CHA CHA CHA

The Cha Cha Cha became popular in Britain in the late 40's early 50's when Doris Lavelle (Lissa's dance teacher) and Monsieur Pierre brought the dance back from Cuba. An offshoot from the Rumba/Mambo with an addition, the triple step and danced on the 'off beat' (2nd beat)  Cha Cha Cha rhythm can still be heard  in the music of contemporary performers like Ricky Martin, Lady Gaga and more.



SALSA

​Salsa is a fusion of Cuban, Puerto Rican and American styles.  This is a fast spinning Latin American dance.  Salsa comprises of an eight beat rhythm pattern, small steps, a Cuban motion and a compact hold. Salsa dancing is always sexy, sassy and fun.



RUMBA

Rumba=Steamy!  This is undoubtedly the most well known Latin American dance.  It is slow and romantic and has a slow hip action and is sometimes known as the Dance of Love.



TANGO

There are two types of Tango, the Ballroom Tango and the Argentine Tango.  The Tango originated in the West Indies and traveled to the Guachos in the Argentina.It is a slow and dramatic dance with many held poses and sharp head movements and sharp flicks of the feet and legs.It grew in popularity when Rudolph Valentino danced it and it  can be seen in movies such as Scent of a Woman, Tango, Evita and True Lies.



FOXTROT

Most people  think that Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers created the Foxtrot but is was  in fact a vaudeville performer named Harry Fox. The Foxtrot is made up of quick and slow steps  which give great flexibility.  This is still a classic dance for Weddings  and many Frank Sinatra songs are made up of this rhythm 



WALTZ

Waltz was born in the suburbs of Vienna and Austria.  When Waltz was first introduced people were shocked as it was the first Ballroom dance where the gentleman put his hand on the ladies waist!  This is another good one for weddings and Social events.



SAMBA

The Samba originated in Brazil and was a Festival dance. It is a happy, lively, fun dance  and is guaranteed to get everyone's feet tapping.

 

QUICKSTEP

Quickstep is a light-hearted member of the ballroom dances. The movement of the dance is fast and flowing, sprinkled with syncopations. The Quickstep was developed in the 1920s in New York and it's origins are a combination of slow foxtrot and the charleston. This is a great dance for Social events.

 

VIENNESE WALTZ

The Viennes Waltz is a rotary dance where the dancers are constanly turning either way, indespersed with non-rotating change steps to switch between the direction of rotation.

 

PASO DOBLE

A traditional copuples dance from Spain danced to the type of music typically played during a bullfighters enterance to the ring.

 

JIVE

Developed in the 1930s by Afro-Americans in the United States. It was originally presented to the public as Jive in 1934 by Cab Calloway. This is a fun lively dance popular in Weddings, Social events and even played in pubs/social clubs!

 

BACHATA

Originating from the Dominican Republic, Bachata is a slow, sexy dance enabilling partners to get close to eachother - great for couples!

 

MERENGUE

Another dance from the Dominican Republic, the dance originated from slaves working in sugar beat fields where they connected to eachother by chains strapped to their ankles and had to walk in small steps. A fun one for Social events!

 

HUSTLE

The Hustle is a catchall name for some disco dances which were extremely popular in the 1970s. The first Hustle was created in late 1972, four step counts with lots of intricate turns, made popular by John Travolta in the movie Saturday Night Fever.