Latin American

Originally known as the Cha-Cha-Cha is an offshoot of the Mambo that became popular about 1954. The music for the international cha-cha is energetic and with a steady beat. In general, steps are kept compact and the dance is danced generally without any rise and fall. The basic pattern involves the lead taking a checked forward step with the left foot while retraining some weight on the right foot.

Hip action is particularly critical in the cha-cha. In the international Latin style, the weighted leg is almost always straight. The free leg will bend, allowing the hips to naturally settle into the direction of the weighted leg. As a step is taken, a free leg will straighten the instant before it receives weight. It should then remain straight until it is completely free of weight again.

Born in the Bahia region of Brazil with strong West African roots, the Samba is an icon of Brazil. To any Brazilian it is the solo dance that you can see danced by the thousands at Carnival. The International Ballroom version of samba is a lively, rhythmical partner dance that differs from Latin dances in that it progresses around the floor with various combinations of timings and beat values as well as a variety of partner positions. The basic movements are counted 1-2 or 1-a-2 with a bouncing action created by a bending of the knees on beats 1 and 2 and a straightening on the ‘a.’

48 bars per minute, 4/4 or 2/4 time.

Despite its ancestry in Afro-Cuban rhythms, the Rumba was invented on the east coast of the USA in the 1930’s. The Rumba is a very slow, serious, romantic dance with flirtation between the partners. It contains a hip sway over the standing leg and like the cha-cha, the steps are kept compact and done with no rise and fall. These hip movements are emphasized, but note – they are not generated by the hips – they are simply a result of good foot, ankle, knee and leg action. The intensity of the Rumba is increased by sharp eye contact maintained between the man and the woman.

Paso Doble is a very lively dance patterned after the drama of a Spanish bullfight. Although Spanish in nature, it was developed in Southern France and. For that reason, many of the figures have French names. Like the Samba, this is a progressive Latin dance meaning that it moves around the dance floor. To dance the Paso requires a commitment to the drama of the dance entailing dramatic steps with the heels, powerful, expressive frames and artistic hand movements. For example, the apel is a stamping movement with the foot to mimic the stamping done by the matador to attract the attention of the bull.

Our modern ballroom jive has a colourful history growing out of African American dance clubs of the 1930’s. It has taken on many names including the Lindyhop, the Jitterbug, the Boogie Woogie and, in 1968, the Jive was accepted as the fifth Latin dance in ballroom competitions. The modern form of ballroom jive in the 1990s–present, is a very happy and boppy dance, the lifting of knees and the bending or rocking of the hips often occurs. The jive starts with a rock step followed by two triple steps.