Just what is a ballroom dance?

[Spitfire]

As I best understand it ballroom actually refers to the smooth dances - waltz, foxtrot, tango and I think quick step. It is one of a subset; the others being latin and swing.

The term ballroom does seem to be used loosely though and I have come to believe that it's thought of as any dancing between two partners where contact is used as a means of lead and follow and requires instruction and practice to become proficient at.

 

[pygmalion]

Hmm, spitfire. Is this another one of those shifting perception things? Meaning, to a lindy-hopper, rumba is ballroom. To some ballroom people, only smooth/standard dances are ballroom, where rumba, cha cha, etc. are considered rhythm or Latin. Does it depend on the perspective? Or is there an official definition somewhere? It's probably worth a google, so I will.

 

[SDsalsaguy]

Yes, "ballroom" can be used in two different ways... (1) in the general sense of all ballroom dancing, and (2) the Standard/Smooth dances.

Spitfire... you left out Viennese Waltz, and while quickstep is a Standard/Modern dance it is *not* a Smooth dance. The competitive divisions of ballroom are as follows:

Int. Latin -- Cha Cha, Rumba, Samba, Paso Doble, Jive
Int. Ballroom -- Waltz, Tango, Fox Trot, Viennese Waltz, Quickstep
American Rhythm -- Cha Cha, Rumba, ECS, Bolero, Mambo
American Smooth/Ballroom -- Waltz, Tango, Fox Trot, Viennese Waltz

Notice that there is no "swing" category. Many ballroom studios and instructors also teach such dances as WCS, salsa, etc., but – in the strictest sense – these really aren't ballroom dances.

 

[pygmalion]

Cool. 8) You saved me valuable googling time and resources. :lol: (I need to go find some new topics! :lol: ) As you mentioned, just to add to the confusion, people will sometimes lump in all sorts of other partner dances. For example, at my comp last week, hustle, WCS, and several other technically speaking non-ballroom dances were all lumped in under rhythm/Latin dances. Don't ask me why. And at "ballroom" studios in the West or Southwest, many country western dances, such as two-step, country waltz, etc, often outnumber "true" ballroom dances in the number of students. :?

 

[Spitfire]

Spitfire... you left out Viennese Waltz, and while quickstep is a Standard/Modern dance it is *not* a Smooth dance. The competitive divisions of ballroom are as follows:

No, not really; I was thinking of both when I said Waltz.

 

[Spitfire]

Hmm, spitfire. Is this another one of those shifting perception things? Meaning, to a lindy-hopper, rumba is ballroom. To some ballroom people, only smooth/standard dances are ballroom, where rumba, cha cha, etc. are considered rhythm or Latin. Does it depend on the perspective? Or is there an official definition somewhere? It's probably worth a google, so I will.

There is probably an official definintion somewhere, but to put this another way I think that any dance taught in a studio is often loosely termed as a ballroom dance; at least that's been my impression.

 

[Frodo]

I've generally thought of the term Ballroom to be an abbreviation of Ballroom [and Latin [American]].

As an abbreviation it would cover the ten (international) dances, but not WCS, ECS, Lindy, LeRoc, Salsa, Argentine Tango etc.

 

[msc]

As an abbreviation it would cover the ten (international) dances

Plus the nine American style dances (Smooth + Rhythm,) at least here in the USA.

What's LeRoc? Never heard of that one.

 

[Spitfire]

LeRoc?

I've never heard of it either.

 

[SDsalsaguy]

Plus the nine American style dances (Smooth + Rhythm,) at least here in the USA.

Which is why, at least in North America, it includes ECS (but not WCS, etc).

Also, to say that Waltz includes Viennese is rather similar to failing to differentiate between Slow Foxtrot and Quickstep....

 

[Sagitta]

Is Argentine tango included in ballroom, similar to how we have jive for international and ECS for American, or do both the international and American styles do American tango, the dance with the 5 step basic? If they do what's the difference, stylistically, between International and American?

Also, I've never heard the LeRoc. Sounds interesting. What's that Frodo?

 

[SDsalsaguy]

AT is actually separate from both International and American style tango and is not considered a ballroom dance. The international tango, unlike the American, does not actually have a set basic step. Stylistically the biggest difference, of course, is that – as with all international ballroom dances – the couple never breaks frame. There is also a difference in dance tempi with American tango at 120-128 bpm and international at 128-132 bpm.

 

[msc]

International Tango is generally sharper than American Tango. It tends to have a very, very, very aggressive look. AT is a completely different animal.

Interestingly enough, there is a "five step" in Int'l Tango, but it's a gold level move, generally used to turn a corner.

 

[Frodo]

LeRoc

What's LeRoc? Never heard of that one.

LeRoc?
I've never heard of it either.

Also, I've never heard the LeRoc

I should have used the more generic term 'Modern Jive'. You may have heard of 'Ceroc' which is a major trademarked form of 'Modern Jive'. LeRoc is the non-trademarked form dominant in my area.

Regardless of the naming it grew out of French style Jive imported into the UK in the 1980's and adapted. I think it is mostly danced in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

It is a very accessible dance, with little emphasis on footwork, that can be danced to a wide range of music.

Without LeRoc I would have an awful lot less dancing options - 'Modern Jive' is probably comparable to Salsa in popularity here, with nothing else close.

 

[MadamSamba]

Saggita, here in Australia, Argentine Tango is considered Street Latin, which also includes Salsa, Merengue and Jive and Rock 'n Roll for some odd reason, probably the same reason Jive is lumped into Latin. The coolest medals to do and watch are the Street Latin medals! They're awesome fun to learn.