International Style

Waltz - A ballroom and folk dance in 3/4 time, performed primarily in closed position.
 

Foxtrot - A ballroom dance which takes its name from its inventor, the vaudeville actor Harry Fox. The dance was premiered in 1914, quickly catching the eye of the talented husband and wife duo, Vernon and Irene Castle, who lent the dance its signature grace and style.
 

Tango - A musical genre and its associated dance forms that originated in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay and spread to the rest of the world soon after that.
 

Quickstep - An International Style ballroom dance that follows a 2/4 or 4/4 time beat, similar to a fast Foxtrot. An example of a song suitable for the classic quickstep would be "Louis Prima's "Sing, Sing, Sing". However, while the dance may appear very similar to a fast Foxtrot, its technique and patterns are distinct.
 

Viennese Waltz - The genre of a ballroom dance. At least three different meanings are recognized. In the historically first sense, the name may refer to several versions of the waltz, including the earliest waltzes done in ballroom dancing, dances to the music of Viennese Waltz.
 

Samba - A lively, rhythmical dance of Brazilian origin in 2/4 time danced under the Samba music. However, there are three steps to every bar, making the Samba feel like a 3/4 timed dance. Its origins include the Maxine. There are two major streams of Samba dance that differ significantly: the modern Ballroom Samba, described in this article, and the traditional Brazilian Samba.
 

Rumba - A dance organically related to the rumba genre of Afro-Cuban music. Throughout the history one may trace several styles of dances called "rumba". Some dancers considered rumba the most erotic and sensual Latin dance, for its relatively slow rhythm and the hip movement. Rumba is actually the second slowest Latin dance: the spectrum runs bolero, rumba, cha-cha-cha, mambo in order of the speed of the beat.
 

Bolero - A 3/4 dance that originated in Spain in the late 18th century, a combination of the contradanza and the sevillana. It is danced by either a soloist or a couple. It is in a moderately slow tempo and is performed to music which is sung and accompanied by castanets and guitars with lyrics of five to seven syllables in each of four lines per verse. It is in triple time and usually has a triplet on the second beat of each bar.
 

Cha Cha - is a Latin American dance of Cuban origin. In ballroom dancing, it is increasingly popular to call the dance cha-cha.
 

Paso Doble - A lively style of dance to the duple meter march-like pasodoble music. It actually originated in southern France, but is modeled after the sound, drama, and movement of the Spanish bullfight. Paso doble means "two step" in Spanish.
 

Jive - A dance style in 4/4 time that originated among African-Americans in the early 1940s. It is a lively and uninhibited variation of the Jitterbug, a form of Swing dance. In Ballroom dancing, Jive is one of the five International Latin dances. In competition it is danced at a speed of 44 bars per minute, although in other cases this is reduced to between 32 and 40 bars per minute. Many of its basic patterns are similar to these of the East Coast Swing with the major difference of highly syncopated rhythm of the Triple Steps (Chasses), which use straight eighths in ECS and hard swing in Jive.

American Style

Salsa - is usually a partner dance, although there are recognized solo steps and some forms are danced in groups of couples, with frequent exchanges of partner. Improvisation and social dancing are important elements of Salsa but it appears as a performance dance too.
 

Merengue - a dance and music of the Dominican Republic (East Hispaniola). It is very similar to Méringue which is popular in Haiti. Merengue was made the official music and dance of the Dominican Republic by Rafael Trujillo. Partners hold each other in a closed position. The man holds the woman's waist with his right hand while keeping his left hand/her right hand at the woman's eye level. The merengue is a two-step beat requiring both partners to bend their knees slightly left and right. This in turn makes the hips move left and right. When danced correctly, the hips of the man and woman will move in the same direction throughout the song. Partners may walk sideways or circle each other, in small steps. They can further switch to a double handhold position and do separate turns without letting go each other's hands or momentarily releasing one hand. During these turns they may twist and tie their handhold into intricate pretzels. Other choreography is possible.
 

Mambo - A Latin dance of Cuban origin that corresponds to mambo music. It is rhythmically similar to the slower bolero, though it has a more complex pattern of steps. The saxophone usually sets the syncopated rhythm, while the other brass carries the melody. The rhythm of steps is unusual in comparison to most other dances. It can be counted as "quick-quick-slow", the first "quick" is on the beat 2 of the measure and the "slow" step crosses the boundary of the musical measure and performed on counts "4", "1".
 

Hustle - a catchall name for several disco dances which were extremely popular in the 1970s. Today it mostly refers to a unique partner dance done in ballrooms and nightclubs. It has some features in common with swing dance. Modern partner hustle is sometimes referred to as New York Hustle.
 

Swing - the term is commonly used to refer to a group of dances that developed concurrently with the style of jazz music in the 1920s, 30s and 40s.
 

Cha Cha - (See International Dance Style)
 

Rumba - (See International Dance Style)
 

Bolero - (See International Dance Style)
 

Tango - (See International Dance Style)
 

Foxtrot  - (See International Dance Style)
 

Waltz  - (See International Dance Style)
 

Viennese Waltz - (See International Dance Style)
 

West Coast Swing -  A partner dance derived from Lindy Hop. It is characterised by a distinctive elastic look that results from its basic extension-compression technique of partner connection, and is danced primarily in a slotted area on the dance floor. The dance allows for both partners to improvise steps while dancing together. Typically the follower walks into new patterns traveling forward on counts "1" and "2" of each basic pattern, rather than rocking back. The Anchor Step is a common ending pattern of many West Coast Swing figures.
 

Hip-Hop - Mainly street dance styles, primarily danced to hip hop music, or that have evolved as a part of the hip hop culture. These later styles are sometimes referred to as new school or new style while the older styles, including breakdance and various funk styles that were incorporated into hip hop, are considered old school. Hip hop dancing is evolving in many different directions today, heavily influenced by the evolution of hip hop music and its popularity in media, surrounded by heated debates on history and authenticity.
 

Tap - Developed in the United States during the nineteenth century, and is popular nowadays in many parts of the world. The name comes from the tapping sound made when the small metal plates on the dancer's shoes touch a hard floor. This lively, rhythmic tapping makes the performer not just a dancer, but also a percussive musician.
 

Jazz - An umbrella term that can refer to several related dance styles. All of them are connected via common roots, namely tap, ballet, jazz music, and African-American rhythms and dance.
 

Latin - It consists of the following five dances: Cha cha, Rumba, Samba, Paso Doble, Jive. Notice that the last two dances are not in fact of Latin American origin. Compared to typical ballroom dance, Latin dances are generally faster-paced, more sensual, and have more rhythmic expression. Time is 4/4 straight rhythm or related. Couples in the basic position stand face-to-face. Music may be Latin American traditional or contemporary popular music.
 

Modern - A dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.
 

Ballet - An academic dance form and technique that is taught in ballet schools according to specific methods. There are many ballet schools around the world that specialize in various styles of ballet and offer different techniques. Works of dance choreographed using this technique are called ballets, and usually include dance, mime, acting, and music (usually orchestral but occasionally vocal). Ballet is best known for its unique features and techniques, such as pointed work, turn-out of the legs; its graceful, flowing, precise movements; and its ethereal qualities.
 

Hip-Hop - Mainly street dance styles, primarily danced to hip hop music, or that have evolved as a part of the hip hop culture. These later styles are sometimes referred to as new school or new style while the older styles, including breakdance and various funk styles that were incorporated into hip hop, are considered old school. Hip hop dancing is evolving in many different directions today, heavily influenced by the evolution of hip hop music and its popularity in media, surrounded by heated debates on history and authenticity.
 

Kinder-Dances - The original nationwide dance, motor development, gymnastics, and fitness program that combines academic readiness skills which are specifically designed for children ages 3 to 5. What makes Kinderdance unique is that all of our programs incorporate educational concepts in a developmentally designed curriculum that teaches to the total child. We place special emphasis on building "Self Confidence" and "Self-Esteem" in young children.