Salsa/Mambo - Rumba - Merengue - Cha Cha - Samba - Bolero - Paso Doble Hustle - West Coast Swing - East Coast Swing - Lindy Hop Waltz - Foxtrot - Tango - Viennese Waltz - Peabody

Rhythm and Latin

Salsa/Mambo

Salsa is one of the most popular social dances in New York today. There are plenty of Latin clubs and great dancers! Both salsa and mambo work on a pattern of six steps danced over eight counts of music. Salsa begins on the "1" whereas mambo begins on the "2" count. This style became popular in the '40s, as Americans became fascinated with the exciting rhythms emanating from Latin countries, like Cuba. Salsa and mambo continue to evolve as more people learn the dances and add their own style.

Rumba

Originally a Haitian and African folkloric dance of fertility, Rumba was rejected at first by the upper classes because of the suggestive body and hip movements. By learning this slow and romantic dance, students are able to perfect their "cuban motion" and express their bodies in fluid motion.

Merengue

Merengue is a very popular and lively Latin dance, originating in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The Merengue tells a tale of a wounded military officer at a dance in his honor after his return from the war. The celebration of his return took an interesting turn when the limping officer got up to dance on his wounded leg. Out of respect, the other men decided to incorporate a limp in their dancing and Merengue was born.

Cha Cha

Cha Cha combines the elements of personality, character, rhythm, basis, and appeal from the Mambo and the Swing. This exciting, syncopated Latin dance originated in the 1950's and is performed in a 1-2-3, step-step rhythm. Cha Cha was named for its distinct repetitive foot rhythm and can be danced to Latin as well as contemporary music. The rhythm of Cha Cha grew out of the danzon, an older Cuban music and was adapted in America to incorporate big-band instruments such as trumpet, trombone and saxophone. Like all Latin dances, Cha Cha emphasizes hip action and rhythm expressed throughout the body.

Samba

Samba is an exciting, lively dance with roots in African rhythms on Brazilian plantations. Samba is still the heartbeat of the Brazilian celebration, Carnival. The dance is characterized by rapidly moving hips and the quick transfer of weight from one foot to another. Samba music is in 2/4 time and bounces smoothly and steadily. Samba was first introduced to mainstream culture at the World's Fair in New York in 1939 and gained popularity through the films of Carmen Miranda in the years before World War II. The dance was further popularized in America in the 1960's with the release of "Jazz Samba" and "The Girl from Ipanema."

Bolero

The pain and pleasures of love are the subjects of bolero, a style of popular song and dance practiced through much of Latin America for more than a century. It is also one of the five dances in the American Rhythm competition. Bolero is a smooth, sophisticated, sentimental love dance. The emphasis is on smoothness and graceful turns with much communication between partners. The slower music to which it is performed enhances the feeling of romance. Bolero has the same Afro-Cuban roots as the Rumba and is thought to have originated from Cuba or Spanish folk

Paso Doble

Paso Doble is a Spanish dance that portrays the man as a matador and the lady as his cape. It has its origins in Flamenco dancing, with an arrogant and passionate character to its movements.

Hustle

Hustle has its roots in 1970's New York and has a pattern similar to that of West Coast Swing. Its distinct flavor is perfect for Disco style or contemporary 90's music and remains one of the most popular dances in nightclubs today. Hustle was immortalized in "Saturday Night Fever" as John Travolta donned his white suit and hustled to the Bee Gees all night long. It is a fast and smooth dance with the follower spinning almost constantly as the leader draws her in and sends her away. Hustle is credited with reviving partner dancing in nightclubs after rock n' roll solo dances began to overshadow ballroom, partner-style dancing.

West Coast Swing

West Coast Swing is California's state dance performed in a slot with six and eight count patterns. The woman in West Coast Swing always walks forward on the first count, whereas in East Coast Swing she rocks back. The music is often slower than East Coast Swing music and is performed to medium tempo swing music such as rhythm and blues, contemporary and disco. It has a very smooth, even feel and has many different styles and interpretations.

East Coast Swing

East Coast Swing is usually performed to the rhythm of the basic triple step and consists of six and eight count patterns beginning with a rock step back by both dancers. The dance is performed to the upbeat and fast music from the Big Band era. East Coast Swing is danced in a circle and is much bouncier than West Coast Swing. It is the foundation of all swing dances.

Lindy Hop

Known as the "grand daddy" of all swing dances, Lindy has a very relaxed and playful style and makes a great partner dance with a lot of room for fun and improvisation. Lindy Hop grew out of the Big Band era and is danced to fast tempo swing. Steps are in eight count patterns in a circular motion with many kicks, lifts, hops and drops. The name itself comes from Charles Lindbergh's "hop" across the Atlantic Ocean.

Ballroom

Waltz

The Waltz first appeared as a fashionable dance in Bohemia, Austria, Bavaria and various parts of Europe during the late 1700's. Danced in ¾ time, the recurring even beats send the dancers whirling around the floor with a rising and lowering action with the feet and a swaying action with the upper body. The Waltz is a smooth, flowing and elegant social dance in which the couples use both the open (connected by only one hand) and closed (connected by both hands) position.

Foxtrot

Foxtrot is the dance of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers and it began in 1914, when a young dancer named Harry Fox did a version of the "Turkey Trot." As one of the most popular social dances in the world, the Foxtrot is the foundation for many of the social dances that followed. Dancers of all ages enjoy its smooth as glass movements and style. Foxtrot music is played by most social dance orchestras.

Tango

Tango is a dramatic dance characterized by a close hold between partners, a low center of gravity and a stealthy, almost cat-like attack on the steps. It was born in the brothels of 19th century Buenos Aires where diverse ethnic groups would mingle. Out of this cultural melting pot emerged a highly eroticized dance that was shunned by society's upper classes at the time, ultimately gaining acceptance after the turn of the century. American style Tango is danced in traditional ballroom "frame," with the lady offset to the man's left. The couple travels around the dance floor and the woman may or may not dance with a rose in her teeth and a fan in her hand.

Viennese Waltz

German peasant dance, the Landler. It gained tremendous popularity in 19th century Europe due to the fact that it was danced to the music of magnificent composers such as Johann Strauss and his son, also Johann. Although many of the patterns are identical to Waltz, Viennese Waltz is twice as fast and is characterized by swift, continuous rotations and turning figures. The rise-and-fall sway characteristics of the Waltz are significantly reduced in Viennese Waltz due to the speed of the music.

Peabody

The Peabody resembles a fast Foxtrot. Legend has it that the Peabody was created by a portly police or fire chief - Captain Peabody - who was so overweight that he had to dance to the side of his partner, creating the style which is so characteristic of the Peabody. It's primarily a dance with long, gliding steps. Dancers use many intricate quick steps set against a figure called the "open box".