427511
Useful Information
Dance Classes For Adults & Teenagers in
Worcestershire :
Gloucestershire :
‘Dance at 8’
All contents of this Web site copyright C 2013 by ‘Dance at 8’. No part of this site http://www.danceat8.com or the related information may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Ballroom Dance Styles
WALTZ The Original Ballroom Dance, full of grace and elegance, classical yet modern.. The Waltz has a long history - without going into great depth - around the end of the nineteenth century, two versions of the waltz were developed. The first was the Boston, a slower waltz with long gliding steps. Although the Boston disappeared with the first world war, it did stimulate development of the English or International style which continues today. The second was the hesitation, which involves taking one step to three beats of the measure. Hesitation steps are still widely used in today's Waltz. Danced in 3/4 time
AUSTRALIAN ‘New Vogue Style’ BALLROOM 'Dance at 8's' Australian 'New Vogue Style' Ballroom is a subtle blend of American Smooth and European Ballroom resulting in an exciting Sequence style which enables dancers to express themselves using arm head and body moves within a set sequence of variations. 'New Vogue Style' works in a similar fashion to Sequence where all couples start and finish a 16 or 32 bar routine in the same position. The difference is, during the routine there are many options with arm, head and body positions making your routine sometimes quite different than the other couples. Dancers will also have the chance to learn more advanced variations which in the past would not have been included in Modern Sequence routines.
FOXTROT Said by some to have originated from vaudeville performer, Harry Fox's show in 1913. The Foxtrot is often associated with the style of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It is now a standard ballroom dance around the world. It is a good foundation for social dances in 4/4 time. The basic rhythm of Foxtrot is Slow-Slow-Quick-Quick
SOCIAL FOXTROT can be danced to a variety of jazzy musical styles. Most of the Big Band standards played at weddings and dances are Foxtrots.
SLOW FOXTROT or REAL FOXTROT is a more technical style that is commonly seen in Ballroom Dance Competitions and on Strictly Come Dancing.
QUICKSTEP It is very popular in Europe as a competition dance. It ranks among the "Big Five," the other three being the Slow Foxtrot, the Waltz, the Tango and the Viennese Waltz.
AMERICAN SMOOTH STYLE WALTZ / FOXTROT has a fun "theatrical" quality because the couples can open up to allow for smooth flowing lines and spins. Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly both used the long, smooth movements of Waltz to cover a lot of ground gracefully in their cinematic routines. American Smooth is more elaborate and less restrictive style.
TANGO The choreographic sources of the Tango are Argentine and Spanish folk dances. In the 19th century, the Tango became wide-spread in South America, and it first appeared in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century.
ARGENTINE TANGO The forerunner of the Modern Tango . The Argentine Tango was created by the Gauchos in Buenos Aires. It was actually an attempt on their part to imitate the Spanish dance except that they danced it in a closed ballroom position. The essence of Argentine tango is about life and, especially, about the relationship between a man and a woman. The dance is called "the history of love - for three minutes."
MODERN TANGO or BALLROOM TANGO A refined, technical version of the Argentine Tango. A closer hold and slick staccato actions but with similar intense feeling to Argentine Tango. Ballroom Tango is danced in 4/4 time. Easily Recognised by it’s sharp staccato head movements.
VIENNESE WALTZ is a rotary dance where the dancers are constantly turning either in a clockwise (natural) or anti-clockwise (reverse) direction interspersed with non-rotating change steps to switch between the direction of rotation. A true Viennese waltz consists only of turns and change steps. Viennese waltz is the original form of the waltz and the first ballroom dance in the closed hold or "waltz" position.
Some people prefer Ballroom because of it’s Classy feel, others like the exciting Latin Rhythms. The choice is yours, but don’t be put off because you may have a preconceived notion that Ballroom is boring and/or difficult.
(You haven’t tried OUR Ballroom! It’s not the Style your Granny used to dance ! )
Some people think Latin and Argentine Tango are fast and complicated, but they are Not. We make all the dance styles EASY!
Here is more information about the various Ballroom Dance styles.
Which ones would you like to learn? ‘Dance at 8’ can teach you !
All of our Fun Dance classes are held throughout the year in Worcestershire & Gloucestershire
| FREE Dance Newsletter - Here |
| Worked with... |
| About Us |
| Why choose Dance at 8? |
| What others say about 'Dance at 8' |
| Contact Us |
| Practice & Social Dances |
| 'Dance at 8' Dance Videos |