American Style Cha-Cha
American style cha-cha became popular in the 1950's and early 1960's. It has a distinctive 3-step pattern that gives the dance its other name, the cha-cha-cha. This rhythm is used in quite a bit of today's popular music, both Latin and Rock in Roll.

Intl Style Cha-Cha(LATIN)
The form of cha-cha danced in Europe and in competitions worldwide. Cha-cha has many figures in common with. Inti style Rumba and is also of Cuban origin.

American Style Rumba(LATIN)
The Rumba was originally a courtship dance of Afro. Cuban ancestry and is danced to slower Latin music similar to a bolero rhythm. American style Rumba is based on the "box-step".

Intl Style Rumba(LATIN)
The Rumba that is seen in competitions in considered by professional dancers to be the "classic" of all the Latin dances and especially highlights the swaying of the hips known as "Cuban" or "Latin" motion.

Samba(LATIN)
The Samba is considered to be the national dance of Brazil, however, the Intl Samba is different than the street Samba of Carnival. It is very refined and is used in competitions. It travels around the dance floor ("progressive") and is distinguished by its controlled bounce and spinning mov'ts.

Swing
American Swing has many different varieties such as the simple swing, the triple swing, East Coast and West Coast swing, etc. They all have a distinctive 3-step pattern and a rocking weight change that is used in 6 or 8 count figures.

Jive
Inti Jive is seen in international competitions in the Latin division but is actually not Latin in origin. All jive and swing dances originated from "swing" music of the 1930's. Jive developed in the 1940's and is very lively and acrobatic.

Tango
Argentine Tango developed in Buenos Aires over one hundred years ago and continues to develop and grow. The basis for both American and Intl style Tango, the original Argentine Tango is improvisational in nature, is danced in very close embrace in the Salon style and depends on the successful leading of the man and following of the woman. Argentine Tango has also been successfully developed into a stage art and touring companies from Argentine have helped to popularize the dance the world over.
American Style Tango is perhaps easier to learn for beginning dancers than the Argentine Tango and has more open body movement and moves around the dance floor and the progressive "line of dance".
Intl Style Tango is very dramatic, uses contrasting flowing and staccato movements and vigorously follows the "line of dance" in precisely set patterns.

Milonga
Milonga is an older, very lively style of social dance from Argentina. It is one of the "roots" of the more widely known Tango, as well as the term used for a gathering of tango dances.

Tango Waltz
Tango Waltz is a unique type of waltz danced socially in Argentina utilizing some tango figures. Both Milonga and Tango Waltz are included in our Argentine Tango courses at the intermediate and advanced levels.

Slow Waltz
The Slow Waltz developed in Europe and America approximately 100 years ago and remains the most popular romantic dance found anywhere. It is especially used for the "first dance" of a wedding couple.

Viennese Waltz
This well known dance originated in the courts of central Europe about 400 years ago. The dance is performed to fast music in ¾ time and is characterized by its flowing turning steps which sends the dancers whirling around the room, first in one direction, than the other.

Salsa(LATIN)
Salsa is the more free version of the older Mambo, and is the product of Puerto Rican and Cuban culture mixed with that of North America. Salsa dancing combines the sensuous Latin hip motion with arm movements from swing dance, and is performed to the intoxicating jazz-influenced Latin contemporary music also known as "salsa".

Merengue
Meringue is a very lively but relatively easy dance performed to fast music from the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Merengue lessons are included in our "Club Style Salsa" dance classes.

Jazz-Hip Hop
Many types of jazz dance exist from classic Broadway show theatre jazz to funk inspired "Hip-Hop" and "Street Funk", the type of dance currently seen in video clips on MTV performed by such artists and J. Lo and Britney Spears. OUR "DANCE FUNDEMENTALS" program for young people introduces youth to a basic dance training and a number of styles of dance for both performance and social enjoyment, as well as personal development.