Types of Dance
Ballroom
The Ballroom dances that we offer at Julie's Dance Tuition consist of:
Tango
The Tango is a very deliberate, aggressive dance. It has flashy head
movements and quick turns. Tango is passionate, with dramatic poses. Its story
is of a love affair that is sometimes amorous, sometimes angry, but always
intense! The basic timing is slow-slow-quick-quick-slow, spelling out its name:
T-A-N-G-O.
Quickstep
The Quickstep evolved in the 1920s
from a combination of the Foxtrot and the Charleston, as bands started to play
music which was too quick to make large open leg movements which the Foxtrot
required. The Quickstep is the fastest of the ballroom dances. It is known for
lots of hops, skips, jumps, and fast footwork.
Foxtrot
The Foxtrot is often thought of as the most difficult dance to do
properly. It is characterised by very smooth long strides that make the couple
appear as if they are floating on air. The long walking movements involve a
subtle rise & fall action, accompanied by leg and body swing. Continuous foot
passing actions, heel turns, weaves and fallaways are staple movements of the
Foxtrot. The Foxtrot originated in 1914 in New York City by Harry Fox. It is one
of the most versatile of all the ballroom dances as it can be danced to a wide
variety of music with varying tempos.
Waltz
The
Waltz is a smooth progressive dance characterised by long, flowing
movements, continuous turns, and rise & fall. Graceful and elegant, Waltz
dancers glide around the floor almost effortlessly. At 28-30 beats per minute,
the tempo is slow at best, but the expressive quality of the music often invites
very powerful and dynamic movement from dancers. The Waltz originated in the
suburbs of Vienna and the Alpine region of Austria. By the Seventeenth Century
it was danced in the Ballrooms of the Hapsburg Court in Germany. Today it is a
popular dance at weddings and other social events.
Latin American
The Latin American dances that we offer at
Julie's Dance Tuition are:
Cha Cha
Cha Cha is a rhythmical Latin dance which originated in the 1940's as a
modified form of Mambo. It's fun, energetic, sexy and flirtatious, easily
distinguished from other dances by its addictive "Step, Step, Cha Cha Cha"
rhythm.
Rumba
The Rumba originates from Cuba as a typical dance of a hot climate. It has
become the classic of all the Latin American dances. In its present form many of
the basic figures of the dance retain the age-old story of woman's attempt to
dominate man by the use of her feminine charm. In a well choreographed dance
there will always be an element of "tease and run"; the man being lured and then
rejected.
Jive
The Jive is a dance style that originated in American in the early 1940's. It is
a lively and uninhibited variation of the Jitterbug. The Jive is a very fast,
energy-consuming dance. It is the last dance danced at the competitions, and
dancers have to show that having dance four dances they are not tired yet and
still ready to go hard at it
Samba
The Samba originates from Brazil where it is a national dance. Many
versions of the Samba are danced at the famous carnival in Rio de Janeiro. To
achieve the true character of the Samba the dancer must give it a flirtatious
and exuberant interpretation. The Samba a very bouncy and fast moving dance, and
is often danced in a hold position.
Paso Doble
The Paso Doble is a very lively Spanish style of dance. Paso doble means
"two step" in Spanish. This dance is based on music played at bullfights during
the bullfighters' entrance or during the passes just before the kill. The leader
of this dance plays the part of the matador and the follower plays the part of
the matador's cape.
We also offer some Rock & Roll and Freestyle