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Although we teach almost all forms of partner dancing, below is a list of some of the more popular dances. Click or scroll down the page to find out more of the history behind each dance.
Please do not hesitate to call us with questions or to schedule your first lesson
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Ballroom Dancing
The five ballroom dances:
are danced the world over both socially and in DanceSport competitions.
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The word "ballroom" denotes a room where balls may be held, or simply, formal social dances. Balls were important social events in the days before radio and television (as in "having a ball"). The word "ball" derives from the Latin "balare" meaning "to dance." This is also the origin of the related words ballet, ballerina, ballad, etc. Note that this origin is quite different from that of a "ball," a round object used for games. This derives from the Old Norse "bollr," meaning "to inflate."
The figures in the modern ballroom dances have now been standardized and categorized into various levels for teaching, with internationally agreed vocabularies, techniques, rhythms and tempos.
Waltz
The forerunner of waltz was Boston, a dance imported from the USA and introduced in England by a very influential "Boston Club" around 1874. However, only after 1922 did this dance become as fashionable as the tango. The strange thing about Boston was that couples danced next to each other, nothing like what we do now. Immediately after World War I the waltz got more shape. In 1921 it was decided that the basic movement should be: step, step, close. In 1922, when Victor Sylvester won the championship, the English waltz program consisted of not more than a right turn, a left turn and change of direction (less than what is learned by a beginner nowadays). In 1926/1927 the waltz was improved considerably. The basic movement was changed into step-side-close. As a result of this, many more variations became possible. They have been standardized by the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD). Many of them are still dancing.
Tango
Tango was first danced in Europe before World War I, in 36 bars per minute tempo. It originates from Buenos Aires, Argentina where it was first danced in "Barria de Las Ranas," the ghetto of Buenos Aires. It was then known under the name of "Baile con Corte" (dance with a rest). The "dandies" of Buenos Aires changed the dance in two ways. First they changed the so-called "polka rhythm" into the "Habanere rhythm" and secondly they called it tango.
From 1900 onward, several amateurs tried to introduce the dance from Argentina to Paris without success. Being rather an exotic dance, a sensuous creation of Southern nations, the tango initially did not become accepted by the European social establishment. It was however still danced in the suburban areas and gaining more and more popularity.
Tango's breakthrough came in a dance competition on the French Riviera. The dance was so well presented by a group of its enthusiasts that it gained immediate recognition in Paris and then the rest of Europe.
Foxtrot
The foxtrot, a dance born in the twenties, was named after an American performer Harry Fox. Initially it was danced at 48 bars per minute tempo. The tempo issue led to the breakaway of quickstep at about 50 to 52 bars per minute and the continued slowing down of pure Foxtrot to 32 bars per minute by the end of the twenties. At the end of World War I the slow-foxtrot consisted of walks, three-steps, a slow walk and a sort of a spin turn. At the end of 1918 the wave arose, then known as the "jazz-roll." The American Morgan introduced a sort of open spin turn, the "Morgan-turn," in 1919. In 1920 Mr. G.K. Anderson introduced the feather step and the change of direction, figures you cannot imagine today's foxtrot without. The thirties had become the golden age for this dance. That is when Foxtrot tunes became the standards of its tempo.
The great fascination of Foxtrot is the amazing variety of interpretations there can be of what is basically such a simple dance. From swingers to trotters, from smoothies to ripples, from the military to the delicate steppers and more.
Quickstep
Developed during the World War I in suburban New York, initially performed by Caribbean and African dancers. It eventually made its debut on the stage of American music halls and immediately became popular in the ballrooms.
Foxtrot and quickstep have a common origin. In the twenties many bands played the slow foxtrot too fast, which gave rise to many complaints. Eventually they developed into two different dances, slow foxtrot tempo has been slowed down and quickstep became clearly the fast version of foxtrot, danced at 48 bars per minute tempo. The Charleston had a lot of influence on the development of Quickstep.
Viennese Waltz
The origins of Viennese Waltz date back to the 12th and13th centuries and found in the dance called "Nachtanz." The Viennese waltz originally comes from Bavaria and used to be called the "German." However, other people question this origin of the Viennese waltz. An article which appeared in the Paris magazine "La Patrie" (The Fatherland) on 17 January 1882, claimed that the waltz was first danced in Paris in 1178, not under the name waltz but as the Volta from the Province. Presumably this is a dance in 3/4 rhythm, which the French regard as the forerunner of the Viennese waltz.
The first waltz melodies date from 1770. It was introduced in Paris in 1775, but it took some time before it became popular. In 1813 Mr. Byron condemned the waltz as being unchaste. In 1816 the waltz was also accepted in England. But the struggle against it was not over yet. In 1833, a "good behavior" book was published by Miss Celbart and according to it, although it was allowed for married ladies to perform this dance, she called it "a dance of too loose in character for maidens to perform."
Latin Dancing
Three such dances:
plus the Paso Doble from Europe and The East Coast Swing (jive) from North America have been singled out and are now performed all over the world as Latin-American dances in international DanceSport competitions, as well as being danced socially. These dances are for couples, usually each consisting of a man and a lady. The holds vary from figure to figure in these dances, sometimes in closed ballroom hold, sometimes with the partners holding each other with only one hand. The figures in these dances are standardized and categorized into various levels for teaching, with internationally agreed vocabularies, techniques, rhythms and tempos. But it was not always so. These "Latin-American" dances were only been introduced into Western-European society in the twentieth century, and have some diverse origins in previous eras.
Rumba
The Rumba originates from Cuba as a typical dance of a hot climate. It has become the classic of all the Latin American dances. In its present form many of the basic figures of the dance retain the age-old story of woman's attempt to dominate man by the use of her feminine charm. In a well-choreographed dance there will always be an element of "tease and run," the man being lured and then rejected.
Rumba is composed of three rhythms: Guaguanc, Yamb, Columbia
When you point out that Rumba is about feminine charm it is not quite like that. Actually Rumba is a fertility dance and thorough time it has broken down into three classes (in Cuba, of course).
In Guaguanc, the male tries to "penetrate" the female and the female responds, (of course, only dancing). In Yamb, the female just flirts but at the end "backs out" and refuses the pelvic thrust of the male dancer. Columbia is a later development and danced only in very few country towns.
Cha-cha
Cha-cha-cha is the newcomer of the Latin American dances. This dance was first seen in the dancehalls of America, in the early fifties, following closely Mambo, from which it was developed. Shortly after the Mambo was introduced, another rhythm started to gain popularity, a rhythm that was ultimately to become the most commonly known of the Latin American dances throughout the world. It was named Cha-cha-cha. The music is slower than Mambo and the rhythm is less complicated. The interpretation of Cha-Cha-Cha music should produce a happy, carefree, cheeky, party-like atmosphere. Recently it was decided to shorten the name to Cha-Cha.
Samba
Samba originates from Brazil where it is a national dance. Many versions of the Samba - from Baion (pronounce: Bajao) to Marcha - are danced at the local carnival in Rio. To achieve the true character of the Samba a dancer must give it a gay, flirtatious and exuberant interpretation. Many figures, used in the Samba today, require a pelvic tilt action. This action is difficult to accomplish, but without it the dance loses much of its effect.
Before 1914 it was known under a Brazilian name "Maxixe." The first attempts of introducing samba to European ballrooms are dated 1923-24, but it was after the World War II when samba became a popular dance in Europe.
Samba has a very specific rhythm, highlighted to its best by characteristic Brazilian musical instruments: originally called tamborim, chocalho, reco-reco and cabaca.
Salsa Dancing
Salsa
The history of what is called salsa was the result of a musical evolution of various types of Latin rhythms. It began in New York in the 30's taking influences along the way from different Latin music styles and afro jazz. Because of the social and political pressures and restraints enforced in Cuba and Puerto Rico, many people emigrated and fled into exile to New York and various other cities of the U.S.A. It was these Caribbean transplants who grew up in the Spanish Harlem of New York that cooked up this special recipe together with other musicians in the Caribbean.
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Now, in the 1990's, it can be said that music is reaching the youth of the Americas and other countries across the world, but only because of its diversification in styles, from the traditional Son Cubano and Mambo of the 30's to the New York Salsa of the 70's and 80's. We now have "Salsa Rap," "Techno Merengue," and "Merengue Rap."
Casino Rueda
Originated in Cuba in the early 1950s and came into the U.S. with the Cuban emigration. Rueda originated as a dance done primarily amongst the poor, black Cubans who could not afford to belong to the social clubs (a.k.a. casinos) found in the cities. The emergence of Rueda outside of Cuba began in the late 1980's in a famous Miami restaurant called The Starfish. There, it was perfected and became Miami's most dominant salsa dance style. Popularity of the Cuban Casino Rueda began when it was featured in the hit movie "Dance With Me." Since then, it has caught on like wildfire spreading throughout different salsa communities in the U.S. including New York, Chicago, Washington DC, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. "Rueda" means wheel and this salsa dance style is unique as it is composed of the same footwork, but two or more couples dance together in a circle. The leader of the group gives out instructions or "calls" by yelling or by hand signals and the dancers respond simultaneously by rapidly exchanging partners or using numerous complicated turn patterns.
Argentine Tango
The antique Argentine tango was influenced by the tango Habanera, which bears no resemblance to the Argentine tango we know today. The tango Habanera came about from two types of tango: the Milonga with its influence in the guajira flamenca and the tango andaluz or tango flamenco. The Milonga was danced and played by the countryside people of Argentina. The tango Habanera was an amalgamation of the Habanera and the tango Andaluz or tango Flamenco. A character who lived in the very early 1900's known as the "compadrito" created the straightened out forms of the antique Argentine tango and invented the traditional figures of this dance. His dance style and stance supported his macho view of his world at those times. Old tango people agree that the true forms of Argentine tango dance that we see today originated in 1938 - 1940. The Golden Age of Tango took place in in the late 1940's and early 1950's.
Country Western Dancing
When the 70's rolled in, John Travolta brought back couples dancing with his movie role in Saturday Night Fever. Country western dancing is what you see Debra Winger doing with Travolta in the movie "Urban Cowboy" and with Tom Berenger in the movie "Betrayed" - the kind of dancing men and women do to contemporary country western music. Country western line dancing became popular in the late 80's into the early 90's although without a partner it is a different animal than couples dancing. 1990 into 2000 (the height of popularity for country music) brings partner dancing back. Country western line dancing has now shifted towards country:
- two-step
- waltz
- west coast swing
- east coast swing
- nightclub
- polka
- cha cha
- and more.
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People are dancing to all types of music which makes all forms of couples dancing popular. No matter what your taste in music, there is a particular dance that fits your favorite tunes! Everyone is doing it. Young and old. Single and married.
The United Country Western Dance Council "UCWDC" was created in 1989 by a group of country western dance competition directors, who came together in Grantville, Pennsylvania, to form the UCWDC. These directors wanted to "unite" all their events across the country under one set of rules, and establish national standards for country western dance events throughout the country. They adopted a uniform set of rules that had been written in 1988, and granted sanctioning to the 23 events that had used these rules in their entirety in 1989. This was the birth of the UCWDC. Today the UCWDC has over 50 sanctioned events in 14 countries, and hosts an annual world championship.
Cha cha, east coast swing, west coast swing, polka and waltz while all popular dances in country western, the ones listed here are the more traditional country dances (or in the case of nightclub, the ones that country has influenced the most).
Two Step
Dances carrying the name "two step" have existed at least since halfway through the nineteenth century. In this century the two-step was done for a long time as a cowboy dance. These two-steps use a rhythm that we would now call "triple-step triple-step." In more recent times, the chasse has been altered to be a passing step. Two step dancers use "step step step step" rather than "step close step step," yet both use the rhythm QQSS.
In this century the two-step was done for a long time as a cowboy dance. Folks gathered just about anywhere to dance - on ranches, in barns, in the wide open spaces under the stars. Slowly a dance that was specifically "western" began to evolve. Novelty moves and styles popular in Appalachia and the south came west and were absorbed by the new settlers. However, the most important influence came from the cowboy!
The modern day two step is the main partner dance in country western dancing. The basic step occupies 6 beats of music. Similar to the 6-count swing, the steps consist of 2 quick steps (1 beat a piece) and 2 slow steps (2 beats a piece). Beyond the basic inside and outside turns, the two step incorporates many ducks, tunnels, and funky arm positioning.
As couple dancing regained popularity in the mid 1970's with the emergence of disco. In the late 1970's as disco died and country music continued to rise in rapid popularity, a resurgence of interest in western dance emerged. During this time, two step underwent rapid growth as a social dance. Two step followed the popularity of country music to its peak in popularity in the 90's, the competitive influence of the UCWDC has created the two step we now see today.
Nightclub (NC2)
The "two step" was developed in 1965 by a 15 year-old teen from Whitaker, Illinois named Buddy Schwimmer . Buddy was doing a line dance called "Surfer Stomp." It was based on two steps and a stomp. This worked well with fast music, but the footwork was too slow for medium and slow tempo songs. The timing was changed and it went from a line dance to a partnership dance. This then became the dance called "two step." Eventually in 1978, Buddy opened a dance studio in Costa Mesa, California and started teaching "nightclub two step" which is not commonly called just nightclub.
Nightclub, like all dances has gone through changes over time. It has evolved into two different-feeling dances. The original footwork was "rock in place, side" (quick, quick, slow). The country western dancers have adopted it and have included it in their competitions changing the footwork to (slow, quick, quick to better match the music). Nightclub is very gliding, continuous, strong and powerful with a big sweeping feeling. It is precise and quite technical.
Nightclub is a dance you can do in nightclubs as well as ballrooms, weddings, cruises, etc. It's an alternative to the "slow" dance - the dance where you stand, put your hands on your partner's waist and your partner puts her arms around your neck and you sway back and forth, back-and-forth etc., etc. It is perfect for medium and slow music. Nightclub is danced to popular music, mostly ballads and songs such as "Lady In Red," "On the Wings of Love." It's popularity is slowly moving east and is starting to be taught in Europe. It is just a matter of time before it is danced everywhere in the United States.
Swing Dancing
The precise origins of swing are not clear. In the 1910's there was a dance called the Texas Tommy, that according to Craig Hutchinson was the precursor of it all. After that, there is the Lindy hop which originated in the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. The name refers to Charles Lindbergh's "hop" across the ocean in 1927. From this evolved the jitterbug. This name appears in a Cab Calloway song of the early 1930's. Lindy and jitterbug evolved into east coast swing and jive. Where exactly west coast swing became a separate dance is not exactly clear, but happened somewhere in the 1940's. Skippy Blair was teaching what was essentially WCS (albeit called Western Swing) in the 50's.
East Coast Swing (Jive)
Jive, brought over from America was initially developed from a dance called "jitterbug" by eliminating all its acrobatic elements and polishing the technique. The first description of Jive made by London dance teacher Victor Sylvester was published in Europe in 1944. The boogie, rock & roll and the American swing also influenced this dance. Jive is a very fast, energy-consuming dance. It is the last dance danced at the competitions, and dancers have to show that after having already danced four times, they are not tired and ready to go hard at it.
West Coast Swing
West coast swing is the state dance of California. It's origins are definitely in Lindy Hop, but "you've come a long way, baby!" It's distinctive "dancing in a slot" approach derives from San Diego dancehalls as far back as 1938. The kicking jitterbugs would frolic in the center of the floor, with the smooth dancers grooving on the periphery. First called western swing by Arthur Murray in the 1950s, swing had taken a definite right turn. A "slot" appeared along with the follower's "walk walk" on the first two steps thanks to Murray's initial coding of the dance in a studio.
In the 50's, this dance was sometimes referred to as western swing and/or sophisticated swing, and sometimes it still is. In Downey, California in 1958, any dance called "western" would not attract students. Skippy Blair and her crew would explain that "western" really meant "west coast." Then, Jim Banister, local editor of the Herald American Newspaper suggested that they call it just that. So when they advertised in 1961, they advertised the dance as west coast swing. The dances current name, West Coast Swing, entered into mainstream swing circles in the late 60's. Many credit the current name of the dance to Skippy Blair. Latin styles and hustle influenced WCS from the 70's. Beginners seeing hustle and west coast swing often cannot distinguish them. Current WCS styles vary considerably. Modern WCS can be conservatively upright-postured, smooth and warm, or a funky, hot-partnered jazz dance. It is the social dance that allows for the greatest choice in styles of music.
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