Fantasic. I couldn't help to smile and applause for them. I can see the swing (Lindy, Charleston...) had a lot of influence on him. His Paso doble was wonderful
I am presently trying to write a ballroom dance book from my 25 years of me doing ballroom and Latin dancing in social dance and in competition. Since Walter Laird was known as "the king of ISTD technique in Latin-American dancing" and made modern Latin ballroom dancing what it is today right now--especially for hard-core International Latin dancesporters - this is a great gem for all of you dancesporters who want to learn from the best - from the one who created books on Latin dance technique - probably the only one since Alex Moore!!!!!!!!!! I noticed that Walter Laird took a page out of the Argentine Tango when he did the "planeo" move - what a great move. It is rarely done in even open-style International Rumba these days - only the Argentine show tango. This happens at 3:45
In the paso doble, I can recognize Laird's moves that led to the paso doble school figures in his ISTD books - 5:50 mark - Spanish Lines 6:14 mark - a Spanish Drag, but it is Laird's advanced version-- a Lunge Drag 6:20 mark - The Fregolina (probably incorporating the Farol) 6:26 mark - The Left Foot Variation (and later on, probably not from Laird - the "syncopated" part of the Syncopated Separation) 6:32 mark - Flamenco Taps in Spanish Line (one method of it) 6:44 mark - Chasses to R and probably Promenade Close as well 6:53 mark - The Huit (part of it) 6:56 mark - Traveling Spins from Counter Promenade 6:57 mark - the famous "Sting Blow" - Coup de Pique - and Walter does 3 of these on Lorraine! 7:12 mark - looks like The Huit, but also reminders of a longer figure--La Passe 7:20 mark - Laird seems to do what I call the 8-step "Simple Open Turns", doing a few of them continuously on Lorraine, which remind me of such things as "The Twists". Of course, it is not "paso doble" without those highlight hits, and since Laird knows Latin dancing with a "L", he knows where exactly to hit the highlights - on the nose!
I know his reputation, and especially given his standing as some leading authority and top dancer, I find this the worst level of cringe possible. I don't know when they started actually moving in the way we love now but obviously well after this. Top dancer - he's bloody awful.
