Ballroom Dance Styles

Ballroom dance is enjoyable both socially and competitively worldwide. It also refers to a set of partner dancers, which originated in the Western world. The International style contains two categories: International Latin and International Standard, each of these sub-categories contain five different dances. The specific categories are as follows; Standard, Latin and Club dances or Freestyle dance. Standard (ballroom) dance are elegant and have strong emphasis on posture, more formal than Latin Dances. They are generally dance in a closed position. It consists of the following dances such as: Waltz, Quickstep, Foxtrot, Tango, and Viennese waltz. On the other hand, Latin style has movements that are passionate, fiery and flashy .Latin dances are generally faster-paced, more sensual and have more rhythmic expression. Latin dances such as: Cha-cha-cha, Mambo, Rumba, Samba, Jive, Paso Doble. Club dances include: Swing, Line dance, Salsa and Merengue.

STANDARD DANCES

Waltz is one of the smoothest ballroom dances. It is a progressive dance marked by long, flowing movements, continuous turns, and "rise and fall." The dance is so graceful and elegant; Waltz dancers appear to glide around the floor with almost no effort.

Tango is one of the most fascinating of all ballroom dances. This sensual ballroom dance originated in South America in the early twentieth century.

Quickstep is a quick version of the Foxtrot. It is a ballroom dance comprised of extremely quick stepping, syncopated feet rhythms, and runs of quick steps. The Quickstep is exciting to watch, but among the most difficult of all the ballroom dance.

Foxtrot is a smooth dance in which dancers make long, flowing movements across the floor. Foxtrot has lots of fun and simple to learn an excellent dance for beginners.

LATIN DANCES Cha cha cha is a lively, flirtatious ballroom dance full of passion and energy. The classic "Cuban motion" gives the Cha cha cha its unique style. Partners work together to synchronize each movement in perfect alignment.

Mambo is one of the most sensual and emotional Latin American ballroom dances. Swaying hip movements, facial expressions, arm movements and holds add to the sensuality of the dance.

Jive is an American dance that evolved from a dance called the Jitterbug by removing the lifts and acrobatic elements. Dancers use a more bouncy type movement using the balls of the feet. A lot of kicks are used in jive. Jive is a very fast, energy-consuming dance.

Rumba is considered by many to be the most romantic and sensual of all Latin ballroom dance. It is often referred to as the "Grandfather of the Latin dances." A moderately slow Latin dance with plenty of wraps, under arm turns and a truck load of flirtation. It is often called as the “Dance of Love”.

Samba is popular with young people as well as older generations. Samba can be performed solo or with a partner. Possibly the most popular of all Brazilian ballroom dance.

Paso Doble is one of the liveliest ballroom dance, originating in southern France. It is modelled after the sound, drama, and movement of the Spanish bullfight.

CLUB DANCES

Swing dance is a lively style of social dancing in which a dancer often lifts, spins and flips his or her partner. Considered both hip and cool, swing dancing is a favourite among social dancers of all ages.

The beauty in the simplicity of line dancing steps is that they are so adaptable that they can be reworked and reused in a variety of different dances and dance styles. The steps are very basic and are often repeated numerous times in the line dance. Adding small twists or variations on the core steps or utilizing them as transitions in other dances will be an ideal use of the steps.

Salsa is a very energetic Latin dance, with spins, sharp movement, and crisp turns, very popular in Latin clubs along with merengue. A style varies depending on where you are from. This dance is also similar to Mambo.

Merengue is a fast Latin dance that never slows down. It’s very easy to learn and often refer to this dance as the “marching with style”.

Tasks:

1. Read the whole of the information. 2. Make a booklet that advertises dance classes to the public. Your booklet should include: • an introduction section explaining why dance is important and the different categories of dance. (use the information at the start of the worksheet to help you write an introduction) • It should also contain a section about each type of dance, the characteristics of that dance and a picture of the dance. • A final section where you include a little set of quiz questions for the reader to complete. Create your own 5 questions, based on the sheet of information.