Modern Ballroom Dance Steps
According to Dance Sport UK, "Ballroom" is a formal partner dance with a variety of styles, including the waltz, tango, slow foxtrot, quickstep and Viennese waltz. Latin American dances, including the cha cha, samba, rumba, paso doble and jive, are spin-offs of this style. The phrase "Modern Ballroom" began in Great Britain and means that the dance is not an old time, sequence or Latin-American dance, but includes the tango, slow foxtrot, quickstep and Viennese waltz. This article will describe the basics of Modern Ballroom dancing.
Posture and Orientation
Learn the proper posture and orientation for ballroom dancing. Partners begin each ballroom dance facing each other. The male partner should place his left hand into the female partner's right hand. The female partner's left hand should be placed on the top of the male partner's upper right arm (behind the male partner's arm in the tango). The male partner's right hand should be placed on the female partner's left shoulder blade, and the female's left hand should be placed just below the male partner's right armpit. Both the male and female's posture should be erect. The dancer's chins should be slightly upturned, and their heads, necks, shoulders and torsos should stay in a perfect vertical alignment. Depending on the dance, the female partner may dance with her chest lifted and spine alignment slightly convex.
Flow
Understand the flow of the dance movements. According to BallroomDancers.com, the term "line of dance" is an imaginary line that is used by ballroom dancers to denote the flow of the dance. Most ballroom dances will move or "travel" counterclockwise in order to reduce accidents between dancers on the ballroom floor. Find out which direction you and your partner should travel.
Meter, Tempo and Rhythm
Learn the meter, rhythm and style of each ballroom dance. The modern ballroom dance styles all have varying meters, tempos and rhythms. The meter refers to the rhythmic element of the dance, which is most commonly 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 time. The tempo is the speed of the dance and generally ranges between 60 and 120 beats per minute. The rhythm refers to how the steps are timed. An example to follow the progression is "1-2-3" or "slow-quick-quick."
Steps
Steps of the modern ballroom dance vary from style to style. Visit BallroomDancers.com to find out specific movements from each of the dances or plan a ballroom lesson at a local dance company.
