Dance Styles

Ultimate Dance Ballroom Studio offers instruction in International Standard and Latin as well as American Smooth and Rhythm styles of ballroom dance.

Standard and Smooth

Standard and Smooth styles of ballroom dance are danced to smooth, flowing, often classical style of music, and are characterized by “rise and fall” technique and smooth, graceful movement. The differences between International Standard and American Smooth are more apparent.

• International Standard is danced in closed position only, meaning that partners remain connected throughout the dance in a closed position.
• American Smooth has more freedom by dancing some positions in an open frame and can have movements in separate dance position.

Latin and Rhythm

The Latin and Rhythm styles have a distinctive musical genre characterized by powerful, rhythmic, often syncopated music, played traditionally with percussion and stringed instruments. This music embraces a rich cultural mix, derived from countries including Cuba, Brazil, Spain, the United States and areas of Africa. These dances are often characterized by “Cuban” hip movements.

The differences between International Latin and American Rhythm can be less distinct to the untrained eye and involve differences in timing and technique. Finally, you can find that these dance styles — such as Salsa, West Coast Swing, Argentine Tango, Hustle, Merengue, and other “club” dances — have further evolved into social dancing as well as made their way into the dance competition arena.

Cha Cha

The Cha Cha is a popular, social Latin dance. Lively and flirtatious, the Cha Cha is full of passion and energy. It requires small steps and lots of hip motion. Cha Cha is comprised of five steps danced to four beats, such as “two, three, cha-cha-cha” or “two, three, cha-cha, one.” The basic components of the Cha Cha are triple steps and rock steps.

Style variations we teach: Rhythm and Latin
See it in action: Cha Cha Medley
Learn Cha Cha: View online tutorial

Jive

Jive is a very happy, boppy dance featuring knee-lifting, bending, and rocking of the hips. The basic look and feel of jive is that it is performed with lots and lots of energy, with the legs portraying a pumping action. Basic jive consist of two triple steps and a rock step. Jive can be danced to a variety of upbeat music, such as Swing and Rock and Roll.

Style variations we teach: Latin
See it in action: Jive Medley

Quickstep

Elegant, smooth and glamorous, the Quickstep is a ballroom dance style composed of extremely quick steps and syncopated feet rhythms set to fast-paced music. Quickstep is an energetic and joyful dance which should give an appearance of being extremely light and airy while keeping the body posture straight and strong.

Style variations we teach: Standard
See it in action: Quickstep Medley

Rumba

Rumba dance tells a story of love and passion between a man and a woman. Full of sensual movements, the Rumba is one of the most romantic ballroom dances. The Rumba spotlights the lady’s rhythmic body movements and hip actions and exudes flirtation between the partners.

Style variations we teach: Latin and Rhythm
See it in action: Rumba Medley
Learn Rumba: View online tutorial

Samba

The Samba is considered the dance of celebration and joy at Carnival celebrations in Brazil. Samba incorporates elaborate tricks, turns and acrobatic feats into its basic set of figures. The major action of samba, known as the “samba bounce action,” gives the dance its unique look and feel.

Style variations we teach: Latin
See it in action: Samba Medley

Swing (West Coast)

Swing dance is a quick, fast-paced 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 favorite among social dancers of all ages. West Coast Swing is slotted dance in which the follower travels back and forth along a rectangle, or slot.

Style variations we teach: Rhythm
See it in action: West Coast Swing Medley
Learn Swing: View online tutorial

Viennese Waltz

The Viennese Waltz is the classic and elegant dance. It is much faster-paced than the classic, slow Waltz. The Viennese Waltz is characterized by sweeping turns that move gracefully around the floor. This dance is known for its simple and elegant rotational movement. The “rise and fall” action is abrupt and shallow, and the steps are small and compact.

Style variations we teach: Standard and Smooth
See it in action: Viennese Waltz Medley

Source: http://www.thoughtco.com/ballroom-dances-basics-1007205.