Ballroom Smooth Dance

Ballroom dancing and ballroom, latin, salsa dance dresses

 

Ballroom dancing encompasses both traditional dances, such as the Waltz, Tango and Quickstep, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz –(the "Standard" category)- and latin dances, including Cha-Cha, Samba, Rumba, Samba and Jive, which make up the "Latin" category. On a higher level, however, "Ballroom" branches into two distinct styles – "International", consisting of International Standard and International Latin, and "American", consisting of American Smooth and American Rhythm. American Style is more prominent on the North American continent, but virtually unknown throughout Europe and the rest of the world - for this reason, we encourage students to start with International style.

Differences:

If you're watching ballroom dancing and wondering how to distinguish between International and American styles, here are two points to look out for: dance positions and leg action Standard and Smooth dances. International Standard is danced almost exclusively in closed dance positions while American Smooth allows more moves executed in open position.The Latin and Rhythm dances tend to be a bit harder to tell apart. The dancers' leg action is probably the best clue as to which style they're dancing here. In American Rhythm, the dancers will use a bent leg action allowing them to delay their change of weight on the step, so you will frequently see them with bent legs. However, in International Latin, the dancers usually have the look of two straight legs which comes from the faster change of weight on the step.The different ballroom dances can be characterized as follows:

Slow Waltz is counted in ¾ time, and has a classic swooping rise and fall. This is the Standard dance usually learned first.
Tango is known for quick, sharp snaps and dramatic pauses. It is much more stylized than Argentine Tango, from which it was derived, although it is still passionate. It alternates between slow, stalking motion and explosive speed..
Slow Foxtrot is the Standard dance many find the most challenging, and most rewarding. It is smooth, playful, and very slow. Like American Foxtrot, it is done to Big Band music in 4/4 time, but its basic timing is slow-quick-quick and the speed is much slower.
Quickstep is a high-speed version of the Slow Foxtrot. It's done to Swing-type music and is very energetic and vivacious. Advanced figures include hops, skips, and jumps
Viennese Waltz is about twice the speed of Waltz. The international style is faster than the American style, and very simple. There are only a few figures in the dance, since partners never release their arm hold. Although the speed can make the dance challenging

Foxtrot is a great social dance: it's fun, not hard to learn, and easy to lead and follow. Traditionally danced to Big Band music, it is smooth and sexy. Its basic timing is slow-slow-quick-quick. The American Foxtrot is upbeat and sprightly, more like the Quickstep than the Slow Foxtrot, looking like an old Fred and Ginger movie. Some jazziness and showdancy quality is added that is not appropriate (or even possible) in international style.

The different latin dances can be characterized as follows:
Cha-Cha is a fast and flirtatious dance that was created by replacing the "slow" in Rumba with  a quick"side-close-side" (cha-cha-cha).
Samba is super sexy with a pulsing "1 a-2" beat and fluid hip action. American Samba features simpler figures than International Samba, but the same music and technique
Rumba is the only slow International Latin dance; is slower than American Rumba, but faster than Bolero. It is sensual and passionate. Its basic timing is slow-quick-quick, like American Style, but all of the figures are different; the "slow" is on beat 2 of the music instead of beat 1.
Paso Doble portrays a bullfight. The man depicts the matador, while the female portrays the flowing and snapping cape. There are only a few songs to which Paso Doble is danced, and they all have the musical highlights in the same place. Thus this dance is usually completely choreographed from start to finish; each musical highlight corresponds to a dramatic pose or drop.
Jive is a tight, precise, extremely fast version of East Coast Swing. Its basic timing is rock step, triple-step, triple-step, and it features swift flicks and kicks and lots of spins.
Bolero is a very slow dance compared to the Rumba. It is swooping and graceful.
East Coast Swing is the basis of many of the other Swings. Its basic timing is "triple-step, triple-step, rock-step

Mambo is similar to Salsa (very fast!). The basic timing is quick-quick-slow.

Salsa has recently grown to be one of most popular club dances. It is fast, sexy, and features a lot of improvisation. It is extremely popular in clubs around the world.

Merengue is a Club dance that is done to really fast Latin music. It consists of very simple steps organized into sets of 8, and features a characteristic hip.

About the Author

Should I have curly, wavy, or straight hair?

Im going to a ballroom dance competition. Im going to do both Latin and Smooth. I have long hair so curls won't change the length. My choices are pretty much...
1. tight bun (mom's fav)
2. curly hair, may be frizzy
3. Natural loose waves
4. Light, thin, shiny straight hair

It's pretty formal, and I can't do any updos. They wouldn't fit the tiara I MIGHT win.

Natural loose waves.

Rachel and Vincent's American Smooth - Strictly Come Dancing 2008 Semi-Final - BBC One

Dance Vision Fabuloso: American Style Rhythm & Smooth Volume II Thirteen full length dance tracks for: waltz, tango, fox trot, Viennese waltz, cha cha cha, bolero, rumba, and samba. Also, eight 90 second practice tracks for all of the above dances....

Latin Rhythms of Doug Hulstine $14.47 ...

CD-Groove $26.10 ...

AMERICAN WALTZ STYLING - DANCE WORKSHOP. LEARN FROM WORLD FAMOUS BALLROOM DANCE CHAMPION !!! $18.95 AMERICAN SMOOTH WALTZ STYLING DVD - This DVD Includes : DEMONSTRATED BY A WORLD CLASS BALLROOM DANCER! TWENTY BEAUTIFUL MOVES IN WALTZ FOR LADIES. DEVELOP YOUR STYLE AND OBSERVE HOW TO BE SOFT AND GRACEFUL ON THE DANCE FLOOR (MOVES WITH THE MUSIC AND IN SLOW MOTION). THIS DVD IS BASED ON VISUAL LEARNING. THE MOVES ARE DEMONSTRATED AND REPEATED INDIVIDUALLY AND THEN IN SEQUENCE SO THE VIEWER CAN AP...

Ballet Mouse Pad $9.99 The Ballet Mouse Pad. Do you love to play, compete, or watch Ballet? The thrill of performing...Ballet is the ultimate. There is no other sport out there that can compete with Ballet. So when you have to be at work or at home on the computer, but you want to be actively involved in Ballet, you can look at your mouse pad and feel like you are right where you want to be! The mouse pad measures 9.25"...

Ballroom Dance American Style: Smooth, Rhythm, Latin $54.95 ...

Let's Learn How to Dance Technique Rhythm and Styling (Smooth Ballroom) 3 (Vhs) $14.77 ...

Ballroom Dance Magazine Volume 2 Number 5 May 1961. Smooth Teen-Age Dancing A Hit on Lawrence Welk Show) ...

Supadance Pointed Toe Court Shoes 1021 (2.5 Heel) $179.00 Supadance shoes are made in England with fine quality flesh satin. It is regular medium fitting and the heel is 2.5 inch flare heel. It will be 3 inch if you measure the back of the heel....

Article 635 - Ladies' American Smooth Shoe with a 2.5 Inch Square Heel in Tan Satin Finally, an American Smooth shoe with the unbeatable Dance Naturals signature quality....

Ballroom $47.95 Competitive ballroom is much more than a style of dance...

Latin and Ballroom Dance $27.51 Latin and Ballroom Dance

Dance with Julianne: Cardio Ballroom $14.98 Dance with Julianne: Cardio Ballroom

Discover Dance - Ballroom $19.99 Discover Dance - Ballroom

Dance Off the Inches - Dance It Off Ballroom $16.97 Dance Off the Inches - Dance It Off Ballroom

Dance Off The Inches-Dance It Off Ballroom (DVD) $7.81 DANCE OFF THE INCHES-DANCE IT OFF BALLROOM W/MAGAZINE OFFER (DVD)

Rinna;Lisa Hip Hop Ballroom: Dance Body $12.46 Rinna;Lisa Hip Hop Ballroom: Dance Body

Gift Box Dvd Ballroom Dance Class $10 Gift Box Dvd Ballroom Dance Class

Ballroom Basics Vol. 4: Belly Dance $11.99 Ballroom Basics Vol. 4: Belly Dance

Dance Body Beautiful - Jive, Jump, Ballroom Bump $12.46 Dance Body Beautiful - Jive, Jump, Ballroom Bump

Dancing Till Dawn: A Century of Exhibition Ballroom Dance $23.5 Dancing Till Dawn: A Century of Exhibition Ballroom Dance

Ballroom Dancing $22.11 For nearly 70 years, Alex Moore''s Ballroom Dancing has been a favorite guide to standard techniques of ballroom dancing-for beginners, for competition dancers, and for students of ballroom dance ...

Various Artists - Ballroom Latin Dance: Salsa $7.18 Track Listing: Lloraras - Ballroom Latin Dance: Salsa Adios Que Te Vaya Bien - Ballroom Latin Dance: Salsa Sin Poderte Hablar - Ballroom Latin Dance: Salsa Las Caras Lindas - Ballroom Latin Dance: Salsa Taboga - Ballroom Latin Dance: Salsa Yo Soy Un Barco - Ballroom Latin Dance: Salsa El Dia De Mi Suerte - Ballroom Latin Dance: Salsa Ligia Elena - Ballroom Latin Dance: Salsa Alto Songo - Ballroom Latin Dance: Salsa Anacaona - Ballroom Latin Dance: Salsa Quimbara - Ballroom Latin Dance: Salsa

Willowbrook Ballroom $24.99 The Willowbrook Ballroom was originally built as an outdoor dance pavilion named Oh Henry Park by Austrian immigrant John Verderbar...

Discover Dance - Ballroom (DVD) $16.07 The world of ballroom dance is difficult to navigate for any newcomers. Fortunately this easy-to-follow guide to the art makes taking those baby steps a little easier. Lessons are followed by a full routine to show viewers how the steps they`ve learnt are put into practice, as well as a variety of tips and tricks to help get those feet shuffling in style across the dancefloor!

Discover Ballroom Dance DVD $19.98 Get fit the fun way and discover ballroom dancing! Program includes: proper warm-up, leading, following, holding and how to avoid common mistakes. Running Time: 90 minutes

Ballroom Bonanza $16.68 In this colorfully and flamboyantly illustrated large-format alphabet book, animals from around the globe have gathered for a dance contest in the world-famous Tower Ballroom...

Dance Off the Inches - Dance It Off Ballroom (DVD) $7.44 Ballroom dancing is pure fun, but it`s also a powerful way to burn calories and tone the body. Instructor Kristina Milova leads the way in these dance workouts that will have viewers feeling and looking great!