Music and dance-oriented help

[bigmamag]

I'm in the midst of plotting out a long fic, and one of the components of this fic is Uhura and Spock teaching Kirk to dance formal-style. Since I know just a little about music types and nothing about dancing, I have turned to y'all for help. Youtube and wikipedia can tell me how to teach or do a dance enough to write about it, but not what needs

Comments

[beedlebarg]

Box step!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_Step
http://www.ehow.com/how_4280_basic-box-step.html

Once they've got the box step down, it's easier to teach other stuff.

No idea about Vulcans, I'd have to think about it in more detail before answering. Lovely, intimate, detailed detail.

[bigmamag]

Good start! Definitely should be step numero uno.

[michelel72]

Remember that there are quite a few formal dances that don't necessarily require contact between the partcipants - not so much the paired dances, but check out the formal dances in a filmed Jane Austen work or in the "Shindig" episode of Firefly. (Most of those will show some element of contact, especially "Shindig", but there are quite a few elements that don't involve contact ... and any people that has special considerations to accomodate for touching would almost certainly develop both formal and informal dances that don't require skin-touch at all, even in "ordinary" clothing.)

[bigmamag]

Aw, you take all the fun out of slash. :P j/k, but this is an excellent point. I am familiar with these and I think the Minuet is an example of this kind of dance. I'm sure Spock would still be able to do and teach Human dances because of Uhura and because he's a fast learner otherwise, but it makes absolute sense that it would not be a common thing to touch while dancing, even when partnered. I mean, if just touching fingers in public is considered kissing and is limited to bonded pairs, holding bare hands while dancing would be like watching two humans make out during a slow dance, lol.

[bigmamag]

LOL! I am the same way. I don't know why it's so amazing, they're just gloves, and I imagine they'd be this really soft black leather...

Ahem. Yes.