Seductive, smoldering and sensuous, the pulsating rhythm and romantic music have made the Rumba's appeal both ageless and universal. The Rumba's sophisticated love-play story evokes the legend which attributes the dance as mimicking the courtship ritual of two love birds in the forest of Cuba or as a representation of the movement of slaves, legs in chains, as they swayed to the ancient chants of their homeland.

The rhythm and music is that of the beautiful, slow and exotic Cuban Guajira. In its original home of Cuba, there is no particular dance called a Rumba. There, it simply means dance. The dance itself exudes the strength and confidence of the archetypal machismo of the male Latin lover whose passion tempts his partner to become lost in the intensity and innuendo of the rhythm.

But the woman does not yield so readily. She remains coy, teasing and toying with the man as she repeatedly lures and then rejects his advances. There are few more profoundly beautiful moments in dancing than when taking up hold and feeling the pure intensity that is Rumba.

Samba

Samba immediately conjures up the Carnival atmosphere of Rio and the exuberant spirit of Party Latin America. While Carnival Samba is a solo dance, the international style of Samba is popular as a partner dance. The pulsating Samba drums evoke the rhythm of Rio while the shrill Samba whistles call you to join the Carnival. Quickstep

Lively, invigorating and fun, the Quickstep developed from a combination of early versions of the Foxtrot and the Charleston into a pleasantly fast and powerfully flowing dance interspersed with syncopations and, with the Waltz, has become a firm favourite.

The Quickstep is danced to up tempo melodies and, if your foots tapping to the music, the chances are it's a Quickstep

Cha Cha Cha

The Cha Cha Cha belongs to the Cuban family of Latin American dances including the Rumba and the international style Mambo. The pattern and structure are therefore very similar but with one major difference - the Cha Cha Cha ! The Cha Cha Cha adds an irrepressible cheeky quality to the dance and a contagiously catchy rhythm to the music making it one of the best loved of all Latin American dances.

Slow Foxtrot

The Slow Foxtrot is a beautiful and romantic dance which has become the classic swing dance of the Ballroom and the dance which most Ballroom dancers aspire to dance well.

Its elegant lines and graceful sophistication demand a high level of technical expertise, dance experience and physical skill.

Nonetheless, hundreds of thousands of dancers revel in the sheer enjoyment of the Slow Foxtrot as they glide around the floor to some of the best lilting ballads ever written.

Jive

Jive is an umbrella term for a dance that has so stood the test of time that the different styles of Jive evoke the spirit of the eras in which it has been an integral part of the dance scene of the day. Lindy Hop in the 1920's, Jitterbug and Boogie Woogie in the 1930's, Swing in the 1940's, Rock 'n' Roll in the 1950's, then came the international style in the 1960's ending up with Le Roc in the 1980's. Each style simply reflected the mood of the era but did so with such brilliance that it has endured as a favourite not only in the Ballroom but at any party any time any place.

Paso Doble

In France, Spain and parts of South America, the Paso Doble is still a popular social dance. It is a relaxed fun dance in which the man parades the woman around the floor in party atmosphere. Elsewhere, however, it is rarely danced other than for formal dance assessments or competitions where the character of the dance is portrayed as a stylised bullfight. The man is the toreador and the woman his cape; not the bull.

Viennese Waltz

The faster Viennese Waltz is considerably underrated in the UK whereas in continental Europe, it remains a firm favourite.

There, the social version of the Viennese Waltz is often danced as series of lilting steps using only the first beat of each bar of music. This style is ideal for leisure dancing and enables even new dancers to enjoy some of the wonderful classical Waltzes.


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