STANDARD DANCES

Ballroom Dancing- a formal social dance for couples where one person leads and the other follows
the steps. It is popular both as a recreational and a competitive activity. The word “ball” is from the
latin word ‘’ballare’’ which means dance.

Standard Dances- a smooth flowing ballroom dances that move around the entire dance floor in a
counterclockwise movement.

HISTORY

 Much of the history of ballroom dancing has involved social gatherings, dances and balls.
 During the Middle Ages, dancing often involved groups of people moving in lines and circles,
rather than dancing as couples. Dancing in pairs was first recorded in Italy at the beginning of
the 15th century.
 Social dancing during the Renaissance become more formalized dances becoming common in
the European royal courts.
 France was the source of many of the new styles of dance at that time.In 1650,(17th century)
Jean-Baptiste Lully introduced the Minuet to Paris—a dance that would
dominate ballroom until the end of the 18th century.
 Ballroom dancing originated in England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries in which
these dances, such as the waltz, were performed by the upper and elite classes of society in
balls and parties.
 During the late 19th to the early 20th centuries, it became a trend among the working and
middle class where they would go to gatherings and events in public dance halls.
 In the early 20th century, ballroom dancing experienced massive popularity in the US.
 In the early 1920s, ballroom dancing competitions started to boom that in 1924

KINDS OF STANDARD DANCES

FOXTROT- an elegant dance whose objective is to travel smoothly around the dance floor.

WALTS - it is smooth, progressive dance that travels around the line of dance, characterized by its
“rise and fall”. it includes a step, a side, and a step in 3/4 time. It is also considered by some as the
“mother of present-day dances” and the “backbone dance” of the ballroom.

VIENNESE WALTZ- the 1st ballroom dance to be performed in the closed hold position. It is danced
about twice as fast as the waltz and is a rotary dance where dancers are continually turning either in a
clockwise or counter-clockwise direction and placing change steps at intervals to shit direction and
placing change steps at intervals to shift direction at rotation (reverse).

BOX STEP- this pattern resembles a box. The patterns perform opposite movements. When the lead
moves forward the follower moves backwards.

QUICK STEP- it is an up-and-down, rise-and-fall swinging motion performed at a fast pace.

Distinctive quickstep steps include the following: rise and fall, lock step, natural hairpin, running
finish,

Outside change, chasse, and hover corte. Music used for quickstep is usually jazz or swing with a
brisk temp. It is a little faster than brisk walking, although it seems much faster for beginners.

TANGO - a ballroom dance popularized in 1880s, originating in Buenos Aires, characterized by

marked rhythms and postures and abrupt pauses.