The New Vogue dance style is an Australian form of sequence dancing which originated in the 1930s when some Australian dancers rebelled against the formal and rigid footwork of the English Old Time dances, and started to choreograph sequence dances based on the Modern Ballroom technique. Len Hourigan of Brisbane coined the term "New Vogue" for these dances. Like English Old Time or American Smooth, New Vogue has many open positions such as open holds and shadow positions.
In New Vogue dancing, every couple on the floor performs the same steps at the same time, and at the end of the sequence, the steps are repeated. This makes New Vogue dances relatively easy to learn, as beginners can easily imitate the steps of fellow dancers on the floor. The dances typically have 8, 16 or 32 bar sequences, and so need music with a similar musical phrasing. New Vogue dances have been choreographed to all the popular dance rhythms including Modern Ballroom, Latin American, Bossa Nova and March.
The basic holds, alignments and footwork are standardized, but the dancers are allowed to improvise their own shaping, styling and arm movements which makes these dances very expressive to dance and a joy to watch. For example, when performing the throwaway oversway figure, the man might use both arms to hold the lady's waist and the lady might throw up both her arms in the air, while another couple might interpret this picture line differently. There is freedom of expression, so to speak!
New Vogue dancing is very popular in Australia and is danced at social dances in clubs and public halls around the country. In dancesport competitions and championships held in Australia, there are usually more entries in the New Vogue events than in either the Modern Ballroom or Latin American events. Of the many New Vogue Ballroom dances, 23 (the Viennese Waltz and Foxtrot make up more than half) are recognized by Dancesport Australia for use in dancesport competitions, out of which 15 can be performed at dancesport championships.
New Vogue dancing is very popular in Australia and is danced at social dances in clubs and public halls around the country. In dancesport competitions and championships held in Australia, there are usually more entries in the New Vogue events than in either the Modern Ballroom or Latin American events. Of the many New Vogue Ballroom dances, 23 (the Viennese Waltz and Foxtrot make up more than half) are recognized by Dancesport Australia for use in dancesport competitions, out of which 15 can be performed at dancesport championships.
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