The Art of Ballroom Dancing

Derived from the Latin word ballare, which means to dance, ballroom dancing is performed by a pair with one person leading the other. There are five main styles of ballroom dancing: Slow Waltz, Viennese Waltz, Quickstep, Slow Foxtrot and Tango. Latin dance variations that are also categorized as ballroom include the Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble and Jive.Slow Waltz or Boston Waltz is a romantic dance performed in closed position in ¾ music time. Characterized by smooth floor glides and pendulum swing body action, this is a slow dance in which the pair moves as one.



The waltz is danced at 90 beats per minute while its fast-paced whirling version, the Viennese Waltz, is danced at about 180 beats a minute.Invented by vaudeville actor Harry Fox in 1914 in New York City, the Foxtrot was a fast dance that involved stagger slow-slow-quick-quick steps. It was the most popular fast dance until the 1940s,, Ballroom Dancing Products, when it gradually split into Slow Foxtrot and Quickstep variations. A difficult yet versatile ballroom dance, Slow Foxtrot works perfectly with a wide range of music styles and tempo.



Originally performed by Caribbean and African dancers, the Quickstep is a fast-moving upbeat dance comprising of hops, runs, turns and chasses or three-step glide patterns. Complex light footwork is essential to doing the famous "Running Right Turn", "V6", and "Fishtail" quick steps.Intense, provocative, sultry, sexy - the Tango is the most passionate of all ballroom dances characterized by staccato steps and sharp head turns.Also known as Latin Waltz, the Rumba is danced on a spot rather than all over the floor, emphasizing body movements instead of footwork.



It's a well-choreographed rhythm dance with an element, Ballroom Dancing Products, of "tease and run" between man and woman.Cheeky and carefree, the Cha Cha is a ballroom dance with triple step movements danced in between two rock beat movements. Compared to its predecessor, the Mambo, Cha Cha music is slower and the rhythm is less complicated.Jive is a lively variation of the swing dance. Its basic patterns are similar to the popular Lindy Hop and Big Band Swing movements characterized by jumps, kicks and energetic jazz moves.

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