Standard and Latin – Global

International Standard Ballroom and Latin American

International Standard Ballroom and Latin American styles of dance are known and practiced throughout the world without deviation. This is the worlds most popular style of ballroom that enables couples to travel around the globe and compete. It is this strict adherence to an unwavering syllabus that has helped proliferate DanceSport all over the world.

The five International Standard Ballroom dances are the Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango, Viennese Waltz and the Quickstep, with the Quickstep being exclusive to International Standard. Partners in Standard do not separate and stay in a what is called a closed position.

The men wear special tail suits that have long coat-tails, going past their knees. The women are adorned with classic ballroom gowns with sequence and Sworkorski crystals. Unlike Smooth, Standard gowns have material hanging off the forearm area that creates a flowing effect while traveling or performing pivots down the floor.

The five Latin American dances are the Cha Cha Cha, Rumba, Jive, Paso Doble and Samba. The Samba, Jive and the Paso Doble are exclusively for Latin American.

There are thousands of dance organization around the world but the two major ones that are the WDCDance.com and the WorldDanceSport.org that represents the five International Standard dances and the five Latin dances to name a few.

……………………………………………………………………….

Smooth and Rhythm – USA

American Smooth Ballroom and American Rhythm

The four American Smooth are the Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango and the Viennese Waltz. In Smooth, the couples are allowed to dance in both closed and open positions. One example of  an open position would be when couples separate and spin down the dance floor.

The dresses for smooth usually do not have loose flowing material hanging from the arms since separating can cause the male to get hung up it the material. The men wear a dance suite with no tails.

The five American Rhythm dances are the Cha Cha Cha, Rumba, Swing, Bolero and Mambo. The Mambo, Swing and Bolero are exclusively Rhythm where as the Samba, Jive and Paso Doble are exclusively Latin American.

………………………………………………………………………..

New Vogue – Australia

There is a dance style called New Vogue that is exclusive to Australia. This styles seems to be a mix between Standard and Smooth since the dancers wear International Standard dance apparel but dance in open position similar to American smooth.

………………………………………………………………………

The dances in Dance Sport

Different dance styles can have the same dances as you can see below.

International Standard	American Smooth	Latin	American Rhythm
Walt	Walts	Cha cha cha	Cha cha cha
Tango	Tango	Rumba	Rumba
Slow Foxtrot	Foxtrot	Jive	East Coast Swing
Viennese Waltz	Viennese Waltz	Samba	Mambo
Quickstep		Paso Doble	Bolero

……………………………………………………………………………

All 5 International Standard Dances

Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep, Tango, Viennese Waltz By Luca & Loraine Baricchi

……………………………………………………………………………….

All 5 Latin Dances

Rumba, Cha Cha Cha, Samba, Paso Doble, Jive: at the IDSF Grand Slam

……………………………………………………………………………………

All 4 American Smooth Dances

Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Viennese  Waltz at the  Millenium Dancesport Event

……………………………………………………………………………………….

All 5 American Rhythm Dances

Cha Cha Cha, Rumba, swing, Bolero, mambo

This concludes all the main ballroom dances.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

International Standard or European Style

The European or International Standard dances consist of  5 dances that include the Slow Waltz (Slow or English Waltz), Slow Foxtrot, Tango, Quickstep, and the Viennese Waltz . The order of the dance in the competition:

At the famous Blackpool Dance Festival in the UK, dance couples compete in four out of the five dances, excluding the Viennese Waltz from the program. 

Novice Competition Order1. Slow Waltz 2. Tango 3. Viennese Waltz 4. Slow Foxtrot 5. Quickstep

Professional Competition Order1. Slow Waltz 2. Tango 3. Slow Foxtrot 4. Quickstep 5. Viennese Waltz

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Viennese Waltz

Time Signature: 3 / 4. Temp: 58-60 bpm.

First Viennese Waltz was dated between the 12th and 13th century. The Viennese Waltz came to us from Bavaria and was called the “German”. Approximately at the beginning of 1830, the composers Franz Lanner (Franz Lanner) and Johann Strauss (Johann Strauss) wrote some – very famous now -waltzes  that help contribute to the popularity and the development of this dance. These Viennese Waltz is very fast and lively – twice as fast as the Waltz. 

Slow Waltz

Time Signature: 3 / 4. Temp: 28-30 bpm.

Waltz was brought into the United States in the mid 1800′s and was similar to the Viennese Waltz. It was, however, slowed down over time by composers. From this slower tempo evolved a new style of Waltz called the “Boston Club” that consisted of  slower turns, and longer gliding movements. Around 1874, the English latter dubbed this the Slow Waltz or English Waltz. However, only after 1922, this dance become as fashionable as the Tango. Immediately after the first World War, the Waltz seemed to changed by the day.

In 1922, when Victor Sylvester won the competition, the English waltz program consisted of only a right turn, a left turn and a change of direction. By 1926,  the waltz was improved considerably. As a result, there were more opportunities for the development of the figures. The (ISTD) Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing standardized these dances

Tango

Time Signature: 2 / 4. Temp: 31-33 bpm.

The first time Tango was performed in Europe before the first World War, it was at the rate of 36 beats per minute. The dance originated from Buenos Aires (Argentina), where it was performed for the first time in “Barria Las Ranas”, the ghetto of Buenos Aires. It was then known under the name of “Baile con corte” (dance with a rest). “Dandy” of Buenos Aires changed the dance in two ways. First, it was changed from a “Polka rhythm” to a “Habanera rhythm” and secondly, it was renamed the Tango.

Slow Foxtrot

Time Signature: 4 / 4. Temp: 28-30 bpm.

The Foxtrot came about in twentieth century and was named in honor of the American artist Harry Fox (Harry Fox). Initially the dance was performed at the rate of 48 beats per minute. The Foxtrot went in two directions: the Slow Fox and the Quickstep. The Quickstep was dance to a much faster rate at 48 – 52 cycles per minute. The Foxtrot was dance much slower at a rate of 29-32 cycles per minute, hence renamed the “Slow Foxtrot”

Quickstep

Time Signature: 4 / 4. Temp: 50-52 bpm.

The Quickstep started to appear during the first World War in the suburbs of New York, and some say it debut at the American Music Hall. In the 1920′s, many bands played the Slow Foxtrot too fast, which caused many complaints among the dancers. The outcome of bands speeding up the Foxtrot tempo was the catalyst that help create the need for the Quickstep, which was the fast version of Foxtrot, executed at much faster rate of 48-52 beats per minute. 

 

Latin American Style

The Latin American dance program or Latina (Latin) consists of 5 major dances: Samba (Samba), Cha-Cha-Cha (Cha-Cha-Cha), Rumba (Rumba), Paso Doble (Paso Doble) and Jive (Jive) . The order of the dance in the competition as follows:

Amateur Competition Order1. Samba 2. Cha-cha-cha 3. Rumba 4. Paso Doble 5. Jive

Professionals Competition Order1. Cha-cha-cha 2. Samba 3. Rumba 4. Paso Doble 5. Jive

At the famous Blackpool Dance Festival in the UK, dance couples compete in all 5 dances in the Latin American program.

Cha-cha-cha

Time Signature: 4 / 4. Temp: 30-32 bpm.

The Cha Cha Cha is an exciting and syncopated LatinAmerican dance, which originated in the 1950′s as the slow Mambo. This dance was first seen in the dance halls of America. The music played for the Cha-Cha-Cha was a happy and carefree. The Cha-Cha-Cha dance, like its name is repetitive in nature. The dance is sometimes reffered to as the shorter title: the Cha Cha.

Samba

Time Signature: 2 / 4. Temp: 50-52 bpm.

Until 1914, this dance was known as the Brazilian name “Maxixe”. The Samba (Samba) first appeared in European dance halls around 1923 and 1924. After the Second World War, the Samba became popular in all of Europe. Samba has a very distinctive rhythm that is hard and steady that was first played with Brazilian musical instruments. Originally, the dance was called tamborim, chocalho, reco-reco and cabaca. The rhythmic Brazilian Samba dance is now a big part of modern ballroom dancing. Samba includes a typical Latin hip motion, along with the “Samba Bounce,” a springing movement that keeps the dancers light on their feet. 

Rumba

Time Signature: 4 / 4. Temp: 25-27 bpm.

The Rumba originated in Cuba. Starting out as a typical dance, perfect for a hot climate, the Rumba has become the altruistic classic out of the five Latin American dances. The Rumba is a slow dance, which is characterized by sensual movements and gestures along with exaggerated hip movements that some say mimics an close liaison between a man and woman.

Paso Doble

Time Signature: 2 / 4. Temp: 60-62 bpm.

The Paso Doble is the Spanish Gypsy Dance with a dramatic French-Spanish Flamenco style march, where a man mimic the unwavering and strong matador on the battle with the bull. The the ladies part represents the mans  cape or the bull itself, depending on the circumstances. The dance represents a bull fight and at the end the of the song, the lady sometimes has the position of the defeated and dying bull. 

Jive

Time Signature: 4 / 4. Temp: 42-44 bpm.

The Jive is the International version of the Swing Dance. The Jive is usually the last dance in a competition and is one of the most physically demanding dancing out of the five Latin American dances.