Ballroom dancing has become a huge part of the entertainment industry. People from different backgrounds are drawn to its competitive and social culture. Audiences and dancers around the world enjoy the entertaining nature of this certain dance event. Here are 12 of the most popular and loved ballroom dances.
Viennese Waltz
While there are many forms of waltzes today, the original waltz is the one that emerged in modern-day Austria. The Viennese waltz is a form of ballroom dance known for its subtle rise and fall coupled with quick rotations. It is notoriously one of the most difficult dances to learn, as it is much faster than your typical waltz. It requires a massive time investment to master it. The simple and elegant rotational movement is a classic move within the dance.
The Waltz
The waltz is one of the most iconic dances. It is known for its long and flowing movements, continuous turns, and rises and falls. Its ethereal and almost fairy-like feel made it captivating and enticing to many people, be it rich or poor. While it takes massive investment to master it, a master waltzer could dance around the ballroom and glide with almost no effort.
Jive
Among the dances that originated from the United States is the Jive. It is a ballroom dance style that was born within the African American swing dancing traditions. While jive originally meant foolish talk, the current usage of the word started in the 1930s. Jive dancing drew a lot of its early development from Lindy Hop and Jitterbug. Jive is known for its fast and seemingly improvised dance moves. However, it can take a massive investment to master the dance.
Lindy Hop
The Lindy Hop is widely regarded as the father of all swing dances. The dance was named after Charles Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight, called Lucky Lindy. The dance became highly popular during the 1930s. It was known for its highly athletic style and has aerial jumps, twists, and flips as part of its dance routine.
Mambo
The mambo is one of the most emotional Latin American ballroom dances. Developed along with the music genre of the same name, mambo is often characterized by swaying hip movements and more expressive facial expressions. While modern mambo is quite different today, Pérez Prado is widely given credit as being the one who popularized the dance in Mexico and the United States.
Rumba
Many people consider the rumba as the most sensual and romantic of all the Latin dances. Regarded as the Grandfather of the Latin dances, its music is often played at a 4/4 beat. In the United States, the dance is known for its big band music and Afro-Cuban rhythms.
Samba
The Brazilian ballroom dance, samba, is enjoyed by people from all ages. Afro-Brazilian communities in Rio de Janeiro are often given credit to have developed the dance in the early 20th century. It is often danced during Carnival in Brazil, which is known for its extravagant and flamboyant costumes and floats, which can be a massive investment.
Tango
The tango is a type of ballroom dance that always leaves its audiences in awe. It is given credit as Argentina’s greatest export. It emerged among impoverished communities in the Rio de la Plata, often settled by people of African descent. Tango is known for its close contact between dancers and smooth dancing patterns.
Pasodoble
The pasodoble is regarded as one of the one of the most energetic type of ballroom dance. It originated in the south of France before it spread all over the globe. It is hugely inspired by the real-life Spanish bullfight. Often, it is danced to music during bullfights in southern France.
Cha-Cha
Considered as a coquettish and animated ballroom dance, the cha-cha is one of the most popular type of dance today. Its style is greatly thanks to the influence of the “Cuban motion.” It is known for its highly synchronous movements between dances. As such, investment is made towards honing and coordinating each dancer’s movements.
Foxtrot
Some people were not gifted with the innate dancer’s rhythm and struggle to find their footing when it comes to dance. The foxtrot is probably one of the easiest yet equally fun dance to learn. It is quite easy for beginners to learn. The dance is known for its long, smooth, flowing movements across the flooring to either big band or swing music.
Quickstep
Quickstep is a close relative of the foxtrot. It is composed of extremely quick stepping and syncopated feet rhythms. This pattern has some similarities to other dance forms such as tap dancing and the Irish stepdance. For those who want to learn it, quickstep requires a lot of practice as it is quite difficult to master.
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