Someone once said, that "If Tango is the dance of passion, Rumba is the dance of love". This Cuban-style dance is slow and seductive. The music is in 4/4 timing, typically from 120 bpm which leads the dancers to movements with long pauses while they stare into each other's eyes.
Samba
Standard or Smooth Dances
FoxTrot
Work In Progess
Quickstep
Work In Progress
Tango
In the barrios (neighborhoods) of Buenos Aires, Argentina, is the place where Tango was born, mostly in the districts where is was considered to be of ill-repute. Tango is the dance of passion. The theme of the dance is described as a man chasing a woman for her affections and the woman resisting his offers.
Modern ballroom Tango is much different than the Argentine Tango. The music is generally danced to 4/4 timing at approximately 120bpm. The music is generally characterized by violins or accordians. The International version is much different than the American Tango.
(Slow) Waltz & Viennese Waltz
Waltz can be traced by 400 years to Germany and Austria. The music is in 3/4 timing at approximately 90 bpm. Typically, the emphasis or downbeat is on the first beat of the measure. The dance is characterized by the rise and fall as well as the turning during each measure of music.
Viennese Waltz is faster version of the slow Waltz which is commonly associated with musiccomposed by Johann Strauss. It was popular in Vienna, Austria around the late 1700's. A Viennese Waltz is danced to 3/4 timing and usually around 180 bpm. The International version is danced in closed position.
Social Dances
Hustle
Merengue
This is a very popular dance in many parts of the world including the USA. The dance is very simple to learn, if you can walk or shuffle your feet, you can dance Merengue. The dance comes from the Dominican Republic but can be found all over the Caribbean. The rhythm of the music is a strong one-two beat which is played throughout the song.
Salsa
Salsa is a dance that has taken the world by storm. The unmistakable rhythm of African and Caribbean music mixed together to produce music which is fast paced and lively. Salsa music can vary in speed from 150 bpm to 200 bpm. Timing is usually 4/4 with the emphasis on the second beat of the measure.
