Monsieur Pierre
Encyclopedia
Monsieur Pierre, or simply Pierre, was the professional name of Pierre Jean Phillipe Zurcher-Margolle, (born Toulon, France – London, 1963). Pierre was a professional dancer and dance teacher: he was primarily responsible for introducing the Latin American
dances to England, and for codifying them, and laying the groundwork for their use in competitions and in social dance
. The system he and his colleagues developed became the basis for all Latin and American competitions held under the World Dance Council
(WDC).
, but was forced to resign when the eye strain began to affect the sighted eye. He moved to London, where he enjoyed ice skating
and dancing. After World War I
ended in 1918 he started on a career as a professional ballroom dancer. Although he spent the rest of his life resident in London, Pierre never gave up his French citizenship.
, the Paso doble and the Samba
.
For a number of years Pierre's studio was in or near Regent Street
. Later, Doris Lavelle went to him to learn the tango. He quickly realised her potential and after training she became his next dance partner. They demonstrated as often as three nights a week at London restaurants, ballrooms and night clubs, of which there were many at that time. By the 1930s Pierre had moved more towards the Latin American dances, and in 1934 his full-page trade adverts featured the rumba. The studio stayed open all through World War II
, and was a popular meeting place for the Free French fighters on leave in London.
After the war, the studio was re-established at 15, Greek Street
, Soho
. A small studio on the top floor with a good maple floor, and a sound system installed by James Arnell, who later became International Latin American dance champion
. Pierre's studio always played authentic music for its LA dance instruction.
is so called despite the music, and the dance, being of a different genre
from the authentic Cuban rumba
. The rumba danced in America and Europe was, and is, a music of the son
type: 'rumba' was a marketing term to cover several terms used by Cubans; salsa is a comparable case today. The Peanut Vendor started the rumba craze in Europe and America in 1931. In 1932 Monsieur and Madame Chapoul, well known French demonstrators, gave an exhibition of rumba at the Café de Paris
in London, followed by Don Azpiazú
and his band, the very group who had had such a hit with their recording of Peanut Vendor. Pierre was present and later went to the Cabine Cubaine club in Paris to take a look at the dancers.
Originally, Pierre had visited Paris to find out how their dancers and teachers dealt with the rumba. He discovered they used a system devised in the USA, the square rumba, so called after its basic figure. By 1934 he was featuring the rumba in his demonstrations, his adverts, his classes and in magazine articles. But after the war, in 1947, Pierre visited Cuba, where he discovered to his surprise that the Cubans danced it differently. When he danced with Suzy of Pepe and Suzy Rivera, the then Cuban champions, according to Lavelle's diary, the first thing she said was "you are out of time". So he had a lesson every day and danced at the acadamias every night. After this period of study he returned to London determined to replace the square rumba with the Cuban rumba, sistema cubano. To this end, Pierre wrote the first account of his ideas on the rumba as a dance.
One of the characteristics of Cuban dance to the son, and other similar rhythms, was, and still is, their method of taking three steps to four beats of music (whether 2/4 or 4/4). Whereas the Square rumba had been danced on beat 1, the Cuban rumba figure starts on beat 2, counting (pause) 2, 3, 4-1 as (pause) quick, quick, slow with the hip settling over the standing foot on 4-1. All social dances in Cuba involve a hip-sway over the standing leg and, though this is scarcely noticeable in fast salsa, it is more pronounced in the slow ballroom rumba. In general, steps are kept compact and the dance is without any rise and fall
. The argument in favour of this method was authenticity, and also satisfaction at the dance effect the Cuban style achieved. The debate over the change of style continued for eight years before a solution was achieved.
The Latin and American section of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing
(ISTD) Ballroom Branch was formed in 1947 by Monsieur Pierre as Chairman, his partner Doris Lavelle, and colleague, Doris Nichols. They were the first examiners, soon joined by Gwenethe Walshe
and Dimitri Petrides
. This small band of specialists worked to establish an examination system and syllabus for both amateur and professional dancers. Sidney Francis, Walter Laird
, Elizabeth Romain and Peggy Spencer
were other important members, added a few years later. The syllabus finally agreed in 1955 has been the foundation of teaching and competition in the Latin American dances ever since. This work naturally included the samba, paso doble and jive
as well, but it was the composition of the rumba which was critical. After further visits to Cuba in the early 1950s, when Doris Lavelle and James Arnell accompanied Pierre, the cha cha cha
was added to make the five Latin American dances that are still the basis of teaching and competition today in the international dance community.
On Pierre's death in 1963, his colleague Doris Nichols commented:
"The Latin American dancing world was so influenced, fostered and built up by him that the names of 'Pierre' and 'Latin American' became virtually synonymous."
Latin American culture
Latin American culture is the formal or informal expression of the peoples of Latin America, and includes both high culture and popular culture as well as religion and other customary practices....
dances to England, and for codifying them, and laying the groundwork for their use in competitions and in social dance
Social dance
Social dance is a major category or classification of danceforms or dance styles, where sociability and socializing are the primary focuses of the dancing...
. The system he and his colleagues developed became the basis for all Latin and American competitions held under the World Dance Council
World Dance Council
The World Dance Council Ltd , is a registered limited company, and the legal successor to the International Council of Ballroom Dancing, and was established at a meeting organised by P.J.S Richardson on 22 September 1950 in Edinburgh...
(WDC).
Early life
As a young man, Pierre's engineering studies at Zurich University were abruptly halted when he was struck in the eye by a tennis ball. This accident resulted in the loss of sight in that eye. After this accident he went to live in Paris where his spare time was spent in the night clubs where Cuban and other Latin immigrants enjoyed their music and dances. Pierre next worked in the French consular service in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, but was forced to resign when the eye strain began to affect the sighted eye. He moved to London, where he enjoyed ice skating
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
and dancing. After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
ended in 1918 he started on a career as a professional ballroom dancer. Although he spent the rest of his life resident in London, Pierre never gave up his French citizenship.
Latin dance in England
The rhythms which make Latin American dance popular were brought to Britain between the two World Wars. Pierre was already an accomplished dancer and teacher in the English ballroom style. In Latin dances, his repertoire first consisted of the Agentine tangoArgentine Tango
Argentine tango is a musical genre of simple quadruple metre and binary musical form, and the social dance that accompanies it. Its lyrics and music are marked by nostalgia, expressed through melodic instruments including the bandoneon. Originated at the ending of the 19th century in the suburbs of...
, the Paso doble and the Samba
Samba
Samba is a Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in Bahia and with its roots in Brazil and Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions. It is recognized around the world as a symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival...
.
- "The tango was always his speciality in demonstrations and as a result many teachers were attracted to it and first learnt it from him."
- "Pierre had been a celebrated exponent and teacher of tango, dancing first with Countess Gioia, then Mme Bayo, followed by Meredyth Owen. He had established a reputation as the leading specialist for all Latin dances."
For a number of years Pierre's studio was in or near Regent Street
Regent Street
Regent Street is one of the major shopping streets in London's West End, well known to tourists and Londoners alike, and famous for its Christmas illuminations...
. Later, Doris Lavelle went to him to learn the tango. He quickly realised her potential and after training she became his next dance partner. They demonstrated as often as three nights a week at London restaurants, ballrooms and night clubs, of which there were many at that time. By the 1930s Pierre had moved more towards the Latin American dances, and in 1934 his full-page trade adverts featured the rumba. The studio stayed open all through World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and was a popular meeting place for the Free French fighters on leave in London.
After the war, the studio was re-established at 15, Greek Street
Greek Street
Greek Street is a street in Soho, London, leading south from Soho Square to Shaftesbury Avenue. The street is famous for its restaurants and cosmopolitan nature.-History:...
, Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
. A small studio on the top floor with a good maple floor, and a sound system installed by James Arnell, who later became International Latin American dance champion
International Latin American Dance Champions
The International Latin American Dance Championships were created after the Second World War in England by Elsa Wells, and are now organised by Dance News special events...
. Pierre's studio always played authentic music for its LA dance instruction.
The rumba arrives in London
The ballroom rumbaRumba (dance)
Rumba is a dance term with two quite different meanings.In some contexts, "rumba" is used as shorthand for Afro-Cuban rumba, a group of dances related to the rumba genre of Afro-Cuban music. The most common Afro-Cuban rumba is the guaguancó...
is so called despite the music, and the dance, being of a different genre
Music genre
A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music...
from the authentic Cuban rumba
Cuban Rumba
In Cuban music, Rumba is a generic term covering a variety of musical rhythms and associated dances. The rumba has its influences in the music brought to Cuba by Africans brought to Cuba as slaves as well as Spanish colonizers...
. The rumba danced in America and Europe was, and is, a music of the son
Son (music)
The Son cubano is a style of music that originated in Cuba and gained worldwide popularity in the 1930s. Son combines the structure and elements of Spanish canción and the Spanish guitar with African rhythms and percussion instruments of Bantu and Arará origin...
type: 'rumba' was a marketing term to cover several terms used by Cubans; salsa is a comparable case today. The Peanut Vendor started the rumba craze in Europe and America in 1931. In 1932 Monsieur and Madame Chapoul, well known French demonstrators, gave an exhibition of rumba at the Café de Paris
Café de Paris (London)
Café de Paris is a London nightclub, located in the West End, beside Leicester Square on Coventry Street, Piccadilly.It opened in 1924 and subsequently featured such performers as Dorothy Dandridge, Marlene Dietrich, Harry Gold, Harry Roy, Ken Snakehips Johnson and Maxine Cooper Gomberg...
in London, followed by Don Azpiazú
Don Azpiazu
Don Azpiazú was a leading Cuban orchestral director in the 1920s and 30s. His band introduced authentic Cuban dance music and Cuban musical instruments to a wide audience in the USA...
and his band, the very group who had had such a hit with their recording of Peanut Vendor. Pierre was present and later went to the Cabine Cubaine club in Paris to take a look at the dancers.
Originally, Pierre had visited Paris to find out how their dancers and teachers dealt with the rumba. He discovered they used a system devised in the USA, the square rumba, so called after its basic figure. By 1934 he was featuring the rumba in his demonstrations, his adverts, his classes and in magazine articles. But after the war, in 1947, Pierre visited Cuba, where he discovered to his surprise that the Cubans danced it differently. When he danced with Suzy of Pepe and Suzy Rivera, the then Cuban champions, according to Lavelle's diary, the first thing she said was "you are out of time". So he had a lesson every day and danced at the acadamias every night. After this period of study he returned to London determined to replace the square rumba with the Cuban rumba, sistema cubano. To this end, Pierre wrote the first account of his ideas on the rumba as a dance.
One of the characteristics of Cuban dance to the son, and other similar rhythms, was, and still is, their method of taking three steps to four beats of music (whether 2/4 or 4/4). Whereas the Square rumba had been danced on beat 1, the Cuban rumba figure starts on beat 2, counting (pause) 2, 3, 4-1 as (pause) quick, quick, slow with the hip settling over the standing foot on 4-1. All social dances in Cuba involve a hip-sway over the standing leg and, though this is scarcely noticeable in fast salsa, it is more pronounced in the slow ballroom rumba. In general, steps are kept compact and the dance is without any rise and fall
Rises and falls
Rises and falls is a category of the ballroom dance technique that refers to rises and falls of the body of a dancer achieved through actions of knees and feet ....
. The argument in favour of this method was authenticity, and also satisfaction at the dance effect the Cuban style achieved. The debate over the change of style continued for eight years before a solution was achieved.
The Latin and American section of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing
Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing
The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing is a leading dance teaching and examination board based in London, England and operating internationally. Established on 25 July 1904 as the Imperial Society of Dance Teachers, it changed to its current name in 1925 and is now a registered educational...
(ISTD) Ballroom Branch was formed in 1947 by Monsieur Pierre as Chairman, his partner Doris Lavelle, and colleague, Doris Nichols. They were the first examiners, soon joined by Gwenethe Walshe
Gwenethe Walshe
Gwenethe Walshe, was a leading British Latin and ballroom dancer. Born in New Zealand, she lived most of her life in England and moved to Australia after her retirement...
and Dimitri Petrides
Dimitri Petrides
Dimitri Petrides was a ballroom dancer who was important in developing Latin American dancing in England. He left Cyprus when he was eighteen with his mother after the death of his father, eventually settling in England...
. This small band of specialists worked to establish an examination system and syllabus for both amateur and professional dancers. Sidney Francis, Walter Laird
Walter Laird
Walter William Laird was a major influence in the development of Latin American dancing in Britain after the Second World War. He was World Professional Latin Dance Champion three times. He coached many successful dancers including Allan Tornsberg, Vibeke Toft, Espen Salberg, Jukka Haapalainen,...
, Elizabeth Romain and Peggy Spencer
Peggy Spencer
Peggy Spencer MBE is a British professional ballroom dancer, choreographer, competition adjudicator and organiser....
were other important members, added a few years later. The syllabus finally agreed in 1955 has been the foundation of teaching and competition in the Latin American dances ever since. This work naturally included the samba, paso doble and jive
Jive (dance)
In Ballroom dancing, Jive is a dance style in 4/4 time that originated in the United States from African-Americans in the early 1930s. It was originally presented to the public as 'Jive' in 1934 by Cab Calloway. It is a lively and uninhibited variation of the Jitterbug, a form of Swing dance...
as well, but it was the composition of the rumba which was critical. After further visits to Cuba in the early 1950s, when Doris Lavelle and James Arnell accompanied Pierre, the cha cha cha
Cha-cha-cha (dance)
The Cha-cha-cha is the name of a dance of Cuban origin.It is danced to the music of the same name introduced by Cuban composer and violinist Enrique Jorrín in 1953...
was added to make the five Latin American dances that are still the basis of teaching and competition today in the international dance community.
On Pierre's death in 1963, his colleague Doris Nichols commented:
"The Latin American dancing world was so influenced, fostered and built up by him that the names of 'Pierre' and 'Latin American' became virtually synonymous."
- Pierre was a Fellow, Examiner and committee member of the Imperial Society of Teachers of DancingImperial Society of Teachers of DancingThe Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing is a leading dance teaching and examination board based in London, England and operating internationally. Established on 25 July 1904 as the Imperial Society of Dance Teachers, it changed to its current name in 1925 and is now a registered educational...
(ISTD) and a Member of the Official Board of Ballroom Dancing (OBBD). - Pierre 1948. Latin & American dances for students and teachers. London.