Dance Descriptions

Fox Trot and Waltz are the most popular smooth dances. They are considered elegant and flowing and are danced, for example, to the music of Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole.

Salsa/Mambo are the fastest of all the Latin dances. 

Cha Cha is a Latin dance done to medium tempo music and is more "interactive and playful" between the partners.

Rumba is danced to slower romantic music.

Bolero is the slowest of all the Latin dances and is very sensual.

Swing is the only dance that originated in the United States and is danced to all types of upbeat Jitterbug and Big Band, & popular  music.

Featured Dance Facts History this month:

CHA CHA

 The Cha Cha first appeared in the West Indies where there is a plant that produces seed pods that make a "cha-cha" sound. In Haiti, the voodoo band consisted of three drums, a bell, and a rattle which was made from this "cha-cha" plant. The Cha-Cha was used by the band leader as a metronome to set the pace for dancing and singing.

The greatest contribution of the mambo is the fact that it led to the development of the Cha-Cha. Even during the peak of the Mambo, most dancers agreed that its movements were too jerky and acrobatic, unlike the smooth movements usually associated with Latin dances.

In 1953, the Cuban orchestra, "America," started playing a Mambo with a different beat. It was slower, allowing the dancers to use a slight hip undulation on the slow count. Gradually this was changed into a triple step and the Cha-Cha was born! Soon, dance studios reported that it was their most requested dance.

The Cha-Cha was introduced to the United States during the early 1950s and by 1959, it was the dance sensation! Today, Cha-Cha remains as the most popular Latin dance in the United States.  It can be danced to medium Latin, Country, and Contemporary music.

The Cha-Cha is characterized by a swinging of the hips, called "Cuban Motion," and by very small steps.  It is a very playful and interactive dance.