The Basic Requirements of the Waltz
- The footwork and steps should be kept very simple
- There should be a slight swaying action from the couple - a musical lilt - a gentle rise and fall.
- There is a lot of rotation that requires some getting used to.
The Basic Steps of the Waltz
The Waltz has the least steps of all dances, there are only 3 setps to master -
- Natural turns - turn to the right
- Reverse turns - turn to the right
- Change step - this step is executed in-between the natural and reverse steps and is used to aid the dancers to move to the other foot.
Below is a step-by-step guide to doing these basic steps as well as the other components of the Waltz. To see how the Waltz should be done I would recommend you
watch this video from the master of ballroom dancing Len Goodman, Len has been a judge on both Strictly Come Dancing in the UK and Dancing with the Stars in the US:-
Learn To Waltz Video With Len Goodman
A downloadable PDF version of these instructions is available for download - Learn To Waltz PDF (619 kb)
Step-By-Step Guide To The Steps Of The Waltz
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The Rumba is the dance of love! Primarily it tells a story of promises, teasing and withdrawal. This is the most sensual and sexy of the
latin dances. The empahasis is on body movement. Hip action is caused by moving your body weight between the feet. There are lots of slow body shapes and poses in the
Rumba. Look out for straightening of legs and swivelling action in the feet. Walks should be strong, direct and always on the balls of the feet, there are no
heel leads in the Rumba.
Below is a step-by-step guide to doing the basic steps as well as the other components of the Rumba.
A downloadable PDF version of these instructions is available - Learn To Rumba PDF (619 kb)
Step-By-Step Guide To The Steps Of The Rumba
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Forward driving steps are taken with the heel first in contact with the floor, with the toe lowering as the body moves over it. Backwards walks arealmost always taken with the toe first, with the heel lowering as the body moves over it. At the same time, the toe of the forward foot should release from the floor as the body moves away. Side steps normally use the toe first.
The rise and fall action is present in the majority of the patterns of the Foxtrot using a consistent 3-step cycle, although it is still more subtle than in the Waltz, owing to the continuous passing of the feet in
a lengthwise manner.
Below is a step-by-step guide to doing the basic steps as well as the other components of the Foxtrot.
A downloadable PDF version of these instructions is available - Learn To Foxtrot PDF (619 kb)
Step-By-Step Guide To The Steps Of The Foxtrot
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Known as the obscene dance, the Tango caused a stir when first introduced, it challenged the conventions of acceptable public behaviour. The Tango originates from Argentinean peasants.
A Group Tango in the 2005 series of Strictly come Dancing is a fine example of how this dance should be done, follow the link to find that Tango video.
The Basic Requirements of the Tango
- The Tango is a very emotional dance and this should be conveyed
- There should be lots of clipped movements in the Tango, it’s not fluid like a waltz
- Sharp head turning and stops
- The man’s left arm is more towards head level. The general hold is far more compact and the couple are much tighter together
- There should be NO rise and fall. This should be a very flat dance. The knees should be slightly bent at all times
The Basic Steps of the Tango
The Tango has several basic setps to master -
- Walks - with the heels leading on the walks
- Links - these are the sharp movements in-between the walks (the head turns from the girl)
- Rock Turns - rock whilst turning
- Promenade position - (is in all ballroom dances) this is when both the dancers walk forwards using identical footwork, side by side, whilst maintaining the hold
Below is a step-by-step guide to doing these basic steps as well as the other components of the Tango. To see how the Tango should be done I would recommend you
watch this video from the master of ballroom dancing Len Goodman, Len has been a judge on both Strictly Come Dancing in the UK and Dancing with the Stars in the US:-
Learn To Tango Video With Len Goodman
A downloadable PDF version of these instructions is available for download - Learn To Tango PDF (192 kb)
Step-By-Step Guide To The Steps Of The Tango
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Did you know that Ballroom Dancing is a great way of getting fit? Doing just 30 minutes of non-stop ballroom dancing increases your heart rate into your fat burning zone, producing benefits equal to that of a low impact aerobics class. Nobody should under estimate the effect of general fitness that dancing can have, if you watch the stars of Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing With The Stars closely you’ll notice how they lose weight and tone-up over the length of the series. Even the fittest sports stars struggle with the dancing regime. Obviously this is all very much compacted into a short space of time for TV but by using Ballroom Dancing as a fitness hobby the long term health benefits will be great, and perhaps more important for some, noticeable.
The exact amount of calories you’ll burn will depend entirely on the type of dancing you’re doing. Generally speaking modern dances like the Waltz and Quick Step burn less calories than the Latin Ballroom Dances like the Cha-Cha, Rumba and Salsa. Either way you’ll be burning between 200 and 400 calories per hour. As you become fitter you’ll also be able to dance for longer, meaning that you’ll be able to burn even more calories. One of the great advantages dancing has over other traditional forms of exercise like playing competitive sports and going to the gym is that it can also be a great chance for couples to spend time together. What could be more fun than getting a bit sweaty burning some serious calories and getting fitter with your partner. Although most girls wont need any persuading on the health benefits of Ballroom Dancing, the men might need a little convincing as it’s bound to take them out of their comfort zone. With any luck seeing world famous sports stars doing it on TV might help change that.
Finally, one thing worth mentioning is the right clothes to wear. As with any form of exercise it is vital to have the correct clothing while getting fit dancing. It’s important that men don’t wear tight belts and no ties (a dangerous weapon on a twirling man). For women it’s best to avoid any form of open-toe sandal, heels are also not suitable. Flat comfortable broken in shoes and loose fit clothing is the way to go.
Ballroom Dancing is a fun way of improving your health and getting fit. Why not give it a go?
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So you’ve decided to go ballroom dancing, or perhaps more likely you’ve decided that you’d like your child to Ballroom dance. You go along to the dance school that you’ve spent ages picking out and you and your child learns to dance. Sounds simple doesn’t it? However, there’s something about Ballroom Dancing that anybody considering taking it up should not forget. A dance partner, or more specifically finding a dance partner that suits you. You see whilst all of the dances can be learnt and performed solo, dancing is all about partners, and finding the right dance partner can be a real problem.
When it comes to children’s ballroom the biggest problem is faced by girls, and that’s finding a boy to dance with. The trouble is that there still aren’t that many young boys who like the idea of “prancing” around as a hobby. This makes the ones that do (normally attributed to a pushy mum) very valuable, the competition to get a boy partner can be extreme. Partner pinching is something that is common in the junior ranks of Ballroom Dancing and we’re not talking only at international level here, we’re talking about your local school. The truth is that a boy-girl partnership looks better on the floor than a girl-girl partnership. This may be harsh but it appears as though quite a large part of ballroom dancing judging is about image, so it goes that an average boy-girl will beat a good girl-girl most times. The other big problem is personality clashes. Most children do tend to just get on and play; it’s the parents that can be the problem. Just think how much time you’re going to be spending at lessons and competitions with the other family and have a hard think before teaming up with anybody. The final thing to take into account is ambition, both partners have to have the same ambition when it comes to their dancing, be it to be the best or just have fun. If the goals are different then the partnership will not last long.
You’d think with all these problems that it’s impossible to find an ideal ballroom dance partner. That’s not the case, we’ve been lucky enough for our daughter to have some fantastic partners! Of course there have been some short lived bad ones as well but you tend to forget about them quickly. If you’re struggling to find a dance partner and you’ve exhausted all the local options then why not think about using a web service. There are a few out that offer dance partner matching services, the one I’d recommend is www.dancepartner.com, it can be a very low cost way of finding your perfect ballroom dancing partner.
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