Ballroom Dancing

In 1965 Norman Martin, a leading social and competitive ballroom dance champion put together a group of dancers known as the United States Amateur Ballroom Dancers Association, Inc. or USABDA. (…)

With ballroom dancing growing in popularity, more and more people are choosing to learn how to dance. (…)

When you think of ballroom dancing, you probably think of slow music being played by a violin. Centuries ago, your thoughts would have been very accurate. (…)

Until recently, ballroom dancing was not considered to be a popular American pastime. In fact, most people thought of it as something best left to the older generations or the wealthy. (…)

Until recently, most people haven't thought much of ballroom dancing. (…)

Ballroom dancing conjures up images of beautiful women in flowing gowns and tall dark handsome men in tuxes waltzing their way around the dance floor. Ballroom dance is not just the Waltz. (…)

Nearly everyone got caught up in the dance craze by watching "Dancing with the Stars" this past season. (…)

Getting dressed for an evening on the ballroom dance floor is much different than getting ready for a night out at the club. (…)

Weddings are a special time for everyone. It's a time of new beginnings for the happy couple and friends and families become witnesses to the exceptional event. (…)

There are hundreds of ballrooms in the United States and throughout the world. There has been a renewed interest in holding weddings, and other important occasions in a luxuriant ballroom setting. (…)

The Viennese Waltz which was derived from the Austrian Landler is an elegant fast paced, whirling dance where the partners hold each other as if in a romantic embrace. (…)

The Viennese Waltz uses a right turn (natural turn), a left turn (reverse turn) and two change steps that link the moves between the turns.  Dancing the line of dance (direction of traffic - turning left at the corners of the dance floor) and rotating in a clockwise direction is the Natural Turn.  Following the line of dance and rotating in a counter-clockwise direction is the Reverse Turn.   The step links (change steps) allow you to change directions while still following the line of dance.   The step links are simply two normal steps down the line of dance followed by a third step sliding the moving foot to the standing foot. (…)

Staccato steps, and sharp head turns set the Tango apart from the Fox Trot and the Waltz. This dance is extremely sensual and provocative. (…)

The Milonga is the forerunner of the Tango.  It also used the same sharp head and shoulder moves and the characteristic sudden stops of the Tango.  The Milonga, early in the 20th century was entertainment meant for the high society of Brazil and it was during that time that the name was changed to the Tango There is the American Ballroom Tango, the International Ballroom Tango and the Argentinean Tango.  Unlike the American and International style of Tango the Argentinean Tango is danced in a close embrace utilizing intricate footwork and leg movements.  Because the Argentinean Tango doesn't require a great deal of movement it is well suited for nightclubs and other places with small dance floors.  Unlike the Waltz, the sway and the rise and fall motions are to be avoided at all costs.  The desired movements are very sharp and well defined. (…)

The standard Waltz is a graceful ballroom dance of turns and glides that was done in parts of Europe as early as the late 17th century and is thought by many to be the basis for many modern day dances. (…)

You can find references to the Waltz that go back more than 400 years, however the popularity of the dance had started to wane until 1913 and the advent of the Hesitation Waltz which, as the name implies, slowed the dance down considerably incorporating hesitations and poses throughout the dance.   Before the Hesitation, dancing the Waltz was pretty much an endurance test with the couples dancing in one direction then reversing direction when they became dizzy. (…)

Unlike all the other ballroom dances, the Rumba emphasizes ones body movements more than their footwork. (…)

Son, Danzon, Guagira, Guaracha and Naningo are all names for the Rumba.  The Son, which is a slower more refined Rumba was a favorite among the middle class Cubans.  The wealthy section of Cuban society preferred the Danzon, which is an even slower Rumba using very small steps and more subtle hip movements. (…)

The Paso Doble, originally a Spanish folkdance, has the distinction of being one of the only ballroom dances that is only danced in the ballroom world. (…)

Ballroom dancing is judged on more than a dozen different points. Some of those are, Posture, Timing, Line, Hold, Poise, Togetherness, Presentation and Power just to name a few. (…)