Latin and Ballroom dances

Foxtrot

Wikipedia will tell you Foxtrot is a smooth progressive dance characterised by long, continuous flowing movements. What it doesn't tell you is that if you want to dance to anything that swings, you need to be able to trot like a fox. When “Frank Sinatra sings against Nelson Riddle strings”, it's nearly always Foxtrot that you'll be dancing. This also applies to Ella Fitgerald and Tony Bennett. I've Got You Under My Skin, Cheek to Cheek, Makin' Whoopee - not medical conditions, just fine examples of Foxtrots in the right hands. They're all in 4/4 time, of course, and are usually around 116bpm.

Waltz

Waltz (also known as Slow Waltz) is a dance performed to music played to a 3/4 rhythm. As this music covers a vast range of musical styles, there are a lot of versions of Waltz. In country (you may have experienced a line-dance class with this), pop, traditional folk dances, classical, and all points in between. The dances performed are as diverse as the music they are performed to.

The emphasis of the music is on the first beat and this dictates how the dance is performed.

Viennese Waltz

Like Waltz, but for the criminally insane. The rhythm is the same (3/4 time) but it is performed at a very fast pace (c.180bpm) and involves more spins than wash-day. The spins alternate in direction leading to advanced vertigo in anyone but experienced fighter pilots or anyone who happens to live on a roller-coaster.

We don't usually teach this dance in the open classes as it tends towards the "sport" end of the sport/social spectrum of dances. Private lessons can be arranged for the brave and foolhardy.

Cha Cha Cha

What rhythm is Cha Cha Cha? 2-3-cha cha cha! Technically it is the syncopation of the fourth beat that distinguishes the dance (and the music). It is an easy dance to get to grips with and can be pretty rewarding even when danced by complete novices. That you have mastered it when you can do the basic step, however, is about as fallacious as the notion that there is actually any meat in a pork pie. To dance Cha Cha Cha well there should be no rise and fall, and lots of hip movement. To dance it below performance standard all you have to do is put the music on and enjoy yourself. There’s an enormous amount of popular music that is Cha Cha Cha-able. Some of it can be listened to without ear-plugs.

Rumba

Rumba is closely related to Salsa and should be recognisable to anyone who has danced the latter. It is, however, a slower and more controlled dance with lots of hip movement and no rise and fall. Although fiendishly difficult to perfect, it is remarkably easy to enjoy on the bumpy journey to perfection.

Argentine Tango

The origins of Argentine Tango are shrouded in confusion and mystery. They are an enigma wrapped up in conundrum. There is a clue to the geographic origin in the name, but even so forms of the dance seem to have originated and developed in Uruguay and Cuba. At its simplest it may appear to be little more than elaborate walking. There is no absolute stricture on the hold that is employed – much is open to the expression and interpretation of the dancers. It is generally the opposite of Ballroom Tango (where the dancers arch their bodies away from each other), so whether in open or close embrace, the dancers lean towards each other. The moves employed are entirely at the discretion of the dancer and the arsenal is only limited by the dancer’s knowledge. The moves available continue to evolve and there is some cross-over with other club dances, particularly Jive. Argentine Tango relies heavily on interpretation and has few restrictions.

Argentine Tango music has a very strict tempo but otherwise has lots of variety, certainly more than Ballroom Tango.

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