AMERICAN RHYTHM
Cha-Cha
The Cha-Cha is a lively, non-progressive dance that can be danced to Latin music, pop music or rock music. It’s known for its syncopated footwork, Cuban Motion, and its complex rhythm counted, 2 3 cha-cha-cha 6 7 cha-cha-cha.
Rumba
Sometimes called the “dance of love,” Rumba is a slow, romantic dance distinguished by its Cuban hip motion and sensual connection. It is also one of the most common wedding dances.
Swing
Upbeat and fun, Swing is a non-progressive dance characterized by a bounce, back break (or “rock step”), and swinging hip action. It is known for its infectious 6-count swing timing: rock-step, triple-step, triple-step.
Bolero
This slower cousin of the Rumba is an elegant and romantic dance characterized by slow, smooth, gliding movements, graceful turns, and dramatic arm styling. Bolero uses elements from three dances: contra body movement from Tango, rise and fall from Waltz, and slow Cuban motion from Rumba.
Mambo
Mambo is a fast and spicy dance characterized by strong Cuban Motion, staccato movement, and expression of rhythm through the body. The dancer holds on count 1 and breaks on count 2.
INTERNATIONAL LATIN
Cha-Cha
The Cha-Cha is a lively, non-progressive dance that can be danced to Latin music, pop music or rock music. It’s known for its syncopated footwork, Cuban Motion, and its complex rhythm counted, 2 3 cha-cha-cha 6 7 cha-cha-cha. International Style Cha Cha differs from American Style mostly in the area of styling, incorporating a straighter leg action, and also in the types of figures executed.
Samba
Inspired by the popular street dance in Brazil, Samba is a lively, syncopated dance that progresses counter-clockwise around the dancefloor. It is characterized by its bounce and rolling hip action.
Rumba
Sometimes called the “dance of love,” Rumba is a slow, romantic dance distinguished by its Cuban hip motion and sensual connection. It is also one of the most common wedding dances. International Style Rumba differs from American Style with a straighter leg action, slightly different figures, and a unique timing with steps on 2,3,4 rather than 1,3,4.
Paso Doble
Closely related to Flamenco, this Ballroom dance is most often seen on the competitive or showdance floor. Pasodoble is based on music played at bullfights. The leader of this dance plays the part of the matador, while the follower generally plays the part of the matador's cape, but can also represent the shadow of the matador, as well as the flamenco dancer in some figures.
Jive
Jive is a lively and uninhibited variation of the Jitterbug, popularized by Cab Calloway in 1934. Jive is danced at relatively fast tempos, and is characterized by highly syncopated, ‘boppy’ triple-steps and a lifting of the knees.
BALLROOM
Waltz
The Waltz is a smooth, progressive ballroom dance performed to music with three beats to the measure. This unique timing gives the dance a delightful lilt, commonly counted as: 1 2 3, 1 2 3. It can be intimate and romantic or formal and grand. It is a popular choice for wedding dances.
Tango
Ballroom Tango is a dance that branched away from its Argentine roots by allowing European, American, and Hollywood influences into the style and execution of the dance. It’s style is characterized by marked rhythms and postures and abrupt pauses. The present day ballroom tango is divided into two disciplines: American Style and International Style. Both styles share a closed dance position, but the American style allows its dancers to separate from closed position for turns, alternate hand holds, and side-by-side choreography.
Foxtrot
Foxtrot is a smooth, progressive dance. It is characterized by long, continuously flowing movements across the dance floor, like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It is traditionally done to smooth big band music such as Frank Sinatra, but it can be danced as a slow, romantic, cheek-to-cheek dance, as a theatrical, expressive showcase, or anywhere in between.
Viennese Waltz
This challenging, traditional style of waltz was greatly popularized by the music of Josef and Johann Strauss. It is danced at a much faster tempo than the other waltz styles with a limited range of figures – most of them spinning!
Quickstep
A progressive dance that travels fast around the floor, the Quickstep is for Ballroom die-hards. Quickstep is a high-energy dance that retains the walks, runs, chasses and turns of the original foxtrot, but adds some other fast figures such as locks, hops, kicks, polka points and skips.
LATIN CLUB
Salsa
Salsa is one of the most popular club/social dances in the world. It is primarily danced to Latin music with Afro-Cuban rhythms. The dance is characterized by rolling hip motion and body movement, as well as numerous, fast spins and turn patterns. Salsa is danced to music in 4/4 time, incorporating a basic counting pattern of 1, 2, 3 _5, 6, 7_
Bachata
Originating in the Dominic Republic, Bachata is distinctive for its slower tempo music and its side to side movement with sharp hip motion on every fourth count of music. Bachata can be danced in a sexy embrace, usually with legs intertwining and close hip action, or it can be danced with plenty of space between partners and more focus on fancy, syncopated footwork. You and your partner choose your comfort level.
Cumbia
Cumbia is most popular at clubs where the music has Mexican and Columbian influences. It shares the same steps, patterns, and rhythm as Street-Style Salsa, only the styling is a little different. Cumbia has a distinctive lilt and grounded look which hint at its roots as a folk dance.
Merengue
Merengue is considered a ‘walking’ dance, implementing a one-step-on-every-beat pattern. With simple, basic footwork and timing, it gives dancers the freedom to play with the music. One of the easiest to learn, this Latin dance can get fancy very quickly with intricate wraps and patterns.
Kizomba
Kizomba is a dance that has evolved from 1970s Angolan Semba dance. It is characterized by a slow, romantic, rhythm and danced to a more modern music genre with a sensual touch mixed with African rhythm and Haitian Compas.
Zouk
Brazilian Zouk is a partner dance originating from Brazil. At first known as Zouk-Lambada, the dance is a descendant of Lambada, and it was danced to Lambada Music. Later on it was danced to Caribbean Zouk music, from where it got the name "Zouk". Today (2018), Brazilian Zouk is danced to a broad set of music styles, including R'n'b, hip hop, and pop music.
AMERICAN CLUB
West Coast Swing
West Coast Swing is a contemporary and very different style of Swing. This sleek, smooth, sexy, funky and challenging dance is versatile enough for many genres of music. It is characterized by relaxed and smooth body movements, playful improvisation, and a unique back-and-forth, ‘elastic’ action that creates West Coast’s distinctive look.
Lindy Hop
Fun, high-energy, and a little bit crazy, the Lindy Hop is one of the original versions of Swing that is still popular today. Primarily danced to Big Band, Retro Jump, Rock-a-Billy, and Jazz music, it’s often mixed with East Coast Swing steps for a hybrid dance.
East Coast Swing
Sometimes referred to as Jitterbug or simply as Swing, this is the easiest of the swing dances to learn. Swing has been around since the 1920’s, and has evolved with each decade’s popular music. With roots in jazz, it is also great for big band, rock n’ roll, and blues music. It is fun and energetic, and it is one of the most commonly known dances in America.
Hustle
Hustle is an exciting and energetic dance. Its syncopated rhythm creates a unique pulse that is perfect for pop, disco, jazz, and techno music. First popularized in the 1970’s disco era, Hustle has evolved into a fun and funky partner dance that is compatible with all the latest trends in music today.
YOUTH PROGRAM
Hip Hop
Hip-hop dance refers to street dance styles primarily performed to hip-hop music or that have evolved as part of hip-hop culture. It includes a wide range of styles primarily breaking, locking, and popping which were created in the 1970s and made popular by dance crews in the United States. What distinguishes hip-hop from other forms of dance is that it is often "freestyle" (improvisational) in nature and hip-hop dance crews often engage in freestyle dance competitions—colloquially referred to as "battles".
Breakdance
B-boying or breaking, also called breakdancing, is a style of street dance that originated primarily among Puert Rican and African American youths in the 1970’s in the Bronx. B-boying consists mostly of four kinds of movement: toprock, downrock, power moves, and freezes. B-boying is typically danced to hip-hop, funk music, and especially breakbeats, although it can be danced to many, wider varieties of modern music.
Broadway
In musical theatre, dancing is used to embellish, extend and enlarge the existing emotion of a character. Broadway dance incorporates many styles, including: tap, jazz, theatrical, street dance, and folk dance, but always with an emphasis on communicating a message to the audience.
FOUNDATIONS OF MOVEMENT
Ballet
Ballet is a highly technical form of dance with its own vocabulary based on French terminology. It has been globally influential and has defined the foundational techniques used in many other dance genres. Ballet dancing improves posture, confidence, and flexibility and builds muscle and agility!
Jazz
Body isolations, a low center of gravity, rhythmic complexity, and dynamic performance are all characteristics of jazz dance. In addition to increased stamina, body awareness, and improved balance, Jazz dance provides an opportunity to explore and express the creative self through freedom of movement.
ARGENTINE TANGO
More intimate and improvisational than ballroom-style Tango, this version is more closely related to its Argentinian roots. Argentine Tango relies heavily on improvisation and an intimate partner connection, where the leader walks his partner around the floor appropriately to the emotion and speed of the music. Often utilizing an embrace hold, a more compact frame, and intertwining leg and footwork, Argentine Tango dancers should be comfortable getting up close and personal with their partners.
Tango Milonga
Milonga is danced in 2/4 time, has a strongly accented beat, and sometimes an underlying "habanera" rhythm. It is a quick-stepping dance with relatively few pauses.
Tango Vals
Vals (waltz) is danced in 3/4 time in a relaxed, smooth-flowing style. Experienced dancers alternate the smooth one-beat-per-measure walk with some double time steps, stepping on one- two- or (rarely) all three beats in a measure.
Show Tango
A more theatrical form of Argentine Tango developed to suit the stage, Show Tango includes embellishments, acrobatics, and solo moves that would be impractical on a social dance floor. Show Tango can be partially improvised, but in order for the general choreography to fit the set stage, some parts need to be rehearsed as a set routine.