Ballroom Dances

Ballroom dancing is a set of couple dances, which are enjoyed socially and competitively throughout the world. Due to their aspects of performance and entertainment, ballroom dancing is also widely enjoyed on stage, film and television.

Ballroom dancing can refer, in its broadest definition, to almost any type of couple dancing as recreation. However, with the emergence of sports dancing in modern times, the term has become narrower in scope, and traditionally refers to the five international standard dance styles and the five international Latin dance styles.

Standard

1- Waltz: The waltz began as a peasant folk dance in Austria and Bavaria in the 1600s. In the early 1800s it was introduced in England. It was the first dance where a man held a woman near his body. When performing the dance the upper part of the body is kept to the left in all the figures, the woman’s body leaves the right side of the man while the head is extended to follow the elbow. Figures with rotation have little increase. Rolling is also used in the second step to make the step longer and also to curb the urge to bring the feet together.

2-Tango: Tango originated in Buenos Aires at the end of the 19th century. Modern Argentine tango is danced in open and closed hugs that focus on the male leader and women who move in harmony with the exciting tango music. Tango technique is like walking towards music while keeping your feet rooted and allowing your ankles and knees to rub against each other during each step taken. Body weight is maintained on the fingers and the connection is made between the man and the women on the hips. Salon tango, however, is a dance with a much more open framework, which often uses strong and staccato movements. It is the lounge tango, instead of the Argentine tango, that is performed in the international competition.

3-Viennese Waltz: The Viennese waltz originated in the Provence region in France in 1559, and is recognized as the oldest of all ballroom dances. It was introduced in England as a German waltz in 1812 and became popular throughout the 19th century by the music of Josef and Johann Strauss. It is often referred to as the classic “old-school” ballroom dancing. Viennese waltz music is quite fast. The light shape of the body moves inward of the turn and the shape forward and upward to lengthen the opposite side of the direction. The reverse lap is used to travel the long side and is reversed. While the natural turn is used to go the short side and submerged to go around the corners.

4-Foxtrot: Foxtrot is an American dance, accredited by Vaudeville performer Harry Fox in 1914. Foxtrot was a quick step to ragtime music (an original form of jazz). The dance was originally named as the “fox trot.” You can dance at slow, medium or fast rhythms depending on the speed of jazz or big band music. Couples face each other and the frame turns from side to side, changing direction after a measurement. The dance is flat, without ascent or fall as the waltz. The steps on foot are taken as slow for both beats per steps and fast for one blow per step.

5-Quickstep: The quickstep was invented in the 1920s as a combination of the fastest foxtrot and charleston tempo. It is a fast moving dance so men are allowed to close their feet and couples move in short syncopated steps. The quickstep includes the rides, races, chasses and laps, from the original foxtrot dance, with some other quick figures like locks, jumps and jumps can be added. The quickstep is performed as a dance of the International standard.

Latin

1-Samba: Samba is the national dance of Brazil. The rhythm of the samba and its name comes from the slaves of West Africa. In 1905, samba became known to the rest of the countries during an exhibition in Paris. Eventually in the 40s, samba was introduced in North America due to a movie star named Carmen Miranda. The modern dance of the lounge samba differs compared to the traditional Brazilian samba, as it was modified as a dance couple. The samba is danced with a slight bounce that is created through knee flexion and straightening.

2-Chachachá: The cha-cha was originally called the “chachachá”. The term came from Haiti and resembled the sound the bells made when they were rubbed. It was evolved from the rumba and the mambo in the 50s. As Mambo music was quite fast and difficult for some to dance, Cuban composer Enrique Jorrín stopped the music and the cha-cha was established. The cha-cha is a very flirtatious dance with many hip rotations and couples synchronizing their movements. The dance includes flexion and straightening of the knee giving it a touch of Cuban movement.

3-Rumba: The rumba is known for being the most romantic and passionate of all dances. In the early 1920s, the dance arrived in the United States from Cuba and became a popular cabaret dance during the ban. The rumba is very polyrhythmic and complex. It includes the Cuban movements by strengthening the knee, the rotation of the hip of figure-eight and the action of the rotating foot. An important feature of the rumba is the powerful and direct advance achieved through the ball of the foot.

4-Pasodoble: The pasodoble originated in Spain with its spectacular bullfights. Dance is performed mainly in competitions, and rarely in a social environment due to the complexity of the many choreographic rules that compose it. In dance, the man plays the role of the matador while the woman assumes the role of the cape, the bull or, sometimes, also the matador himself. The movement of the chassez layer refers to the moment in which the man uses the woman to turn it around as if it were the cape, and the apel consists of the stomp that the man performs on the ground, in his role as a killer , as if he wanted to get the bull’s attention.

5-Jive: The jive is part of the group of swing dances and is a very lively variation of the jitterbug. Jive originated from African-American clubs in the early 1940s. During World War II, American soldiers introduced jive into England, where they adapted to competitive jive to this day. In the jive, the man directs the dance while the woman encourages the men to ask them to dance. Big band music is danced and some technique is taken from salsa, swing and tango