Foxtrot Dance

The Slow Foxtrot is a favorite among many ballroom dancers.  Because of its smoothness, it is often referred to as the Rolls Royce of the standard dances. Once you learn the Foxtrot, you really feel like a dancer. 

A beautiful, romantic dance, the Foxtrot is composed of fairly simple walking steps and side steps. The dance combines slow steps, which use two beats of music, and quick steps, which use one beat of music. The footwork timing is usually "slow, quick, quick" or "slow, slow, quick, quick." The Foxtrot must be danced very smoothly, with no jerking of the body. Timing is also a very important component of the Foxtrot. As the Foxtrot is more challenging than other styles of dance, it is usually recommended to master the Waltz and Quickstep prior to attempting it. 

The Foxtrot was developed in the United States in the 1920’s. Named after its inventor, entertainer Harry Fox, the Foxtrot is often associated with the smooth dancing style of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It has become one of the most popular ballroom dance in history. 

The Foxtrot is very similar to the Waltz. Both are extremely smooth dances that travel along a line of dance counterclockwise around the floor. The rise and fall action of the Foxtrot comes from the long walking movements made by the dancers. The dance combines quick steps with slow steps, giving dancers more flexibility in movement and greater dancing pleasure. 

The Foxtrot is typically danced to big band swing-style music, but may be danced to most music types. In the Foxtrot, the first and third beats are accented more strongly than the second and fourth beats. The foxtrot is typically danced to big band swing-style music written in 4/4 time, with tempo around 120 to 136 beats per minute.

Tango Dance

One of the most fascinating of all dances, the tango is a sensual ballroom dance that originated in South America in the early twentieth century. Tango is usually performed by a man and a woman, expressing an element of romance in their synchronized movements. 

Originally, the tango was performed only by women, but once it spread into Argentina, it developed into a dance for couples. The popularity of the tango has greatly increased over the years. Argentine Tango is much more intimate than Modern Tango, and is well-suited to dancing in small settings. Argentine Tango retains the intimacy of the original dance. 

Early tango styles greatly influenced the ways in which we dance today. Tango music has become one of the greatest of all music genres throughout the world. Spanish settlers were the first to introduce the tango to the New World. Ballroom tango originated in working-class Buenos Aires. The dance spread quickly through Europe during the 1900's, then moved on into the United States. Tango began gaining popularity in New York around 1910. 

Several different styles of tango exist, each with its own individual flair. Most of the styles are danced in either open embrace, with the couple having space between their bodies, or in close embrace, where the couple is closely connected at either the chest or the hip area. Many people are familiar with "ballroom tango," characterized by strong, dramatic head snaps. 

Tango is danced to a repetitive style of music. The count of the music is either 16 or 32 beats. While dancing the tango, the lady is held in the crook of the man’s arm. She holds her head back and rests her right hand on the man's lower hip. The man must allow the lady to rest in this position while leading her around the floor in a curving pattern. Tango dancers must strive to make a strong connection with the music as well as their audience.

Paso Doble Dance

Paso Doble, or Pasodoble, is a lively dance modeled after the drama of the Spanish bullfight. Paso doble actually means "two-step." 

The Paso Doble is a theatrical Spanish dance. Traditionally, the man is characterized as the matador (bullfighter) and the lady as his cape in the drama of a Spanish bullfight. The dancers may choose to enact the role of the torero, picador, banderillero, bull, or Spanish dancer, and may change roles throughout the dance. Based on Flamenco dancing, the Paso Doble is both arrogant and passionate. The Paso Doble is performed more as a competition dance than as a social dance. 

The Paso Doble originated in southern France and began gaining popularity in the United States in the 1930s. Because the dance developed in France, the steps of the Spanish Paso Doble actually have French names. 

One of the most dramatic of all the Latin dances, the Paso Doble is a progressive dance. In the Paso Doble, dancers take strong steps forward with the heels, and incorporate artistic hand movements. The forward steps, or walks, should be strong and proud. All moves of the Paso Doble should be sharp and quick, with the chest and head held high to represent arrogance and dignity. 

In Spanish, "Paso Doble" means "two steps" and refers to the marching nature of the steps. The dance consists of several dramatic poses that are coordinated with highlights in the music. The body is held upright with the feet always directly underneath the body. The following steps are distinctive to the Paso Doble:

Sur Place (on the spot)

Separation

Attack

Huit

Open Promenade to Open Counter Promenade

Spanish Line

Promenade Close

Flamenco Taps

Paso Doble music has strong Flamenco influences. The bold, inspiring music has a simple 1-2-1-2 march rhythm, with very few rhythm changes. The tempo of Paso Doble music is usually a brisk 60 beats per minute. The Spanish Gypsy Dance has become the universal anthem of the Paso Doble.

Mambo Dance

The Mambo dance originated in Cuba as a mixture of Afro-Caribbean and Latin American cultures. The Mambo is believed to have been named after the voodoo priests who thought they could send dancers into hypnotic states. Initially condemned by the churches and restricted by authorities in some countries, with time the Mambo gained popularity and became the favorite dance style that it is today.

Originally from Cuba, the Mambo is enjoyed throughout the world at both the social and competitive dance levels. The mambo is a favorite of ballroom audiences because of its high energy level and infectious rhythms. Popularized in recent years by singers such as Ricky Martin, the Mambo is fascinating and diverse. 

The feel of the Mambo is based mostly on forward and backward movements. The basic components of the dance include rock steps and side steps, with occasional points, kicks and flicks of the feet. Important to Mambo is the distinctive hip movement, hence the meaning of the word mambo: "shake it." 

Some say the Mambo is a flirtacious, sensual dance, sometimes almost raunchy. Mambo dancers appear quite passionate and seem to express that passion with the movements of their hips. Exaggerated hip movements combined with long, flowing movements and sharp, quick steps contribute to the sensuous feel of the Mambo. 

The Mambo uses a 4/4 beat and is similar in rhythm to the slower Bolero. The basic Mambo combination is counted as "quick-quick-slow," with the foot moving on the second beat. On the third beat, the weight shifts to the other foot, returning to the original foot on the fourth beat. Dancers swing their hips through each step, creating a fluid motion and a sensuous atmosphere. A few distinctive Mambo steps:

La Cucuracha

Manita a Mano

New York

New York Bus Stop

El Molinito

The Liquidizer

El Mojito

Los Giros Locos

In Mambo music, the rhythm is set by a variety of percussive instruments, including maracas and cowbells. Beginner may be confused by the variety of Mambo rhythms, but variety is what gives Mambo its spice. The tempo of Mambo also varies between musicians, with a wide range of 32 beats per minute to a challenging 56 beats per minute. In the past, Mambo bands would hold friendly competitions to see who could create the best mambo rhythm. Today the dance is making a comeback and is performed in ballroom competitions.

Merengue Dance

The Merengue is the national dance of the Dominican Republic, and also to some extent, of Haiti, the neighbor sharing the island. There are two popular versions of the of the origin of the Merengue. 

One story alleges the dance originated with slaves who were chained together and, of necessity, were forced to drag one leg as they cut sugar to the beat of drums. The second story alleges that a great hero was wounded in the leg during one of the many revolutions in the Dominican Republic. A party of villagers welcomed him home with a victory celebration and, out of sympathy, everyone dancing felt obliged to limp and drag one foot. Merengue has existed since the early years of the Dominican Republic (in Haiti, a similar dance is called the Meringue).

It is possible the dance took its name from the confection made of sugar and egg whites because of the light and frothy character of the dance or because of its short, precise rhythms. By the middle of the nineteenth century, the Merengue was very popular in the Dominican Republic. Not only is it used on every dancing occasion in the Republic, but it is very popular throughout the Caribbean and South American, and is one of the standard Latin-American dances. 

There is a lot of variety in Merengue music. Tempos vary a great deal and the Dominicans enjoy a sharp quickening in pace towards the latter part of the dance. The most favored routine at the clubs and restaurants that run a dance floor is a slow Bolero, breaking into a Merengue, which becomes akin to a bright, fast Jive in its closing stages. Ballroom Merengue is slower and has a modified hip action. Merengue was introduced in the United States in the New York area. However, it did not become well known until several years later. Ideally suited to small, crowded dance floors, it is a dance that is easy to learn and essentially a "fun" dance.

Cha Cha Dance

Cha cha is the newcomer of the Latin American Dances. This dance was first seen in the dance-halls of America, in the early fifties, following closely Mambo, from which it was developed. The music is slower than Mambo. 

Chonque was the grandfather of Rumba and Cha cha with African rhythms and Spanish guitar, but Enrique Joren came up with the first full-fledged Cha cha in 1951. He wanted it to be a medium rhythm, very recognizable and not too frenetic. His creation came from the idea that there should be a music created specifically for dance and participation, not only for listening, or for a select elite. 

The name Cha cha is an imitation of the "rhythm" from dancing Cuban side steps. From the less inhibited night clubs and dance halls the Mambo underwent subtle changes. It was triple Mambo, and then peculiar scraping and shuffling sounds during the "tripling" produced the imitative sound of Cha cha. This then became a dance in itself. Mambo or triple Mambo or cha cha as it is now called, is but an advanced stage in interpretive social dancing born of the fusion of progressive American and Latin music. 

After the World War II the Mambo was pushed aside by the Cha cha which became popular around 1956. According to its roots the Cha cha should be played passionately without any seriousness and with staccato allowing the dancers to project an atmosphere of 'naughtiness" to the audience.