Lesson 4: Ballroom Dances

Ballroom Dances

-According to (Russell 2006) “Ballroom Dancing is when a couple performs any of the
various social dances that follow a pattern of predictable steps and has a relatively short
but interesting history and has evolved from a recreational activity to a worldwide
sporting event”.

 Late 18th Century and Early 19th Century- Ballroom dancing was originated in
England

 Late 19th and early 20th Century- Ballroom dances have become a trend among
the working class and the upper classes where
they go to government dance halls for
meetings and activities.

 Early 1920s- ballroom dancing competitions

started to boom and organization “Ballroom
Branch of the Imperial Society of Teachers of
Dancing was formed on the year 1924.
The objective of this organization was to
standardize and formalize ballroom dancing
techniques, sets of steps and music to which it
was danced to.

Types of Ballroom Dances

1. Waltz

- One of the world's most famous ballroom dances. 
- From the german word “WALZEN”, which means “TO
ROLL” or “TO TURN”.
- First popularized in Vienna, Austria
- Popularly known as “WELLER” or “SPINNER”.
- It is danced in CLOSE-HOLD POSITION
- Romantic melodies are in time

Waltz

2. Cha-Cha

- A latin dance which originated in Cuba.

- It is a fun, flirtatious and energetic dance with lots
of hip movements and fancy footwork.
- It is actually derive from MAMBO

Cha Cha
3. TANGO
Lesson 4: Ballroom Dances

- First performed as a solo dance by a woman in 19th Century.

- Originated within the lower classes of the “Barrio de la Ranas” (Bueno Aires)
- Became socially acceptable in the early 1900s and was a craze in trendy European
circles by 1915.
- The traditional tango style, which was popularized at the end of the 19th and the
beginning of the 20th centuries, is practiced nowadays by millions of people
around the globe who have learned how to love many of the other modern
variations in tango in Argentina and many other countries.

Styles of Tango:
 Argentine Tango- Close embrace where the lead and follow connected
chest-to-chest.
 International Tango- connected in upper high or hip area.
 American Tango- combination of Argentine and International Tango.

Argentine Tango International Tango

American Tango

4. Jive

- Also known in recent years as ‘SWING’

- Is a lively, energetic dance combining quick footwork and
graceful arm movements with swirls and dips.
- Mid 1930s it was renamed “JITTERBUG”.
- Jive is a vibrant and uninhibited jitterbug variation. Many o
f its fundamental patterns resemble the swing of the eastern
coast. Jive, although of African-
American origin, is one of the five international Latin
dances. (Bedinghaus, 2019)

5. Foxtrot
Lesson 4: Ballroom Dances

- This is all American jazz-based that can depending on the group, be quick or
slow.
- Among many ballroom dancers, the slowly foxtrot is the favourite. (Bedinghaus
2019)
- The foxtrot was developed In the USA in the 1920s and was thought to be
developed by Vernon and Irene Castle in African American nightclubs

Foxtrot

6. Quickstep

- The foxtrot inspires this dance but it takes on a faster tempo.

- In New York ,1920s the Quickstep from the
combination Foxtrot, Charleston, Peabody and the
One step developed with its roots in Ragtime.
- It was named “Quick Time Fox Trot” at first, but it
was eventually renamed Quickstep
- A mix of walks and chasses, but jumps and
syncopations are used in an developed stage.
(Fred Astaire Dance Studios 2019)

7. Paso Doble
- Paso Doble or Pasodoble is a vibrant dance style to step-by-step music, which is
like a duplex.
- "Paso Doble" in Spanish is "Two Steps," which implies "dance for two," and can 
be differentiated from "Pase a Doble."
- It originated in Southern France, but is modeled on a Spanish bullfight sound, dra
ma and motion. "Two steps" implies in Spanish "Double step."

Paso Doble