From its very origin, music has been linked to the movements and characteristics of the dance. Starting with the primitive people, who performed rudimentary steps as they sang, to the dance-songs of the Middle Ages, up through ballet and the more sophisticated steps of modern times, music and the dance have developed almost inseparably. In ‘The Dancing World,’ Alfredo Antonini And His Orchestra portay dance forms of the past and present in picturesque musical settings by world masters, bringing to life each particular dance through the tempo and pulse of the instrumentation. ‘The Dancing World’ opens with a dance that has been a favorite of many countries for a long time – the polka. Here, composer Hans Zander uses the spirited tempo of this dance for a rousing orchestral romp called Polka For Strings. For three-quarter time enthusiasts there are two delightful selections, one in the popular, the other in the classical waltz tradition. The first one, A Waltz Dream, contains the wonderful melodies of operetta composer, Oscar Straus, in the best Viennese tradition. The second side offers the Minute Waltz, the miniature miracle by Frederic Chopin, in which Alfredo Antonini And His Orchestra render a very ingenious string arangement of this piano classic. For a change of pace and a bit faster tempo there’s the sparkling, infectious rhythms of the can-can, set in a spicy, zestful selection by Jacques Offenbach and appropriately called La Vie Parisienne. The minuet, which took its name from the small, dainty step used in its performance, is still another dance form which has kept many a composer occupied. Orchestra suites of the 17th century usually contained one or two minuets. In this album, Robert Sladek has captured the dainty rococo spirit and the Louis XIV atmosphere in his Menuet Pompadour. Paderewski’s Minuet In G was composed in the style of Mozart, with 18th century grace and elegance, and the orchestra presents an elaborate treatment of this concert piece that is a show piece of brilliant ensemble playing. Two centuries later, the galop, a rapid, springing round dance, became the vogue in French ballrooms. Georges Bizet elicits admiration for this dance form, so popular during his lifetime, with the carefree melodic excerpt taken from his ‘Petite Suite’ – Galop. A colorful rendition of Tschaikowsky’s Danse Russe by the Alfredo Antonini Orchestra gets the second side of ‘The Dancing World’ off to a romantic start. While Tschaikowsky’s music reflected western influences, his style was distinctly Russian in idiom and temperament, and frequently evoked the feeling of folk music. Also in the romantic vein is Carl Bohm’s Rococo Gavotte. The gavotte, popularized by the court of Louis XIV, was in vogue until the French Revolution. As a swirling, whirling conclusion to ‘The Dancing World’ Alfredo Antonini offers the fiery Italian dance, the tarantella. This tarantella, in which piano soloist Jascha Zayde exhibits his technical mastery in some exacting bravura passages, is one of Josef Holbrooke’s symphonic Four Dances.