Latin American Dance

Latin refers to the Latin languages (French, Spanish...) as a cultural resource for many original dances
that were exported from these regions, along with black slaves who brought along their own music and
dancing to America. In the context of ballroom dancing is the term formal used to refer to the five
international Latin-American standard dances:
cha cha cha, rumba, samba, paso doble and jive.
Often also referred to with the English term Latin American or Latin. Latin dances have a much more
challenging rhythm and are also danced faster.

We also use the description as general term for dances that

originated in Latin America and the Caribbean and who are danced to this music. Outside the competition
circuit we can for the social dancers e.g. still count bachata, boogie (various types), disco, mambo,
merengue, salsa, zouk...

Other dances that originated in Latin America and the Caribbean include: Bolero, Congada (Conga),
Cumbia, Danza, Frevo, Lambada, Limbo, Reggaeton, Soca, Son, Argentine tango...

With the same origin but mainly developed into its present form in Europe include: Chachacha, Rumba,
Samba.

The Jive comes from North America but is because of rhythm and dance style also considered to this
dance group. From Europe also the Paso doble.

Despite the ballroom tango originated in Argentina, the dance included in the standard dances. This is
because the tango in style does not fit in the other dances.

The rumba is a typical dance of seduction in with the temptation actions of the man to the lady are
central.

ISOURCE

Latin dances hail from several different countries in South and Central America and the Caribbean, and
most have influences that range far beyond this region. Some dances are easier to learn than others, but
all Latin dances have a flair that hooks both spectators and dancers.
Popular Latin Dance Styles

Sample the Latin dances most often learned and performed. Whether watching a dance show on television
or attending a social dance workshop, you're bound to run into some of these Latin styles.

Cha-cha (International Latin, American Rhythm)

The term comes from Haiti and refers to the part of a bell that made a “cha-cha” noise when rubbed, but
the dance itself evolved from the rumba and the mambo. Mambo was wildly popular in the United States
just after World War II, but the music was fast and very difficult to dance to, so a Cuban composer named
Enrique Jorrin slowed the music down, and the “cha-cha-cha” was born. By 1953, several of his songs
were hits, and the cha-cha became a sensation.

Samba (International Latin)

The samba is the national dance of Brazil, and it is danced in every club, Carnavalparade, and in virtually
every home. The rhythms of samba, as well as the word itself, were brought to Brazil by West African
slaves. Because it can carry overtones of sadness or regret, samba has often been compared to the
blues in the U.S.

Rumba
The Rumba has its roots in the Cuban son. The Rumba consists of two quick steps and then a third slower
step that takes two beats to execute. Dancers use a box-like pattern to guide their movements.

Though dancers originally danced the Rumba with quick steps, ballroom Rumba dancing (Latin dancing
most often seen in competitions) has emphasized slow, romantic steps with a focus on hip movements.

Paso doble (International Latin)

“Paso doble” means two-step in Spanish, and it was inspired by the bullfight. It is set to the music played
during the bullfighter’s entrance and just before the kill. If you watch closely, you might see that the man
plays the part of the matador, while the woman’s movements mimic those of his cape. Because it is so
highly stylized, with many rules about what is acceptable, the Paso doble is rarely performed outside of
competitions.

Jive (International Latin)

The jive is part of the family of swing dances. It started in African-American clubs in the early 1940s, as a
variation on the popular Lindy Hop, also known as the jitterbug. American servicemen took the dance to
England during World War II. Once they left, the girls they danced with kept dancing it, and later adapted
jive to British popular music. English dance studios refined it, giving us the very fast, precise competitive
form we see here.
Tango is a popular partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata,
the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. It was born in the impoverished port areas of these
countries, where natives mixed with slave and European immigrant populations

International Standard

When one conjures an image of ballroom dancing, International Standard is the style that most often
comes to mind: sweeping ball gowns, men in tails and formal, regal dancing. With steps that date back
hundreds of years to the royal courts of Europe, it is ballroom’s oldest style, its most recognizable and,
some would say, its most elegant. The competition includes five dances: waltz, tango, Viennese waltz,
foxtrot and quickstep. All five must be danced in the “closed position,” meaning that the man and woman
must remain in contact at all times – in contrast to their American Smooth counterparts, who are allowed
to separate and rejoin while performing many of the same steps.

Tango (International Standard, American Smooth)

The tango was born in Argentina, in the late 1800s. In those days, the bars of Buenos Aires were filled
with lonely immigrants from all over Europe and Africa, looking for diversion and company. Somehow, out
of these eclectic dance traditions, a dance emerged that pantomimed communication between prostitute
and pimp. From these crude beginnings came the sexually charged dance we see here.

Since then, the tango has been toned down somewhat, and has incorporated patterns from other dances
such as the waltz and foxtrot, but it still packs a powerful punch, translating emotions into dance like
nothing else.

Foxtrot (International Standard, American Smooth)

The foxtrot is relatively simple and very versatile, giving beginners a great foundation to work with. It can
be danced at slow, medium or fast tempos, making it easy to move gracefully across the floor for social
dancers of all skill levels.

The dance was named after vaudeville performer Harry Fox, and it quickly pushed aside the other “trots”
popular in the ragtime era. The American Smooth version danced in competitions is slower, and was
made popular by Fred Astaire. The International Standard foxtrot, slower still, is sometimes called the
“slow foxtrot” and was developed in England.

Viennese waltz (International Standard, American Smooth)

The Viennese waltz is the oldest of all the ballroom dances, danced at the fast tempo that characterized
the first waltzes. Later versions, such as the French and Boston waltzes, are much slower. The golden
age of the Viennese waltz in Europe was the early 1800s, when Johann Strauss was composing. Its
popularity has gone up and down, but it has never gone out of style. It is classic “old-school” ballroom.

Quickstep (International Standard)

The quickstep was invented in the 1920s as a combination of the foxtrot and the Charleston. Bands then
were playing music that was too fast for the big open leg movements that the foxtrot required, so the
quickstep allows the man to close his feet, and features short syncopated steps. Since then, the
quickstep has evolved to become even more dynamic – the dancers charge across the floor on long runs,
which include hops and lots of rotation. If anything, the dance has sped up over time, allowing top
dancers to show off their technique and athleticism.

Summary
The most important difference in style is between the modern or standard dances and the Latin dances.
The modern dances are the waltz, quickstep, foxtrot, tango and Viennese waltz. The Latin dances are
the cha-cha-cha, samba, rumba, paso doble, and jive.