social dances

• Social or ballroom dancing is frequently conducted in groups or with a partner as a recreational activity within the community They may also have ceremonial, competitive, and crotic events. The main goal is to get to know other people in attendance to a certain social function. The standard and Latin dances include both styles of social and ballroom dancing provide significant physical and emotional benefits. Additionally, there are social health benefits.
• STANDARD BALLROOM DANCES Standard ballroom dances are fluid, flowing routines that move counterclockwise around the entire dance floor. Also known for it's smooth movement. Most of the time, movements in these are restricted to close ballroom position with partner
• FOXTROT It is an American dance and believed to be of African-American origin. This dance was named by American performer Harry Fox. It can be danced at slow, medium, or fast tempos depending on the speed of the jazz or big band music. It is an elegant dance whose objective is to travel smoothly around the dance floor. The time signature is 4/4 with the first and third beats accented.
• Waltz


  • First dance where a man held a woman close to his body
  • Considered by some as "mother of present-day dances" and the "backbone dance" of the ballroom
• TANGO

  It originates from Buenos Aires (Argentina) where it was first danced in "Barrio de las Rana", the ghetto of Buenos Aires. The word "tango" may be an African term for "closed space" or "reserved ground," or it may be from the Latin verb tanguere which mean "to touch". The time signature is 2/4 with both beats accented wherein "slow count "equivalent to 1 beat while "quick count" equivalent to half of a beat
• QUICK STEP It was developed during World War I in New York and became popular in ballrooms. It was invented in the 1920's with the same origin of foxtrot as well as the tempo. It is an up-and-down, rise-and-fall swinging motion performed at a fast pace. Music used is usually jazz or swing with a brisk tempo. The time signature is 4/4 with the first and third beats accented wherein "slow count" equivalent to 2 beats while "quick count' equivalent to 1 beat
• LATIN-AMERICAN DANCES Latin ballroom dances are energetic dances which reflect the shift in rhythm of the music being danced to. Latin dance has a rich cultural history rooted in the traditional dances of native peoples of Latin America. These dances distinguish themselves by the costume worn by performers as well as the nature of the movements,
• CHA-CHA-CHA This dance originated in Cuba and sometimes called cha-cha in the United States. It was developed by Enrique Jorrin in the early 1950's. it is a flirtatious dance with many hip rotations and partners synchronizing their movements. The time signature is 4/4 with accented beat on the first and fourth of each beat wherein count 2 and 3 equivalents to I beat while count 4 equivalents to half beat.
• JIVE It was developed from the dance "jitterbug" from America. After the origination of the jive dance in the United States, it slowly spread to the European countries and in the United Kingdom. This type of dance is part of the swing dance group and is a very lively variation of the jitterbug In jive, the man leads the dance while the woman encourages the man to ask them to dance. The time signature is 4/4 with accent on the first beat, second beat, and fourth beat of each bar
• SAMBA It is the national dance of Brazil and of the five international Latin dances developed in Brazil during the 19th century. It is danced with slight bounce which is created through the bending and straightening the knee. The basic footwork features fast, three-step weight changes with a slight knce lift, led with alternating feet. The basic rhythm is "quick", quick, slow, and repeat. The time signature is 2/4 with musical accent on the first beat and percussive accent on the second beat
• RUMBA It originates primarily from Cuba in the sixteenth century, which has its roots in African rhythms brought to America by the slaves. An important characteristic of rhumba is the powerful and direct lead achieved through the ball of the foot Morcover, it considered as the sexiest of the ballroom dances which tells the story of love and passion between a strong man and a teasing woman. The time signature is 4/4 with an accent on the first beat and fourth beat of each bar
• Posture-enables a dancer to stand out on the floor, which shows ​sophistication and confidence. Timing- dancing on time with the music. Line- the stretching of the body. Hold- the correct position of the body with the partner is closed position.
• Poise- the stretch of the woman's body upwards and outwards and leftwards into the man's right arm to achieve balance and connection with his frame, as well as to project outwards to the audience
• Togetherness- dancing of two people as one on the dance floor.
• Musicality and expression- the basic characterization of the dance with the

  particular music being played and the choreographic adherence to musical

  phrasings and accents.
• Presentation - how the couple presents their dancing to the audience as well as the proper costuming and grooming
• Power- the energy that is controlled and not wild.
• Foot and leg action- the use of lower extremities that creates balance, beauty and strength
• Shape- the combination of turn and sway to create a look or a position
• Lead and follow- the non-verbal communication of the man and lady. through shape, visual, and body weight
• Floorcraft - the ability to avoid bumping into other couples and continue dancing without pause when boxed in
• Intangibles - how a couple "look" together in performing their dances.
• Line of dance (LOD) the counter clockwise direction around the dance Поог
• Wall - means the direction perpendicular to the LOD pointing towards the wall of the room (imaginary).
• Center - means the direction perpendicular to the LOD pointing towards the center of the room
• Open facing position- a variation of open position where gentleman and

  lady stand apart, facing each other, usually with a one-or twohand

  connection.
• Outside partner position- a variation of the closed position where the tracking of the gentleman and lady's feet are slightly offset
• Promenade position- a V-shaped dance position where both gentleman and lady move forward and in the same direction, toward the open end of the
• Closed position- the normal hold where couple stand facing each other in body contact slightly offset to the left. In Latin dances, couple stand few inches apart, either directly in front of each other or very slightly offset.
• Open position- any dance position where a gentleman and a lady stand apart or slightly apart, without taking a closed position dance hold