Ballroom Dances
The Ballroom category includes dances considered to be the "backbone" of the dance floor. The steps learned provide the foundation for other dances in our curriculum.
More info - personal comments from Ryan
Great movies with lots of Ballroom Style dances:
- Take the Lead - Waltz, Tango, Rumba and others
- Shall we dansu?- Ballroom Basics
- Shall We Dance (American remake of "Shall we dansu?") - Ballroom Basics
- Strictly Ballroom - Ballroom Basics
Montage of dance scenes from movie Strictly Ballroom
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Song "Time After Time" by Mark Williams and Tara Morice. Credit for this montage goes to youtube user ChessAma. |
American Waltz
Dating back about 300 years and popular all over the world, the waltz is the "backbone" dance of the ballroom.
The Social American style uses an easy-to-hear 1-2-3, 1-2-3 rhythm pattern. The simple box step foundation pattern is very easy to learn.
More Information on Wikipedia
See it in Action! Click link for video.
Prom Waltz - High School Musical 3
Richard Gere Waltzes in "Shall We Dance?"
Before - First Lesson from Jennifer Lopez
After Lessons - Competition scene
- Watermark - Enya
- Three Times a Lady - The Commodores
- I Wonder Why - Curtis Stigers
- Take It to the Limit - Eagles
- Breakaway - Kelly Clarkson
Good songs for the Waltz include:
More Songs on Wikipedia
Viennese Waltz
The Viennese Waltz (also known as the Vienna Waltz, the Rotary Waltz, and Wiener Walzer) is the classic, original waltz and the oldest of all ballroom dances.
The Viennese Waltz is a quick rotating dance, up to four times as fast as the more common Slow Waltz.
Like the typical waltz, the Viennese Waltz incorporates simple and elegant rotating movements.
More Information on Wikipedia
See it in Action! Click link for video.
"So You Think You Can Dance"
Season 8 - Beautiful story in dance(Melanie/Pasha)
"Dancing with the Stars"
Season 9 - Kelly Osbourne and Louis van Amstel
Season 11 - Jennifer Grey of "Dirty Dancing" fame
- The Blue Danube - Johann Strauss, Jr.
- Show Me the Way - Styx
- Kiss From A Rose - Seal
- Waltz to the Death - Batman Soundtrack
Good songs for the Viennese Waltz include:
Foxtrot
The dance was premiered in 1914, and from the late teens through the 1940s, the foxtrot was certainly the most popular fast dance in the country. Over time, the foxtrot split into slow and quick versions, referred to as "foxtrot" and "quickstep" respectively.
The social American style uses a slow-slow-quick-quick rhythm with a signature grace and style.
The Foxtrot still retains popularity due to it’s versatility with all types of music.
More Information on Wikipedia
See it in Action! Click link for video.
Social Foxtrot - Dance Lessons with the Stars
Classic Foxtrot - The Oyster Princess (1919)
"Dancing with the Stars"
Season 12 - Hines Ward and Kym Johnson
- Foggy Day in London Town - Micheal Buble
- Just In Time - Tony Bennett
- Ain't That a Kick in the Head - Dean Martin
- Come Dance with Me - Frank Sinatra
Good songs for the Foxtrot include:
"Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and His Comets, biggest-selling "foxtrot" song of all time.
East Coast Swing
East Coast Swing, a form of social partner dance that evolved from the Lindy Hop, premiered in the 1940’s. It has alternatively been called Jitterbug, American Swing, East Coast Lindy, and Triple-step Swing.
East Coast Swing is a very energetic and fun dance. This form of swing dance is strictly based in six-count patterns that are simplified forms of the original patterns copied from Lindy Hop.
More Information on Wikipedia
In pre-World War II Germany, Swing music and dancing became the underground movement of young people. Must see movie - Swing Kids
See it in Action! Click link for video.
A League of Their Own - Swing dance scene
"So You Think You Can Dance"
Season 6 - Jitterbug (Fast Paced Competition)
Season 3 - Lindy Hop (Competition w/ lifts)
- Stray Cat Strut - Stray Cats
- Respect - Aretha Franklin
- Dance the Night Away - Van Halen
- You Belong With Me - Taylor Swift
Good songs for the East Coast Swing include:
Hope to see you on the dance floor soon!
Join us for a class today and let us prove that we can have anyone dancing in about 10 minutes. Private and Group Lessons available.
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