BALLROOM

What is Ballroom Dance?

◦ BALLROOM DANCE is a set of partner
dances, which are enjoyed both socially and
competitively around the world, mostly because
of its performance and entertainment aspects.
Ballroom dancing is also widely enjoyed on
stage, film, and television.
◦ The term "ballroom dancing" is derived from the
word ball, which in turn originates from the Latin
word ballare which means "to dance." Its evolution
most likely came from simple folk dancing enjoyed
by the peasant classes which were then formalized
by the upper class nobility during the time of the
Enlightenment.
 HISTORY OF
BALLROOM DANCE
◦ “Ballroom dancing” as a term
hails from the Latin word
“ballare” which, coincidentally,
means “to dance.” Thus, a
ballroom is a room in which to
dance. Makes sense, right?
◦ Centuries ago, ballroom dancing was primarily for the
privileged and well-to-do, while the commoners had to
make do with folk dancing; however, these boundaries
have since disappeared, leaving ballroom dancing a fun
hobby for everyone. Today, ballroom dancing applies to
numerous dances in which a “leader” and a “follower”
dance together in close proximity, usually with some
degree of physical contact. This closeness is to permit the
leader to get the follower to, well, follow along.
10 BASIC POSITION
OF BALLROOM
DANCE
 1. ONE-HAND HOLD POSITION 
-IN THE ONE-HAND HOLD, ONLY ONE
HAND IS HELD, HENCE THE NAME. BEGIN
IN THE OPEN FACING POSITION (FACING
YOUR PARTNER WITHIN ARM’S REACH).
TO ENTER THE ONE-HAND HOLD
POSITION, GRASP YOUR PARTNER’S
HAND AND LEAVE THE OTHER HAND
RELAXED AT YOUR SIDE.
 2. TWO-HAND HOLD 
- IN THE TWO-HAND HOLD
POSITION, BOTH HANDS ARE HELD.
PARTNERS SHOULD STAND APART,
FACING ONE ANOTHER. THE MALE
PARTNER HOLDS THE FEMALE
PARTNER'S HANDS, WHILE THE
FEMALE PARTNER PLACES HER
HANDS IN THE MALE PARTNER'S
GRASP.
 3. CLOSED POSITION
- IN THE CLOSED POSITION, THE
MALE PARTNER RESTS HIS RIGHT
HAND ON THE FEMALE PARTNER'S
BACK WHILE HOLDING HER RIGHT
HAND WITH HIS LEFT HAND. THE
FEMALE PARTNER PLACES HER LEFT
HAND ON THE MALE PARTNER'S
UPPER ARM. 
 4. OUTSIDE RIGHT POSITION
- IN THE OUTSIDE RIGHT POSITION,
THE FEMALE PARTNER'S FEET
SHOULD BE TO THE RIGHT OF THE
MALE PARTNER'S.
 5. OUTSIDE LEFT POSITION
- IN OUTSIDE LEFT POSITION,
THE FEMALE PARTNER PLACES
HER FEET TO THE LEFT OF THE
MALE PARTNER'S FEET.
- 
 6. PROMENADE POSITION
= IN THE PROMENADE POSITION,
BOTH PARTNERS FACE THE SAME
DIRECTION INSTEAD OF FACING
ONE ANOTHER. THEIR BODIES
FORM A SORT OF "V" SHAPE.
 7. FALLAWAY POSITION
 - THE FALLAWAY POSITION IS
SIMILAR TO THE PROMENADE
POSITION, EXCEPT THE DANCERS
MOVE BACKWARD INSTEAD OF
FORWARD. IN THE FALLAWAY
POSITION, BOTH PARTNERS TAKE
SMALL STEPS BACKWARD AT THE
SAME TIME.
 8. SHADOW POSITION
- IN THE SHADOW POSITION,
PARTNERS "SHADOW" EACH
OTHER'S MOVES.
 9. SKATER'S POSITION
- IN THE SKATER'S POSITION,
PARTNERS JOIN HANDS IN
FRONT OF THEIR BODIES. THE
RIGHT HANDS ARE JOINED
BELOW AND LEFT HANDS ARE
JOINED ABOVE.
 10. CHALLENGE POSITION 
 
- IN THE CHALLENGE POSITION,
THE MALE AND FEMALE
PARTNERS FACE ONE ANOTHER
BUT STAND APART AND
WITHOUT MAKING CONTACT.
 INTRODUCTION
ABOUT BALLROOM
DANCE STYLES
◦ In the ball room dancing world there are so many
ballroom dances that it's hard to get over all picture
of all different types of ballroom dance styles that
are out there while there many latin and ballroom
dances.
◦  most of them can fit into at least one category or
style depending on which part of the world you live
in, the styles and dances may differ slightly so keep
that in mind. 
 12 TYPES OF
BALLROOM DANCE
1.Cha Cha  ◦ The cha-cha is a lively,
flirtatious ballroom dance
full of passion and energy.
The classic "Cuban motion"
gives the cha-cha its style.
Partners work together to
synchronize each movement
in perfect alignment.
2. Foxtrot ◦The foxtrot is a ballroom dance
that is lots of fun and simple to
learn, making it an excellent
dance for beginners. In the
foxtrot, dancers make long,
smooth, flowing movements
across the floor to swing or big-
band music.
3. Jive ◦Jive is a ballroom dance
style that originated in
the United States with
African-Americans. It is a
lively form of swing
dance and a variation of
the jitterbug.
 ◦ The Lindy Hop is the ballroom
4. Lindy Hop dance considered to be the
father of all swing dances. It is
known for its athletic style
and often contains aerial
jumps, twists, and flips. It was
named for Charles Lindbergh's
(Lucky Lindy) transatlantic
flight and popular in the
1930s.
 ◦ The mambo is one of the most
5. Mambo emotional Latin American ballroom
dances. Swaying hip
movements, facial expressions, arm
movements, and holds all contribute
to the sensuality on display in the
dance. It's different than what
modern Americans call the mambo
and was hot in the 1940s and '50s in
Cuba and New York, after being
invented by Perez Prado.
6. Pasodoble ◦The pasodoble is one of
the liveliest ballroom
dances, originating in
southern France. It is
modeled after the sound,
drama, and movement of
the Spanish bullfight and
is danced to music used
during a bullfight.
7. Quickstep ◦ The quickstep is a quick
version (naturally) of the
foxtrot. It is a ballroom dance
composed of extremely quick
stepping, syncopated feet
rhythms, and runs. The
quickstep is exciting to
watch but among the most
difficult of all the ballroom
dances to master.
 ◦ The rumba is considered by
8. Rumba many to be the most
romantic and sensual of
all Latin ballroom dances. It
is often referred to as the
"Grandfather of the Latin
dances" and its music has an
insistent 4/4 beat. The
ballroom version derives
from Cuban son.
9. Samba ◦Possibly the most popular of
all Brazilian ballroom
dances, both young and old
enjoy dancing the samba. It
can be performed solo, such
as during the Carnival in Rio
de Janiero, or with a partner
socially.
 ◦ The tango is one of the most
10. Tango fascinating of all ballroom
dances. This sensual dance
originated in Buenos Aires,
Argentina, in the late 19th
century. The style used in
competitions today is different
than Argentinian styles of
tango.
11. Viennese Waltz ◦ The Viennese waltz is a quick
rotating ballroom dance with a
subtle rise and fall. It is considered
by most to be one of the most
difficult dances to learn. The
simple and elegant rotational
movement characterizes the
Viennese waltz. It's up to four
times faster than the regular, or
slow, waltz, and the steps are
slightly different.
◦The Viennese waltz, so called to distinguish
it from the waltz and the French waltz, is
the oldest of the current ballroom dances. It
emerged in the second half of the 18th
century from the German dance and the
Ländler in Austria and was both popular
and subject to criticism.
12. Waltz ◦ The waltz is one of the
smoothest of ballroom dances.
It is a progressive dance
marked by long, flowing
movements, continuous turns,
and rise and fall. The dance is
so graceful and elegant that
waltz dancers appear to glide
around the floor with almost no
effort.