Thanks, terence2.
I'm certainly no Latin expert, but I'll watch some couples and see if I can spot those using the the Laird/rounded style versus the Hancox/upright style.

I'm simply not able to spot the differences yet. Which "style" do Carmen and Bryan fit into?

I believe the majority of competitors today ,have adopted a much more " upright " style to their performance.. and many now take from more than one coach..

terence. Nothing stands still.I doubt that any of those top couples of yesteryear would be dancing that way today.It can easily be found on youtube going back to Latin's early days. Most today wouldn't be seen dead in the costumes they wore. One of the early World Championships the men wore Tails and the ladies were wearing what was then a comp dress, which made them look like a Bell Tent on legs. You would remember that with the layers of netting as an underskirt. This was how it was told to me by one of my fellow dancers who was their at that time.

Cyd,
I'm interested in what "way" of dancing you're writing about. What IS it in the dancing that makes a Latin dancer a "Laird" descendant, and what couple is a current example? Or what makes a dancer a "Hunt" descendant,and who is a current example of that style?
Thanks.

I was "there" at that time ( and before ! )

No one knows better than I about the directional change Latin has taken.

Consider this.. Rumba was Square, no Cha, and no Jive..The "music ?" for latin was very restricted, and E.Ros was king.Thats what I, and my peers, grew up with.

The style of the day and "dress" was appropriate for those times and music .

What has been almost lost, is the truer " character " of the dances . Today,Its more about an acrobatic and balletic "look ".

And, if one placed those competitors in todays market, with updated apparel, why do you think they would not be able to compete ?.. the soundness of their technique and the adaption to todays " style " would be well within their capability.

I,m sure they would be more than content with the changes in costuming !

Terence. Even after Latin really got going. Do you remember the phrase that the men went through with their costume. Some of them had more glitter on their clothing than the ladies. They looked as if they should be at the races on a horse instead of a dance floor. Then Sammy Stopford revolutionize things and left his mark by wearing solid black head to toes and no sparkle. The only glittery thing was the belt buckle. Everybody followed.

The trouble with that mode of thought, Terence, is that if you seek out video clips of Wally actually dancing, and worse still, the apalling pictures of him illustrating various holds and positions in the current edition of his technique, you just, well, laugh, don't you?

I mean, how COULD he, in that jumper? And as for her leopard-skin print leggings - well, words just fail me. I can't be alone. Just look at page 31 (Advanced Opening Out Movement), and tell me, honestly, that you can keep a straight face - I can't.

It rather colours the judgement?

Hmm - seems like you are too distracted by clothing to be responsive to my questions about the actual dancing.
Clothing styles aside - is there anything in the dancing that I would look for in a "Hunt Ddancer" versus a "Laird Dancer"?
Thanks.

I only mentioned the "clothing " because it was brought into the dialogue.

Wally affected pretty much everyone with his concepts.

The major difference that stands out to me ( apart from the obvious ) is Posture.. Nina, Eric and eventually all others, moved the ( what I would call " embraced" , rounded appearance )to a much more upright Standard look .

The one who used to ( dont know if he does still ) have a similar approach, was Stylianos . From a music perspective, Michael was way ahead of the curve in his choices for teaching etc.
The reason for the more diverse styles that have evolved, has much to do with the style and type of music now used .
Also to consider... with the event of "new " dances being taught and some introduced into the syllabus, its had a lasting effect on how the original dances were taught .

Hey! I'm only being flippant! I know that Laird is possibly THE most important figure in the development of current Latin technique, and I wouldn't be without the book. I still laugh at the pictures though.

And times change: the very few clips you can find of him dancing, reflected the time, and times have changed. Hard not to giggle, just a bit, though ...