International

Standard
Ballroom Dance
 T
THE MOST DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTIC
OF INTERNATIONAL STANDARD, OFTEN
ABBREVIATED AS “STANDARD”, IS THE HOLD.
IN INTERNATIONAL STANDARD, THE COUPLE IS
EXPECTED TO MAINTAIN A CONSISTENT FRAME
THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE DANCE, BREAKING
ONLY TO BOW WHEN THE MUSIC HAS ENDED.
STANDARD IS CONSIDERED BY MANY TO HAVE
THE STEEPEST LEARNING CURVE OF THE
STYLES. EVEN STANDARD ENTHUSIASTS
ADMIT THAT ONE MUST KNOW A LITTLE
SOMETHING ABOUT IT BEFORE IT CAN BE FULLY
APPRECIATED. INTERNATIONAL STANDARD IS
COMPRISED OF FIVE DANCES:
 THE CLASSIC, ELEGANT, INTERNATIONAL
WALTZ IS THE QUINTESSENTIAL,
“BALLROOM DANCE” (THINK, CINDERELLA!)
KNOWN FOR ITS CHARACTERISTIC “123,”
THE WALTZ IS DANCED IN A CLOSED HOLD
(PARTNERS DO NOT BREAK THEIR FRAME
AND REMAIN CONNECTED) FROM START TO
FINISH. THIS IS A UNIQUE ELEMENT TO ALL
INTERNATIONAL BALLROOM DANCES.

 THE FIERY AND PASSIONATE TANGO

FEATURES STACCATO ACTIONS AND
POWERFUL LEG MOVEMENTS. DANCERS
DO NOT HAVE “BODY RISE” WITHIN THIS
DANCE, SO IT APPEARS FLATTER AND
MORE LINEAR ACROSS THE DANCE FLOOR.
THESE FEATURES, ALONG WITH A VARIED
DANCE POSITION AND FOOTWORK,
PRESENT INTERESTING TECHNICAL
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TANGO AND
OTHER INTERNATIONAL BALLROOM
DANCES.


ORIGINATING IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA, THE

VIENNESE WALTZ IS SIGNIFICANTLY
FASTER-PACED THAN THE WALTZ.THE
VIENNESE WALTZ IS ONLY COMPRISED
OF SEVEN FIGURES, THEREFORE
DANCERS SPEND A LOT OF TIME
FOCUSING ON THE CREATION OF THE
SAME FULL, VOLUMINOUS MOVEMENTS
THAT SEEM TO RACE AROUND THE
DANCE FLOOR.
 THE JAZZY FOXTROT TAKES ON A
SMOOTHER APPEARANCE WITHIN THE
INTERNATIONAL BALLROOM STYLE, EBBING
AND FLOWING LIKE WAVES ACROSS THE
SHORE. INTRICATE RISE AND FALLS ARE
CREATED BY DECISIVE FOOTWORK THAT
ANECDOTALLY AWARDED FOXTROT THE
TITLE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT BALLROOM
DANCE.
 LEAPS, KICKS, AND RUNNING
DOWN THE FLOOR, ALL WHILE
BEING CONNECTED TO ANOTHER
PERSON? IN THE QUICKSTEP,
DANCERS SEEM TO PLAY TETRIS
WHILE DANCING AND
NAVIGATING IN AND OUT OF
"TRAFFIC" ON THE FLOOR. IT'S
A TRUE TALENT.
 1-5 What are the five
dances that
International Standard
Ballroom is comprised
of ?