The Waltz is a graceful and smooth dance performed in a counter-clockwise direction around the dance floor maintaining the line of dance. The waltz dance pattern features a rise and fall character to the dance with a step, slide and step in ¾ time. The shoulders should move smoothly parallel to the floor without going up and down and the rise and fall should be executed with the tip-toeing motion at the end of each step. Dancers are requested to lengthen their steps to give flowing fluidity to the movements. If you learn the box pattern and under arm turn then you would have learnt the main waltz dance pattern.

Basic Box Step: Couples face each other with their body touching each other and their steps should be the exact opposite of each other’s steps. This means that the woman does exactly the opposite of what the man does in relation to foot and direction. Man Forward, woman backward, man left foot, woman right foot and vice versa.

The man keeps his left foot forward, then steps sideways with his right foot and follows up by placing his left foot alongside the right foot. Simultaneously the woman does the opposite. She keeps her right foot backward, steps sideways with her left foot and places the right foot alongside the left foot. This will complete a half turn of the box pattern. Then the man steps backward with his right foot, steps sideways with his left foot and places the right foot alongside the left foot. The female partner mirrors this step thus completing the box. Remember that in waltz dance pattern, the box step pattern is the basic one which will help you to execute other steps too.

Underarm Turn: The male lead dancer gives the sign to commence the underarm turn by elevating his left hand enabling the female follower to turn. The woman takes six steps while moving forward and rotating simultaneously and returns to her original position by the time she finishes the sixth step.

Dance Position: Both partners should hold their bodies erect with a firm body posture to provide enough tension for lead dancer to lead and the female follower to follow. The body stance should not be sloppy or slack. The male lead holds the female follower’s right hand in his left hand. The female follower should remember to lightly place her right hand on his left hand and not hold the male lead’s hand. The female follower should rest her left hand on the right upper arm of the male lead and the male keeps his right hand below her left arm just under the shoulder blade.

Waltz Music: Music for the Waltz dance pattern has a ¾ time beat counted as 1, 2 and 3, with a step performed for each beat.  All dancers dance in a single direction, circling and dancing around the floor creating lovely rotating movements. Thus when all the couples adhere to the waltz dance pattern there is minimum collision among dancers.

Tango is a dance in which a walking style of step is a basic part. Argentine Tango dance steps may look easy to learn for beginners, but as you proceed you will realize that there are complicated movements involved in this walking style too.

Switch on the music and with your eyes closed listen to the song imbibing the rhythm and beat. Concentrate on the major beat and start practicing to step on every major beat till your body gets a feel of the music and you are able to walk with eyes open stepping only on major beats. Try to master this Argentine Tango Dance step steadily.

Individuality of Tango Style
The feet stepping style in the Argentine Tango dance step is quite similar to the walk dance steps of various other dances such as the foxtrot, fast step, Texas Twin step and others. However these dances can be easily differentiated when you watch the movement of the dancers along with their partners and the way they interact while dancing the Tango.

One way of mastering this dance is by practicing to walk-dance without music. Each step you take should be with the balls of your foot rather than heels. Balancing on the balls of a foot is characteristic of jungle animals when they prepare to pounce on their prey like the lion or tiger. Imagining this posture will help you to assume the same powerful yet graceful style when you do your Argentine Tango dance step.

Tango Dance in block-like Pattern:
Have you been to Tango dance theme parties? By the way these parties are called “milongas”.Have you enrolled for any Argentine Tango dance step course? If you have then you will realize that the tango dance includes a huge variety of step patterns which at first sight seems very complicated and confusing. But in reality they are just a combination of simple steps mixed in varying ways to form a unique style.

La Caminata also known as “the Walk” forms the basis of Tango dancing. This foundation step will help you learn the mixed patterns and exclusive styles easily. The “Twin-Step walk” is a kind of Argentine Tango dance step which is performed in a block-like pattern. There are several variations of this step. Among the variations “The Stroll” is a hot favorite.

“The Stroll” (el paseo):
1. Partners face each other and keep their feet together like a normal standing posture. Keep weight on one foot.

2. Male partner takes a step forward with left foot following up with a step forward with right foot alongside the left foot.

3. Female partner takes a step back with right foot following up with a step back with left foot alongside the right foot.  Retain weight on left foot to allow right foot to start the next round. Remember that your feet should never be apart at still positions. This is a basic Twin step walk which can be modified to vary dancing patterns in Argentine Tango dance steps.

The Salsa is a fast, seductive, sexy and exciting dance and it is said that the name “Salsa” was derived from the Spanish word sauce which can be spicy, sweet and sour all at the same time. The dancers do not move around too much while dancing Salsa and sort of dance in a small area thus getting another name “Slot dancing“. These are some Salsa dancing basics which you should know.

A beginner’s primary moves of Salsa are very simple. This has an eight count rhythm divided into four beats each. One four beat count is called a bar and so the primary move consists of two bars of musical rhythm. In Salsa dancing basics there are steps for the first three beats and the fourth beat is skipped or just a tiny tap is done for comfort. The same is repeated for the second bar too. In a bar the first 2 beats are fast the third beat is slow finishing in the fourth beat. Since it is a fast dance the Salsa is danced to a count of up to 180 beats per minute.

The basic steps are as follows. Male lead in first bar: left foot forward step, right foot replace weight at same point, left foot back again to step beside right foot. (Optional: fourth beat, you can do a tiny tap with right foot for balance) Second bar: right foot backward step, left foot replace weight at same point, right foot forward again to step beside the left foot.(optional: you can do a tiny tap with left foot for balance).

The female follower does exactly the reverse of the male lead. What the man does in the second bar she does in the first, and what the male lead does in the first bar she does in the second bar. A variation and combination of the Salsa dancing basics form the moves for the rest of the dance.

Variation 1: Instead of stepping forward, you take a step sideways to the left; replace right and step back into position.

Variation 2: Instead of stepping backward you take a sideways step to the right, replace left and step back into position.

Variation 3: The Cuban style of Salsa ballroom dancing basic is followed by the Latin Americans in which there is cross body movement. The male lead takes a step forward on the first beat and on the second and third beat he steps sideways to right while turning at an angle of 90 degrees to the left. The female follower does the opposite and they will now be standing side by side. On count five the male lead takes a step backward and on six and seven a step sideways to the left and turn again 90 degrees. The woman does the opposite and by the end of the eighth beat they will be facing each other again only in opposite positions. Hope you can learn these Salsa dancing basics fast.

The origin of Salsa dance is a little tough to be traced. Perhaps the main reason is that this is also a dance which has mixed origin.  Some say it came from Cuba and some say it came from Puerto Rico. So it is safe to assume that Salsa is a combination of a dances performed by Africans, the Latins,  the Caribbean dancers  as well as dances of Puerto Rico and Cuba. Or at least each geographical area has played a role in the evolution of the salsa dance.

Similar to the Tango, Mambo and other dances the Salsa too took wings and flew to the US in the early 1940s. Here in the city of New York the origin of Salsa dance got a face lift by the Latin, Cuban and Puerto Rican community and what we dance today as the Salsa is this modified version. Besides the modification the Salsa also borrowed some steps from Rumba and Mambo. Trumpets, Cowbells and Congas are some of the instruments which give accompanying music for the Salsa dance besides the Claves and the Timbales.

Since Salsa has borrowed steps from Mambo it is natural that there is similarity in dancing styles. Both have six dance steps for a count of eight and the moves are also distinctly similar at times. The difference is that the mambo is danced with maximum backward and forward movements and the Salsa has included a lot of turns and it has a number of side stepping moves like the chases.

Even though the origin of Salsa dance did not take place in New York, this great city is responsible for its name “Salsa”. This name was given to represent its mixed dance and music origin from different Hispanic countries and its music like Guarcha, Merengue, Cha-Cha-Cha-, Charanga, Rumba and mambo to name just a few.

The Salsa is a lively dance performed with passionate energy and with a lot of sensuous movements. Salsa  is usually danced with a partner because of its sensuous and passionate character but can also be performed singly and appreciated for its footwork and dance moves. The origin of Salsa dance says that the name Salsa was aptly derived from the Spanish word “Sauce” referring to its spicy flavor.

The Salsa is a fast dance with some slow movement in between performed in two bars of four beats each with three dance steps for each of the four beats. The dancers shift their body weight during the skipped beat and raise heels and drop hips getting ready for the next step. The steps go left forward, right replace , both together, skip and then right backward, left replace and both together, skip.  The Salsa can be performed in a range of 120-180 beats per minutes. Now that you know the origin of Salsa dance, I am sure you feel like learning it, right?

Dancing is a good hobby and can sometimes become addictive too. But no matter, dancing is a fantastic exercise and so you can kill two birds with one stone. keep fit and learn an art. So, which form of dance have you chosen? Is it the Salsa?  Then here are some Salsa dance facts which will be helpful.

There are a lot of walk steps incorporated into the Salsa dance moves. So, if you just remind yourself of these Salsa dance facts whenever you practice, it will make it easier for you to learn Salsa dancing. In this article I am mainly mentioning the “DO NOTs ” in Salsa dancing.

Fact 1: Do not double step with the same foot:

Just like when you are walking the Salsa dance moves are always with alternate feet movements. How do you walk? left, right, left, right, left, is it not? Similarly in Salsa dance too , it is the left foot first, then step with right follow up with left foot again and then start again with right foot. Only the placement of the step may change from forward to backward and vice versa. Weight shift of the body from left leg to right leg and back will also take place naturally. So, if at all you do a double step, then you have made a wrong move.

Fact 2: Do not extend your Strides:

Another very important salsa dance fact is to keep your strides normal as when you walk. OK, do you want to know what a stride is? A stride is the the distance to which you keep your foot forward when you walk or the length between the two feet when you walk. A person normally maintains the same distance between his feet while walking and lengthens the stride when running or going somewhere in a hurry. It is important that you keep your stride normal while dancing the salsa. Why?  Because the Salsa is a very fast dance and you need to alternate between quick steps and slow steps matching the rhythm and this cannot be done if you lengthen your stride. So REMEMBER: if you shorten your stride you will be too fast and if you lengthen your stride you will be too slow.

Fact 3: Do not restrain your hands:

There are some things which our body does naturally that we do not realize that it has performed an action. One example is the swing of our hands while walking. Just try keeping your hands still while walking and you will see that it is practically impossible. To maintain proper balance of the body our left hand swings when our right foot moves and vice versa. The same principle is to be followed while dancing the Salsa. This is a very important Salsa dance fact which you have to keep in mind while learning Salsa.

Tango dance is very popular in social circles and at parties and Tango dance moves are energetic, expressive of emotion, seductive and joyful. Tango is danced with partners and they perform the dance with precise yet passionate energy. Tango like various other dances also has a lot of offshoots which are equally popular. Some of the popular styles are Tango Argentino which lays emphasis on complex footwork and thence earning a name “war of legs”. The Canyengue is another Tango offshoot but fairly similar to the original dance. Then there is the Finnish style of Tango, the Ballroom Tango which was evolved due to European influence and a quite a few more styles. The basic Tango dance moves will be similar in all these styles and the additional variations, twirls and sways as well as the music used differentiates the styles.

Some of things to keep in mind while learning the Tango dance steps are the expression, the posture of your body,  the basic moves and the promenade moves and the arm holding technique.

The Expression: Your emotions of happiness, intimacy, seduction, passion should be expressed through the way the body moves in tune with the musical rhythm and the foot movement.

The Posture: Both partners should hold their body with a slight rigidity which will give a resistance that will maintain balance and help the lead to direct and the follower to respond. The hip movements should be well defined to accentuate the passionate energy and in comparison to the hips the upper part of the body will be fairly still.

The Basic Tango Dance Moves: The male lead takes three steps forward left, right, left for the first three beats, then follows up with a sideways move to the right with right foot on the fourth beat and on the fifth beat brings left foot to rest by the side of the right foot. In the complimentary Tango dance moves, the female follower takes three steps backward, right, left, right, follows up with a sideways move to the left with left foot and on the fifth beat brings the right foot to rest by the side of the left foot.

The Promenade Tango Dance Moves: This move is performed with the couple standing beside each other. They take 2 slow steps forward and then turn to face each other. The female follower does this by pivoting on her feet and turning 90 degrees. They finish by bringing both the feet close together. This move is performed for movement across the dance floor.

Hand holding: Female followers right hand resting on male lead’s left hand. The male lead’s right hand on female’s left shoulder and female’s left hand on male lead’s upper arm. Minimal eye contact is maintained and direction and response are only through fingers. You can learn the Tango dance moves by enrolling in a dance course for perfection.

The origin of Tango dance like the other Latin dances is very hazy. Suffice to say that this dance also had contributions from various other dance styles and became popular in early 1920s perhaps. Originating from Argentina the locals consisting of a lot of immigrant Africans and Europeans contributed their mite in evolving this dance further to suit their taste and the varied culture.

Facts about origin of Tango Dance:

Buenos Aires was made the capital of Argentina and in cities like Montevideo and Buenos Aires, there was a little more freedom enjoyed by the black slaves. Dancing and singing was their major pass time and also an outward expression of their emotions such as frustration, anger or love and happiness. The Tango dance parties was called Milonga and had its evolution from culture of Africa. Dancing terms such as Canyengue and Candombe was also used while referring to Tango dance. In African culture this dance had a spiritual connotation and was performed during rituals. But in Argentina the the dance took on political and social connotation too.

Subsequently the origin of Tango dance as we know it today underwent further change with the influx of Spanish Gaucho migrants who came to Argentina. They also used this dance form to express their feelings of resentment and desperation. With contributions from the Spanish culture the Tango took on a different hue. However it still remained an ancient and crude form of dancing. Later on migrants from South America and Europe came along to settle down in Argentina and they brought with them a touch of class and style which was lent to the crude Tango dance to turn it  into a more stylish and refined form of dancing.

With this refinement and acceptance of the origin of  Tango dance by higher society people the Tango became popular and started spreading its wings. Soon there were musical shows with Tango dance, theater performance, tango dance in competitions, tango music included in orchestra and in almost all festivities. It was this popularity which was appreciated by Americans and the dance moved to the US and became a fascination for the Americans. The dance was performed by the poor and rich and at all times of happiness and times of war. Such was the fame that it had received that when it went a full round and returned to Argentina it was considered a very refined art form.

Though like many art forms Tango dance too went through a trough in the seventies it came back to its popularity with a bounce because of support from influential foreign people and famous artists. After that there was no stopping the Tango dance and now it is popular throughout the world. Thus the origin of Tango dance though hazy was so strong that the dance survived a lot of battering to come out  with winning colors.

Want to be great dancer and be a hot favorite among friends? Then it makes sense to go for a swing dance tutorial and learn the swing dance steps. This is dance which can be performed well on a vast and open dance hall. As you know swing dance became popular in 1920’s with the popularity of jazz music and is actually a group of dances.

The most popular of the swing dance is the Lindy hop and many more such as Bop, Push and West coast swing are basically derived from the sing dance of the East Coast. There are certain styles adapted by the Swing danced on the East Coast and its specific techniques are recognized and by the National Dance Council of America. These formats are used in dancing competitions.

Single Step Swing Dance Tutorial:

The East Coast Swing dance songs have a six beat rhythm unlike the other swing music songs which adopted the four beat rhythms.

1. Step backwards with left foot on the first beat which is a rock. Now keep your right foot forward on the second beat to the place you started. On the third beat come back to position with your left foot. On the fourth beat follow up with returning weight to the right foot so that you can perform the fifth step with your right foot. During the sixth beat return weight to the left and backwards and then get ready to start the next round of dancing your partner should follow the same moves with the steps done on the opposite foot like a mirror image.

2. Triple Step Swing dance tutorial: Follow the same method of dancing as above. The only difference is that whenever you do a stepping move, does a step-tap move with your feet instead of just a stepping move. This is to suit songs with slow rhythm where a single step would look awkward and the step-tap makes it look more effective.

3. Basics in swing dance tutorial: By leaning back slightly while dancing as if about to sit on a chair you can hold your partner better and balance her weight with your arms. This will automatically make both dancers to maintain their center of gravity. It helps the lead dancer to maintain his lead as well.

4. Dancing position in Swing Dance tutorial: Both partners should face each other and stand six inches apart. Keep your head up and your shoulders relaxed.

5. Hand Hold in Swing Dance tutorial: Lead dancer should hold his partner’s right hand with his left hand at around waist level.  He should place his right hand slightly below his partner’s left shoulder blade at about 90 digress angle from his body.

6. Follower places her left hand on the right upper arm of the lead dancer grasping his upper arm or shoulder lightly. Her right hand should rest on the lead dancer’s left hand. Follow the guidelines mentioned in the swing dance tutorial and you will be able to perform this dance in no time.

The art of waltzing comes in two main forms: English and Viennese. The English version of the waltz is more modern than the Viennese version, but before you learn the waltz, you have to choose whether you want to know both or just one! The only major variation between the two is speed: the English waltz is slow, whilst the Viennese waltz is a bit fast-paced.

The waltz is one of the simplest dances to learn and practice. Its steps are quite easy, and if you’re of the inclination, you can change and embroider them all you want! A dancing instructor is a good way to go if you want to learn the waltz, but hiring a competent one who knows how to teach the waltz and has credentials in this feature is essential!

Beginners in the waltz tend to learn a lot about waltzing from instructional dance videos which can easily be bought in bookshops or paid for and downloaded online. Instructional videos are good because they enable you to learn this dance at your own speed. Also, you can watch people actually doing the waltz at elaborate parties. This is better because you actually see the forms of movement of the dance before you and can also rope in a willing partner to teach you!

However, knowing the art of performing the waltz without form or beauty is a complete waste of time. In a studio environment and with a dance instructor, you will learn the true grace of moving with the flow of the music. Then you can dance the waltz anywhere at anytime with any partner and have the time of your life!

In the deepest recesses of Buenos Aires in the 1800s, there came to be an amalgamation of African, Spanish and Uruguayan music and dance which shaped up to become one of the sexiest dances in the world, the Tango!

The tango, one of the most vividly dramatic and sensual dances ever to have graced the earth, put Argentina on the map for its dance culture! This spectacular dance is founded on dramatic moves and formed by intimate communications between the partners, who are so in tune with each other that they can read the moves the other is going to make and react accordingly! However, when the tango first appeared, it was not a form of intimacy and was often performed only be men!

Argentina had a lot of immigrants from most parts of Europe who picked up on the tango in the late nineteenth century, and so, it became popular as a dance for the common man. Danced in festivals and fetes in jam-packed halls, the tango became an intimate and close social dance. However, the music of the tango was always most popular within Argentina, where more that one third of sheet music and records sold until the year 1920 had the tango essence!

Also, the dance itself started getting linked with Mi Noche Triste, a tragic love song by Carlos Gardel. Then, classical musicians took up the tango and gave it a new look of elegance by lowering the tempo. This led to the fall of the tango up to the 40s, until it was restored to its former glory by the patriotic zeal of Argentina’s Perón years! After this, it fell in popularity once more as the concept of rock n roll began, and Argentina’s economy steadily diminished.

The tango’s final revival occurred in the 80s, after which the music of the tango was amalgamated with some pieces of popular music such as jazz, which gave the tango a somewhat old-new sound and feel. The music combinations of the tango by artists such as Tom Waits, Portishead and Gotan Project has led to the Tango Nuevo enjoying a new generation of spectacular dancers!