lesson #2

Latin and
Standard
Dances
Prepared by:

Ms. Gilda Joy d. Reyes

 Latin American Dances

Latin dances have enamored many across the world. These dances, marked with
sensual moves and electric energy, have a great history to them. Most of these
dances have their origins linked to the African drum beats.

The history of these dances can be traced back to Europeans and African slaves.
As a recreational activity, these slaves would create music with the beat of the
drums or with the tapping of feet. This form of music developed over the years into
Latin music for such dances. They would dance to these beats to relax after a
hard day’s labor. Latin music later evolved as an amalgamation of jazz and
Afro-American music.
 Cha Cha Cha
A continual, flirtatious game of “cat and

mouse” - the International Cha Cha has

Cuban roots, and is known for its breaking

action on count “2” (unique to Cha Cha,

Rumba, and Mambo) and syncopated action

on counts 4&1 (also counted as “cha cha

cha”). Differentiating itself from the American

Cha Cha, the International style is danced

with a straight leg action throughout.

 Rumba

The American Rumba is a mixture of

International Cha Cha and Rumba. This

dance allows for faster speed and steps than

its International Rumba counterpart. Danced

with a bent-to-straight leg action, the

American Rumba is upbeat with strongly

accentuated hip actions known as "Cuban

Action."
 Jive

It’s party time! International Latin concludes

with the joyful and energetic Jive. The Jive is

a dance built from multiple styles of Swing:

East Coast, West Coast, Lindy Hop, Jitterbug,

and more. Characterized by quick feet and

fun tricks, the Jive often has a crowd on their

feet cheering.
 Samba
The Samba is a ballroom dance is inspired by

the Brazilian carnival dances. While Brazilian

Samba is traditionally danced alone, the

International Latin Samba derives rhythmic

actions and high energy from its Brazilian

ancestry. Samba is notably a “bouncy” dance,

known for intricate combinations of timings

and beat values.

 Paso Doble
Much to people's surprise, the Paso Doble originated

in France, and many named figures within this dance

are in French, such as “apel,” meaning “call to

action" (this is a weight replacement that involves

articulation of the entire foot with the ground,

typically creating a stomping sound). A captivating

dance style, the Paso Doble is based on the story of

the Spanish Bullfight, with partners encapsulating

the personalities of the Spanish Bullfighter (Matador)

and either a Matador’s Cape or Spanish Dancer.

 Mambo
Mambo grew as a dance form of the Haitians in

Cuba. Back home in Haiti, ‘Mambo’ means a voodoo

priestess who performs the rituals of witchcraft while

dancing. The music of Mambo is a blend of the

Swing and Cuban music. It was Perez Prado, who

introduced the dance in a night-club in Havana, in

1943. The Mambo craze did not last long however.

Its biggest contribution to the Latin American dances

is that it led to the origin of Cha Cha Cha.

 Swing
The American, otherwise known as “East Coast”

Swing, originated in the North American East Coast

in the early 20th century. While it is more grounded,

slower, and less “bouncy” than the Jive, it has a fun

and invigorating energy, making it a definite crowd

pleaser!
 Salsa
Salsa has its roots from the fusion of Cuban and

Puerto Rican music and the jazz culture of New

York. To look at its etymology, ‘Salsa’ literally

means ‘sauce’. Evidently, it derives its name from

a strong flavored sauce. The dance form

originates from the time when the slaves were

given the liberty to dance to their own beats, on

the streets.
 Modern Standard Dances

All Modern Ballroom dances are danced in what is called a “closed” hold. In this position,
leader and follower are connected at the hip. Such a close connection allows, with
practice, a comfortable and responsive lead and follow action giving rise to the amazing
shapes and figures synonymous with the style.
The Modern Ballroom dances as we know them today all stem from Europe and North
America with intriguing, and sometimes sordid, histories. While these dances now often
conjure up images of men in suits and women in long gowns gliding around the floor with
ease and grace, it was not always so.
Modern Ballroom is a very rewarding dance style to learn. It is great for the dancer who
likes to move around the floor and work together with their partner to embody the spirit of
 Slow Waltz
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.

 Viennese Waltz
The Viennese Waltz is a classic dance style that is

featured in many romantic movies and animated

films. It is characterized by sweeping, graceful turns

that rotate quickly around the floor. Although it shares

many similarities to the slow Waltz, it is danced at a

much faster tempo—twice the speed of the slow

Waltz.
 Quickstep
Quickstep is a favourite among ballroom dancers. It

developed from a slower social dance with a

“slow-slow-quick-quick” rhythm that was popular in

the early 20th century. Once the 1920s hit, music

became jazzier and faster, and so, necessarily, did

the dancing. Thus the Quickstep was born, and once

it embraced the Big Band Swing of the 1930s and

40s, it was here to stay. The steps can feel rushed

and frenzied at first, but once you get the sway and
 Foxtrot

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.
 Tango
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.
Latin American Modern Standard
Dances Dances

Cha Cha Cha Slow Waltz

Rumba Tango
Jive Viennese Waltz
Samba Foxtrot
Swing Quickstep
Paso Doble
Salsa
BALLROOM
DANCE
 Terminologies in
Ballroom
• Alignment is the direction that the leader uses to navigate the room in the traveling dances.
• Amalgamation means taking several steps in a dance without doing a basic in between. This is a
great way to learn how to dance more fluidly.
• Chasse is the side-together side motion that you would use in dances like Bachata and Cha Cha.
• Dance position for social dances is how the leader and the follower hold each other. Here are
pictures of instructors Laz and Sam demonstrating the following dance positions!
• Footwork is specifically what part of your foot is touching the floor. Some examples for what it could
refer to is the toe or the ball of the foot.
• Line of dance – If you look at the diagram under the “alignment” definition, you will see that this is
the label for the arrow that goes all the way around the room. It is the counterclockwise movement
 Terminologies in
Ballroom
• Poise is leaning forward over the balls of the feet for Latin dances like Rumba, or leaning back over
the heels for Ballroom dances like Waltz.
• Slows and quicks – slows take up two beats, and quicks are one beat.
• Sway refers to stretching to keep your balance during rotation in Waltz, Foxtrot and Viennese Waltz.
This is what makes the dance look and feel voluminous and like it takes up a lot of space instead of
being static.
• Syncopation – in dance refers to when there are two steps in one beat, like in Cha Cha or, as the
name suggests, Syncopated Hustle.