Dance Styles
WHAT WE TEACHBallroom/Latin
Ballroom dancing is a form of partnered social and competitive dance that brings an era of old Hollywood to mind. Think Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers—that’s Ballroom.
Specific types of music act as the character for each dance and therefore movement techniques are pre-designed to fit that vibe. This makes training process more formal and structured—less room for freestyle. The emergence of dance competitions in the early twentieth century solidified 13 dances considered “Ballroom” across 4 styles:
American Rhythm
Cha Cha, Rumba, East Coast Swing, Bolero, Mambo
International Latin
Samba, Cha Cha, Rumba, Paso Doble, Jive
American Smooth
Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz
International Standard
Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Slow Fox, Quickstep
DANCE STYLESInternational vs American – International or Standard Ballroom has traditional roots dating back to the emergence of dance competitions in the early twentieth century. Its elegant and formal techniques make up the official style used for ballroom competitions around the world today. American Ballroom is younger in its history. The style is based on International, but adapted for the purpose of social dancing. Leading and following is a bit more accessible.
MOVEMENT TYPESSmooth vs Rhythm – Smooth dances travel around the dance floor while Rhythm dances are spot dances and could be contained in a smaller space.
Country
Country dancing has proud beginnings as social bar-room dancing with the signature Two Step. Brought to the competitive circuit in the late 1980’s, Country consists of 8 dances, some borrowed and some original to country, but all performed to country music! It’s glitz and rhinestones meets cowboy hats and boots. Get a little rebellious with it!
Dances
Two Step, Polka, Nightclub, Triple Two Step, Waltz, Cha Cha, East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing
West Coast Swing & Hustle
West Coast Swing and Hustle are two of the most versatile partner dances around. You can dance them to almost any speed and style of music and they’re slot dances which means they don’t take up too much space—perfect for social dancing.
West Coast Swing
With roots to the jazz and blues era, WCS is connection-based improv dancing. The connection with your partner feels elastic and stretchy, leaving lots of opportunity to blend in your own freestyle moves.
Hustle
Hustle first emerged during the 70’s disco era with roots in Mambo and Swing. It’s smooth, continuously rotating movement is a perfect pair with today’s modern pop music.
Club Latin
Also referred to as Tropical Latin, Club Latin is often seen in a bar-room setting. They are social dances at their core, but are also performed at Festivals or Congresses as a partner dance or as a part of a team. The dances are authentic to various latin cultures and countries around the world. While you’ll recognize some of the dance names from Ballroom, the style is different.
Most Popular Dances
Salsa, Bachata
Traditional Filler Dances
Cumbia, Cha Cha, Merengue
Line Dance
Line dancing is a great solo movement social dance avenue. While it’s traditionally paired with country music, it doesn’t have to be the case! Many modern line dances are choreographed to mainstream pop music across genres today.
A Few “Classics”
Electric Slide, Cupid Shuffle, Cha-Cha Slide
Some of Our Current Favs
Shivers, The Wolf
Start dancing.
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