Monsieur Pierre facts for kids

Monsieur Pierre was the professional name of Pierre Jean Philippe Zurcher-Margolle. He was born around 1890 in Toulon, France, and passed away in 1963 in London. He was a professional dancer and a dance teacher.

Monsieur Pierre was very important for bringing Latin American dances to England. He helped create the rules for these dances, which made them popular for social dancing and in competitions. The system he and his friends developed became the standard for all Latin and American dance competitions held by the World Dance Council (WDC).

Early Life of Monsieur Pierre

When Pierre was a young man, he was studying engineering at Zurich University. However, his studies stopped suddenly when he lost sight in one eye after a tennis accident. After this, he moved to Paris. In his free time, he enjoyed visiting nightclubs where Cuban and other Latin people danced to their music.

Later, he worked for the French government in Liverpool. But he had to quit because his eye problems started to affect his other eye. He then moved to London, where he loved ice skating and dancing. After World War I ended in 1918, he started his career as a professional ballroom dancer. Even though he lived in London for the rest of his life, Pierre always remained a French citizen.

Latin Dances Come to England

The exciting rhythms of Latin American dance became popular in Britain between the two World Wars. Monsieur Pierre was already a skilled dancer and teacher of English ballroom dances. When it came to Latin dances, he first taught the Argentine tango, the Paso doble, and the Samba.

Many teachers learned the tango from him because he was so good at showing it off. He became known as the top expert for all Latin dances.

For many years, Pierre's dance studio was located near Regent Street in London. Later, a dancer named Doris Lavelle came to him to learn the tango. Pierre quickly saw how talented she was. After training, she became his dance partner. They often performed together, sometimes three nights a week, at London's restaurants, ballrooms, and nightclubs. There were many such places back then!

By the 1930s, Pierre focused more on Latin American dances. In 1934, his full-page ads started featuring the rumba. His studio stayed open throughout World War II. It was a popular spot for Free French soldiers who were visiting London.

After the war, the studio moved to 15 Greek Street in Soho. It was a small studio on the top floor with a good wooden floor and a sound system. James Arnell, who later became an International Latin American dance champion, installed the sound system.

The Rumba Arrives in London

The ballroom rumba is a dance that uses music from the son style. The name 'rumba' was used to market several Cuban dance styles. Today, salsa is a similar example.

In 1932, Monsieur and Madame Chapoul, who were famous French dancers, performed the rumba at the Café de Paris in London. After them, Don Azpiazú and his band played. This was the same group that had a big hit song called Peanut Vendor. Monsieur Pierre was there. Later, he went to the Cabine Cubaine club in Paris to watch the dancers.

Pierre had visited Paris to see how French dancers and teachers handled the rumba. He found out they used a system from the USA called the square rumba. It was called this because of its basic square-shaped steps. By 1934, he was featuring the rumba in his performances, ads, classes, and magazine articles.

After the war, in 1947, Pierre visited Cuba. He was surprised to find that Cubans danced the rumba differently. When he danced with Suzy of Pepe and Suzy Rivera, who were the Cuban champions, she told him he was "out of time." So, he took a lesson every day and danced at the acadamias (dance schools) every night. After this trip, he returned to London determined to replace the square rumba with the Cuban rumba, which he called "el sistema cubano."

To do this, Pierre wrote the first book about his ideas on the rumba. In this book, he described the square rumba at the beginning. But in Chapter 7, he gave the first published description of the Cuban 'rumba'. This Cuban rumba was very similar to the dance that was finally agreed upon in the 1955 dance syllabus.

One special thing about Cuban dances like the son is how they take three steps for every four beats of music. The Square rumba was danced on beat 1. But the Cuban rumba starts on beat 2. You count (pause) 2, 3, 4-1, which means (pause) quick, quick, slow. Your hip settles over your standing foot on the 4-1 count. All social dances in Cuba involve a hip-sway over the standing leg. While it's hard to notice in fast salsa, it's much clearer in the slower ballroom rumba.

The Latin and American section of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) Ballroom Branch was created in 1947. Monsieur Pierre was the Chairman. His partner Doris Lavelle and their colleague Doris Nichols were also key members. They were the first examiners. Soon, Gwenethe Walshe and Dimitri Petrides joined them. This small group of experts worked to create a system for examining both amateur and professional dancers. Walter Laird and Peggy Spencer were other important members who joined later.

The dance syllabus that was finally agreed upon in 1955 has been the basis for teaching and competing in Latin American dances ever since. This work also included the samba, paso doble, and jive. But the way they defined the rumba was the most important part. After more visits to Cuba in the early 1950s, when Doris Lavelle and James Arnell went with Pierre, the cha cha cha was added. This made the five Latin American dances that are still taught and used in competitions around the world today.

When Monsieur Pierre passed away in 1963, his colleague Doris Nichols said: "The world of Latin American dancing was so much influenced, supported, and built up by him that the names 'Pierre' and 'Latin American' became almost the same."

Monsieur Pierre was a Fellow, Examiner, and committee member of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD). He was also a Member of the Official Board of Ballroom Dancing (OBBD).

Also

• Music of Cuba