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Dances
Stylized Swing dance. Danced in a slot to medium-to-slow Swing or Disco music, and characterized by slot movements, taps/shuffles, coaster steps, and push/pull action of the dancers.
Single/Double/Triple timing are all styles of this dance. Characterized by upbeat tempo of the music and a basic two slow and two quick counts of rhythm dances.
The real origin of the Waltz is rather obscure, but it is described as a dance of turns and glides. Couples dance to a rise-and-fall gliding motion with a count of one-two-three.
It was a triple mambo, and then peculiar scraping and shuffling sounds during the "tripling" produced the imitative sounds of "Cha Cha Cha". This became a dance in itself. Cha Cha is but an advanced stage in interpretive social dancing born of the fusion of progressive American and Latin music.
Continuing popularity as a swing style today, this dance was inspired by the Disco days of John Travolta. Counts for this dance is a basic and-one-two-three, with stylized arm movements and lots of spins for the ladies.
Originally a Spanish dance in 3/4 time, it was changed in Cuba initially into 2/4 time, then eventually into 4/4 time. It is now present as a very slow and sensual type of Rumba rhythm. The music is frequently arranged with Spanish vocals and a subtle percussion effect.
The characteristic feature is to take each step without initially placing the weight on that step. Steps are made with a slightly bent knee which, when straightened, causes the hips to sway from side-to-side in what has come to be known as "Cuban motion".
The fusion of Swing and Cuban music produced this fascinating rhythm and in turn created a new sensational dance. It may be described as a riff or a Rumba with emphasis on the fourth beat of 4/4 time.
Salsa music is hot, and so it the dance, with its tight, compact movements. Salsa is a great social dance that everyone enjoys and is one of the most popular club dances around today. Timing is also with a quick-quick-slow.
There are essentially three types of Tango -- Argentine, American and International Style. Unlike the Argentine Tango, American Tango features a structure which is correlated to the musical phrasing. It is executed in both closed and in various types of extravagant dance relationship which incorporate a particular freedom of expression.
Said by some to have been originated by Harry Fox (1913) It is now a standard ballroom dance the world over, and serves as a good foundation for social dances in 2/4 or 4/4 time.
The Two Step is a simple dance, more or less a double-quick march with a skip, each step done as rapidly as a couple can go forward, backward and turning.