Dances
FORMATION - Formation is a special class devoted to a performance group of 6 - 12 couples learning to perform a variety of ballroom and rhythm dances.
FOXTROT - The Foxtrot was developed by Harry Fox, a vaudeville actor of the 1910's decade. Fox's Trot was developed as part of a dance routine, and caught on because it was so much more interesting than the monotonous one-step and two step dances it replaced. The variety offered in foxtrot's combinations of quicks and slows allows for a much wider range of steps. Foxtrot is danced to big band music and is characterized by a soft rippling movement, called "lilting".
WALTZ - Born in Vienna, this dance was originally considered shockingly immoral because of the closed dance position, as well as the rapid movements. The waltz music of Strauss and Lanner was so popular that by the end of the 1800's, dances were made up of about three-quarter waltz and one-quarter for all the other dances combined. The waltz came to America around 1835 and was a standard dance in society by the mid 1800's. Waltz tempos are either fast (known as the "Vienna Waltz") or slow (known just as "Waltz", or, occasionally "Slow Waltz"). The word "waltz" comes from the old German word for "to turn, roll or glide". Although waltz was originally danced to "classical" music, it is now danced in every style of music.
TANGO - The style of tango started in the lower-class sections of Buenos Aires, with girls in full skirts and men in gaucho costumes with high boots and spurs dancing "Baile Con Corte", the dance with a stop. The tango came to both Europe and America around 1910 and was one of the only dances to survive the era of dance crazes, becoming a respectable part of social dancing- coming so far from its lowly roots. Tango has a passionate, dramatic style characterized by a catlike, stalking movement danced to Latin-influenced music full of staccato snare drum strikes and rolls. ARGENTINE TANGO - ARGENTINE TANGO is a variation of Tango demonstrated in a beautiful, simple language of improvisational social dancing that has developed over the last century. It is accented by quick foot action, utilizing "kicks" and "flicks." There is no other dance where the man is more in control of his partner with regard to timing and movement. Here, the pattern of "slows" and "quicks" is decided entirely by the man and can be varied depending on his mood.
NIGHT CLUB TANGO - This dance was created by Teena Marie as a replacement for traditional tango when a more night club friendly dance is needed. Using much less floor space than American or International Style Tango, this sexy night club style dance can be done to a variety of music, including traditional Tango, Argentine Tango and Slow Rock music. We take beautiful Tango patterns as well as steps from other dances to create a version with all the fancy steps and styles that will knock them out the next time you go dancing
CHA-CHA - Cha-Cha was developed in Cuba in the early '50s as a response to a new, slower style of mambo music, which included a syncopated beat, Dancers used a triple hip movement on the slow, syncopated beat, and this later developed into the triple step. Cha-Cha is still the most popular Latin dance in America, largely due to the great flexibility of the dance. Cha-Cha allows for a great number of variations and the upbeat, fun style of Cha-Cha and Cha-Cha music.
RUMBA - The rumba comes originally from Cuba and incorporates both African rhythms with Spanish and Latin melody. The slow, lyric quality of rumba (and rumba music) makes it quite a romantic dance. The rumba came to America in the 1930's and has been one of the most popular ballroom dances ever since.
BOLERO - A slow Latin dance which originated as a form of Rumba,and still shares many of the same steps. Bolero differs from Rumba in that the tempo is much slower. It has been called the "Latin Waltz" because of it's beautiful sweeping movements.
HUSTLE - Hustle was developed in the early '70s and grew to popularity with the rise of disco music. In Hustle, the man looks "cool" while the woman does lots of flashy turns and complex patterns with intricate arm movements lead by the man. Ballroom in Motion teaches street hustle and syncopated street hustle which originated on the dance floor in nightclubs.
SWING - Swing was created in the Savoy Ballroom around 1927 by dancers dancing to early jazz music, which used a softer, more relaxed syncopated beat called "swing". Within the next ten years, swing migrated from New York all across the nation. Since its beginnings, there has been a version of swing dancing in every generation. Swing styles include: East Coast swing, West Coast swing, County/Western swing, Lindy, Jitterbug, Jive, and Shag (the southern cousin of swing). Swing is generally characterized by a lazy style and "bop" action, a soft, bouncy movement.
SHAG - "THE" swing dance of the south and also the state dance of South Carolina, shag is basically a slotted east coast swing dance with a splash of the west coast swing flavor. Most of the patterns will use 6 and 8 counts, that is until you begin doing "mirror" steps which can get quite involved. Carolina shag originated in the late 1930's in Myrtle Beach, SC. and is still the most popular dance in the south.
SLOW ROCK - Created by Teena Marie, slow rock is a cozy, nightclub-style dance intended for small, crowded dance floors. Slow Rock borrows from both ballroom and Latin dances, in that it moves smoothly around the floor with progressive patterns like Foxtrot, but also has a rhythmic, hip motion that feels more like Latin dances. All clubs and styles of music from Country/Western to Big Band have the slow, romantic music that Slow Rock can be danced to. Slow Rock is also a great dance to do at your wedding!
TWO STEP -The Two-Step originated in the 1800's by people who arrived here from Europe. It was an offspring of the minuet and they danced it as QQSS. In the old Western days when women were not allowed to dance with men, men danced together and that is the reason for the hand on the shoulder holding a beer and the other hand to the side. The only women who eventually danced with these men were Indian Squwas and that is where all the turns came about, because Indian women loved to spin. Two-step is a Western dance whose popularity has spread all over the United States. The Two Step is the main partner dance in Country Western dancing. The basic step occupies 6 beats of music. Similar to the 6-count swing, the steps consist of 2 quick steps (1 beat a piece) and 2 slow steps (2 beats a piece). Beyond the basic inside and outside turns, the Two Step incorporates many ducks, tunnels, and funky arm positioning and is executed while traveling around the dancefloor. This dance has a relaxed easy style and can be danced to slow, medium, and fast tempos. This makes the dancing playful and leaves the curious observer wondering, "How did those dancers just do that?"
FOUNDATION CLASS - A wonderful way for new students to get started or for intermediate students to practice their technique. Each week is a stand-alone class that will cover the first three steps in that week's dance. This makes it easy for new students to start at any time. Students find it helpful to repeat foundation class several times to build skills such as leading/following, styling, music identificaton and timing.
SALSA - Salsa is similar to Mambo in that both have a pattern of six steps danced over eight counts of music. The dances share many of the same moves. In Salsa, turns have become an important feature. The overall look and feel are quite different from those of Mambo which moves generally forward and backward, whereas, Salsa has more of a side to side feel.