Dancing gives excellent benefits to our health. With ballroom dance, you can keep a fit body. Moreover, it shall boost our metabolism. Notwithstanding which age you are, there is always a type of ballroom dance suitable for you. If you want to learn about different styles of ballroom dances and find a suitable styles for yourself, you’ve come to the right place. This article covers the Tango, Waltz, Quickstep, and Foxtrot. Some of them come with slow-move steps. The rest are quite challenging. This article will give you a general look at what each type of dance is all about.
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Types of Ballroom Dance
Ballroom dance is divided into two main groups. These are standard ballroom dance and Latin ballroom dance. You can easily distinguish the two groups by the music coming with the dance. Western music, which is composed in the mid-twentieth century, is an important part of Standard ballroom dance. On the other hand, Latin ballroom dance often comes up with Western music and Latin American music. In this article, we shall introduce you most common standard ballroom dance types.
Standard types of ballroom dance include 5 styles:
- Tango
- Foxtrot
- Waltz
- Viennese Waltz
- Quicksteps
Now, let’s get start learning about each of them.
Tango
The tango is a romantic, dramatic dance form that originated on the banks of the Rio de la Plato and has spread to other parts of the world. Its sharp movements and passionate attitude have been portrayed in many films, including “Scent of a Woman” with Al Pacino and Audrey Hep, and “True Lies” with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Its sneaking walking characteristics make it an incredibly sensual choice.
It is a type of ballroom dance that emphasizes the use of a close hold and a low center of gravity. The dance has an almost cat-like feel and dramatic attitude, and the Leader’s body is low on the Follower’s back. The Leader’s left arm is bent at a 90-degree angle, and the Follower’s left hand is held close in toward the body.
Foxtrot
The foxtrot is a graceful, all-purpose dance form from the Ballroom genre. It’s distinguished by long, flowing movements and an emphasis on progression and control. This type of ballroom dance is similar to the Waltz, and its long, slow steps and rise and fall motions make it easy to mistake for the latter. The dance is performed to music with a four-beat time signature, with each beat corresponding to a single step.
Traditionally, the Foxtrot was created in the twentieth century in American and has been performed throughout the world ever since. Originally, it was based on simple walking steps and side steps. Today, it uses both quick and slow steps and emphasizes fluidity. Foxtrot dancers strive for smooth, rhythmic movements, and they should learn the Waltz first, before moving on to the Foxtrot.
Waltz
The Waltz is formed from six basic dance steps. People consider Waltz as one of easiest types of Ballroom dance. It’s the standard pattern of the international style and is one of the most popular and well-known in dance clubs. It’s can be performed in a number of ways, depending on your skill level.
The waltz is one of the oldest forms of ballroom dancing. Its name comes from the German word walzen, which means to revolve. Despite being a dance that requires close proximity to your dance partner, the waltz has become one of the most popular types in the world. Originally a dance for courtship, the waltz was viewed as scandalous by some in its day, but eventually became a popular dance form throughout Europe. This dance type also has distinct styles and has a three-fourths time signature.
Viennese Waltz
Viennese Waltz originated from France. It is one of the oldest types of Ballroom Dance. Although Viennese Waltz existed from 1559. Until the 19th century, it becomes famous all over the world with the music of Josef and Johann Strauss. Viennese Waltz impresses people with the fast moves. The concept of this Ballroom dance type is one step with the body moving lightly forward and one on the opposite side. Viennese Waltz is called a classic “old-school” Ballroom Dance as well.
Quickstep
Invented in the 1920s, Quickstep is one of the favorite dances of English. It is known as the combination of Charleston and Foxtrot. Fast tempo and fast-moving is the big difference between Quickstep and other types of dance. With Quickstep, the male dancer often closes their feet which helps him make short syncopated steps easily. The concept of moving Quickstep is various. They can be walks, runs, chasses or even locks, hops, run, quick step, jump, and skips.
Final thoughts
The above are group of easiest types of ballroom dance for the starter. Instead of the scare, most of people shall enjoy the joyful and friendly atmosphere of the dancing class. Ballroom dance is not only good for you health, but also give you a big chance of making friend.
