steps. And now instructors in Chicago and New York City are making inroads stateside, teaching these new-to-us moves at dance clubs.
From Glenn Miller to Madonna, Ceroc adapts to almost any music that's more up-tempo than a waltz. Unlike more structured dances such as swing, performers lead with their arms and let their feet flow naturally, turning even the graceless into Ginger Rogers. Each of the 300-some prescribed moves has an evocative name along the lines of "Wurlitzer" and basket flip-flop."
While advance Ceroc dancers can bop to a sweaty frenzy, Ceroc revs the engines - and stirs the souls - of beginners, too. Since partners change with every few steps, many attend for the boy-meets-girls social opportunities. "the focus is on having fun, but you wind up fit." says Shelly Macdonald, who, with husband Jamie, holds Ceroc nights weekly at Dublin Over NYC, a Manhattan dance club. "People get into it and realize, "Wow, this is great exercise."
With retro dance classes popping up in health clubs, can Ceroc, aerobics be far away?