Le Roc is French for rock'n'roll. Combined as one word and brought into the English language it is the name given to a stylish, modern jive which can be danced to virtually any music.
There are LeRoc clubs all over the UK and throughout the world, and they are a great place to dance and make new friends. At a LeRoc evening you'll find great music, excellent teachers and a really energised atmosphere.
LeRoc is so flexible musically that you can dance it to your own favourite music. LeRoc clubs play a wide range of music, from big band swing through rock 'n' roll and right up to date with tracks from the current charts.
LeRoc is easy to learn. In the very first lesson, new dancers can learn three to four moves so they can start enjoying it very quickly without having to practise tedious exercises. There is usually a beginners and an intermediate lesson. After the lessons the rest of the session is usually set aside for freestyle dancing, where dancers can enjoy socialising and practising all they have learned to music played in a party atmosphere.
The dress code is usually casual. It can get quite warm when you're dancing so some people bring a change of top. It's advised that dancers bring suitable footwear; try not to wear rubber soled shoes such as trainers, as you will have trouble spinning and injuries can occur.
There is no need to bring a partner. Throughout the class, dancers change partners every few minutes. This rotation of partners is a great way to get to meet loads of people in the class and actually helps dancers improve quicker.
As its name suggests, LeRoc has some of its roots in France after American G.I.s brought the jitterbug to France during the war.
In the UK 60's dance crazes like the Twist encouraged people to dance alone, without a partner and a whole generation forgot how to partner dance. But in France many people carried on jiving, adapting it to suit slow, heavy disco beats and smaller dance floors. The dance became relaxed, with less emphasis on what the feet were doing but with new and exciting moves. LeRoc was discovered by British people holidaying in France, and was also admired being danced by London's French community.LeRoc was created in London, and specialised clubs began promoting this new style of jive as LeRoc, Ceroc, and Cosmopolitan Jive. As the British embraced it, so they gave the moves their own custom made names like Wurlitzer, Swizzlestick and Yoyo. The original moves are the basis of LeRoc but the dance is still growing. There are now hundreds of named moves which are found as far afield as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan and even Brazil. The dance is so versatile that it can borrow ideas from other dance styles and adapt them to fit the LeRoc style.
Further info at The Modern Jive Timeline.
In 1991 a group of independent dance teachers joined together to promote 'LeRoc' as the generic term for this modern jive style. Informal meetings took place to develop new moves and exchange ideas. As the group gained momentum, a series of highly successful promotions attracted both new business to classes and interest from established dance bodies, especially the UKA. In 1996 it was decided to create an examination system for teachers, so that the public could be assured of obtaining a high standard of teaching.
All members of the LeRoc Modern Jive Federation have passed an examination to ensure their teaching ability. If you are unsure if your teacher is qualified check the list of currently registered teachers.