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Richard Powers
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Dance historian and teacher
Historical and contemporary social dance

Richard Powers has been teaching historic and contemporary social dance for 45 years. He leads workshops around the world and is currently a full-time instructor at Stanford University's Dance Division.

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Historic social dance

Richard's histories of social dance
Guidelines for dance research and reconstruction
Some historic dance descriptions
Powers bibliography of dance manuals
Free downloads of those sources
Nick Enge's bibliography of dance manuals
Richard's repertoire of historic dances
The early history of quadrille prompting
Field research in historical dance
Correct Nineteenth Century dance technique
The role of the 19th Century dance master
Bringing historic dances to life onstage
dance steps
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Today's social dance

Social dance partnering
Some social dance descriptions
Going out dancing - some suggestions
The three worlds of ballroom dance
Some tips for teaching dance
Richard's repertoire of social dances
Suggestions for choreographing a dance
How to be a better DJ
Social dance discography
Other thoughts about social dance
Waltzing: A Manual for Dancing and Living
Cross-Step Waltz: A Dancer's Guide