PATHFIT3

• Ballroom dance


  A variety of social dances performed by couples in which there is a conventional pattern of steps
• Ballroom dancing


  Also known as social dance because it encourages social interaction between dance partners
• Ballroom


  A large room specially designed for such dances
• Ballare


  Latin word meaning 'to dance'
• In times past, ballroom dancing was social dancing for the privileged, leaving folk dancing for the lower classes
• Objectives of the chapter

  • Define and discuss the meaning of ballroom dance
  • Appreciate and analyse the benefits of ballroom dance into one's life
  • Understand the principles underlying leading and following in ballroom dancing
  • Differentiate and classify the characteristics of different styles of ballroom dance
• Benefits of ballroom dancing


  • Burn fat/lose weight/increase metabolism
  • Increase flexibility
  • Increase muscle strength and endurance
  • Great for all ages
  • Improve physical health
  • Improve mental health
  • Increase confidence
  • Provide self-expression and creativity
  • Reduce stress and depression
  • Provide social fun and friendship
• Ballroom dance as exercise

  • Low-impact aerobic activity
  • Burns fat and boosts metabolism
  • Equivalent to running or cycling
• Ballroom dance and weight loss

  • Can burn 200-400 calories in 30 minutes
  • As effective as cycling and jogging for weight loss
• Ballroom dance and flexibility

  • Increases flexibility and range of motion
  • Helps protect against dance-related injury
  • Improves core strength and balance
• Ballroom dance and muscle strength/endurance


  • Builds muscle strength in arms, legs and core
  • Improves muscular endurance
• Ballroom dance and physical health

  • Decreases blood pressure and cholesterol
  • Improves cardiovascular health
  • Strengthens weight-bearing bones
  • Helps prevent/slow osteoporosis
  • Lowers risks of obesity and type 2 diabetes
  • Promotes increased lung capacity
  • Enhances balance and stability
  • Improves cognitive abilities and reduces dementia risk
• Ballroom dance and mental health

  • Improves memory, alertness, awareness, focus and concentration
  • Prevents onset of dementia
  • Improves spatial memory in elderly
  • Creates more intricate neural pathways
  • Decreases anxiety, stress and depression
  • Decreases loneliness
• Ballroom dance and confidence


  • Improves comfort level, confidence and communication skills on the dance floor
  • Increases sense of accomplishment, motivation and confidence in other areas of life
• Ballroom dance and self-expression/creativity


  • Provides an emotional outlet to express feelings through body movements
  • Enhances ability to use expressive qualities even when not dancing
  • Helps unlock natural rhythm and creativity
• Ballroom dance and stress/depression


  • Provides an enjoyable escape from daily routine
  • Helps relax, relieve stress and concentrate on the present moment
  • Releases endorphins and lowers stress hormones
  • More likely to be voluntarily continued than traditional therapy
• Ballroom dance and social fun/friendship


  • Offers opportunity to expand social circle and build connections
  • Creates a low-pressure environment to meet new people
  • Encourages artistic, positive and cheerful interactions
  • Facilitates lasting friendships among dance enthusiasts
• Ballroom dance styles


  • Standard (Waltz, Tango, Quickstep, Foxtrot)
  • Latin (Cha-cha-cha, Jive, Rumba, Samba, Paso Doble)
  • Club (Swing, Salsa, Merengue)
• Standard dances


  • Elegant with strong emphasis on posture
  • Generally danced in closed position
• Latin dances


  • Prepared for hot, flashy movements, sexy poses and passionate expression
  • Generally faster-paced and more sensual
• Club dances


  • Lively, energetic and social
• Waltzer


  A word owing its origin to the French word Volvere, which indicates a rotating motion
• Characteristics of standard ballroom dances

  • Waltz: Smooth, flowing movements, continuous turns, "rise and fall"
  • Tango: Sensual, originated in South America
  • Quickstep: Quick stepping, syncopated feet rhythms, runs of quick steps
  • Foxtrot: Smooth, long flowing movements across the floor
• Characteristics of Latin ballroom dances

  • Cha-cha-cha: Lively, flirtatious, "Cuban motion"
  • Jive: Bouncy, energetic, lots of kicks
  • Rumba: Romantic, sensual, "Dance of Love"
  • Samba: Popular, energetic, originated in Brazil
  • Paso Doble: Lively, modelled after Spanish bullfight
• History and Origin of the Waltz

  1. The waltz is the oldest of the ballroom dances, dating from the middle of the Eighteenth Century

  2. A dance developed which was called the "Waltzer"

  3. Napoleon's invading soldiers spread the waltz from German to Paris

  4. The dance glided across the channel to England

  5. The waltz made its way to the United States
• Characteristics of club dances

  • Swing: Lively, with lifts, spins and flips
  • Salsa: Energetic, with spins, sharp movements and crisp turns
  • Merengue: Fast, "marching with style"
• Shah Asad Rizvi: 'Dance to inspire, dance to freedom, life is about experiences so dance and let yourself become free.'
• When the waltz was first introduced into the ballrooms of the world in the early years of the Nineteenth century, it was met with outraged indignation, for it was the first dance where the couple danced in a modified Closed position – with the man's hand around the waist of the lady
• Viennese Waltz


  A very fast version played at about 55-60 measures per minute
• Development of the Waltz

  1. Beginning about 1830, the waltz was given a tremendous boost by two Austrian composers Lanner and strauss

  2. They set the standard for the Viennese Waltz

  3. The fast tempo did indeed present problems. Much of the enjoyment of the new dance was lost in the continual strain to keep up with the music
• It is not known exactly when the Waltz was introduced to the United States. It was probably brought to New York and Philadelphia at about the same time, and by the middle of the Nineteenth Century was firmly established in United States society
• Modifications of the Waltz in the United States

  1. During the later part of the Nineteenth Century Waltzes were being written to a slower tempo than the original Viennese rhythm

  2. Around the close of the Nineteenth Century, two modifications of the waltz developed in the United states

  3. The first was the "Boston", a slower waltz with long gliding steps; there were fewer and slower turns and more forward and backward movement than in the Viennese waltz

  4. The American style waltz is similar to the International style or Boston except the American style has open dance positions and dancers legs pass instead of close

  5. The second modification was the "Hesitation waltz", which involves taking one step to three beats of the measure. Although the "Hesitation Waltz" is no longer danced, some of it's step patterns are still in use today
• Today both the faster Viennese Waltz, and the slower American and International style Waltzes are extremely popular with dancers of all ages
• Waltz dance music


  The three-quarter time signature of waltz has a distinctive 1-2-3; 1-2-3 feel and rhythm pattern. Great waltz music can be found in most music genres, including rock, country, pop, and classical. Beginners should start with the tempo of 90-100 beats per minute
• Basic steps


  1. The basic step for waltz is a box step. It's named after a pattern it creates on the floor (box or square) and forms the foundation of the dance

  2. A box step can be divided into two parts - a forward half box and a backward half box. Each half box has three steps - a step forward or backward, a step to the side, and a step to close the feet together

  3. The leader starts with the left foot and executes a forward half box, followed by a backward half box. The follower performs the opposite – she starts with the right foot and executes a backward half box, followed by a forward half box

  4. The basic box step pattern uses three counts - slow, quick, quick, which is repeated twice to create the box step. Timing is 1,2,3,1,2,3 or 1,2,3,4,5,6
• Other basic steps


  • Basic Waltz Sideward
  • Basic Waltz in open ballroom position
  • Curtsy- Front and Facing Partner
  • Do-Si-Do
  • Basic Waltz Closed Ballroom Position
  • Cross step
  • Basic Waltz in Closed Ballroom Position with a turn
• Tango


  A popular dance that originated in the 19th century outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Tango is somewhat different from other dances, especially traditional ballroom, but next in popularity behind waltz and foxtrot
• Tango


  • Has no rise & fall, no swaying
  • Known for quick, sharp movements and a catlike walking action
• Styles of Tango


  • Argentino
  • Ballroom
  • Finnish
  • Uruguayan
  • Nuevo
  • Vintage
  • Chinese