Balboa
Unlike Lindy, the origins of Balboa are hard to trace, though it seems to have started to develop in the early 1920’s. There is some debate over whether Balboa was derived from Foxtrot or Charleston, but one thing is for sure, it came out of California. While Lindy Hop was taking over Harlem, Balboa became a fixture in Los Angeles and the surrounding Counties during the early 1930’s.
There are two types of Balboa, pure Balboa and Bal-Swing. Pure Bal came out of space limited dance halls which banned flashy kick dances like Charleston. Pure Balboa is danced chest to chest and very upright, with an emphasis on footwork and rhythm changes.
Bal-Swing takes the basic Balboa footwork & stance, and throws in breakaways, turns, Lolly Kicks, and even the odd aerial! The twists and turns, and footwork variations, make this a very fun dance! Add to that the speed at which one can dance, and those faster tunes become accessible to many more dancers than the extreme Lindy hoppers alone.
The wonder of Balboa is in its simplicity. The footwork is economical, making it a great dance for fast music! The dance also lends itself very well to slower tunes. On the dance floor today, couples can be seen doing “Slow Bal” cheek-to-cheek. While it isn’t as common as Lindy hop or Charleston, Balboa certainly has its fans. There are categories for Bal in most dance competitions and it is enjoyed on dance floors everywhere.
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