Our favourite dance styles - ballroom

Picture yourself at an elegant gala ball in Venice or Paris or an informal tea dance at the famous” Palm Court”  at the Waldorf Hotel in London or in the ballroom aboard a magnificent  cruise liner.  Or perhaps you would simply like to join in the dancing at a family wedding or company event.  Whatever the occasion it’s wonderful to being able to take to the floor for a romantic waltz or a sprightly quickstep.

 

The waltz dates back two centuries and gained huge popularity in the second part of the nineteenth century in the form of the Viennese waltz which was often danced to the elegant music of the Strauss family. It has continued to evolve and in its somewhat slower form today is hugely popular at anniversary events and weddings. It  is danced to a count of “three beats to the bar” and has an especially romantic and beautiful form.

 

The quickstep is  much more sprightly and faster than the waltz, danced  at a quicker tempo’s based around a “slow quick quick slow” timing. It’s the ideal dance for those occasions featuring the big band sound of the forties and fifties or any other pieces of a similar tempo played  at a “four beats to the bar” count.

 

The Foxtrot is usually danced to slower musical styles than the quickstep and is based around a “slow quick quick” timing. A particular style of the dance has developed known as the Slow Foxtrot which is quite a demanding dance for the novice  so a simplified version known as the “social foxtrot” has evolved which can be mastered relatively easily.  It is the ideal dance for the novice when the music  in a slower idiom and features  a count of four beats to the bar  and is therefore not suitable for the waltz.

 

The modern tango is quite different than the original classic Argentine tango and  is usually  a popular  dance for most regular dancers.  It is danced  in an almost “march” like staccato style without the rhythmic  “rise and fall and swing” associated  of with the waltz, and the quickstep. The basic steps are quite straight forward and are not difficult for the beginner to learn.