Category: Latin Dances

Bolero

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Bolero is a slow, graceful and romantic Latin dance characterized by gliding steps, large flowing arm movements, subtle hip motion and a close dance hold.

Bolero is a mixture of three different dances: rumba, waltz (rise and fall), and tango (contra body movement).

Athough bolero and rumba are similar and share many figures in common, bolero differs from rumba in its slower tempo and large grander style of movement.

Bolero is danced to the slowest tempo of rumba rhythms, between 96 to 120 beats per minute. The music for Bolero is written in 4/4 time and is counted slow-quick-quick (SQQ).

Examples of Bolero songs:

  • Jose Feliciano- Senor Bolero
  • Celine Dion- My Heart Will Go On
  • Jennifer Lopez- Should’a Never
  • Amy Grant- I Will Remember You
  • Diana Ross, Lionel Richie- Endless Love

The very slow large side step and rise and fall, which is accomplished through the body and leg rather than the feet and ankles, requires a dancer of Bolero to have good control and balance to execute steps smoothly.

Bolero History:

Bolero has its roots in Spain and Cuba and in two forms of Rumba – Bolero rumba and son rumba. In Cuba bolero music was composed with a slower rhythm than the rumba. Bolero soon became popular throughout Mexico and Latin America and then arrived in the United States by the late 1920s to early 1930s. It eventually became one of the American Latin style competition dances.

Contact The Dancing Duo today about Bolero Lessons! Also check our calendar to see if this is currently being taught!

Cha Cha

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Sometimes known as “Cha Cha Cha”, the Cha Cha is a playful energetic Latin dance that is very popular and fun to learn. The Cha Cha’s lively moves and music will get you moving on the dance floor and burn calories in the process.

Cha Cha is characterized by quick sharp steps, rib cage isolations, and Cuban hip motion. Cuban hip motion is a rolling action of the hips resulting from the alternate bending and straightening of the knees. It is a compact dance taking up little floor space.

Although Cha Cha has traditionally been danced to Latin music, much of today’s music has a great beat for Cha Cha and includes many types of music such as pop, R&B, country, funk and beach music.

It is danced to music with a tempo of 110 to 130 beats per minute. Cha Cha is danced in 4/4 time and is comprised of a triple step with a rock step after each triple step. The Cha Cha rhythm is “1,2,3,4,&.” The fourth beat is split in two (4, &) so five steps are danced in four beats of music.

Examples of Cha Cha songs

  • Marc Anthony- I Need to Know
  • Santana- Smooth
  • Jessica Joy- Chilly Cha Cha
  • Earth, Wind, & Fire- September
  • Santana- Oye Como Va

Cha Cha History

Cha Cha evolved in Cuba from a similar dance, the mambo. Havana Cuba was a hotspot for the wealthy, mobsters, and movie stars in the 1940s and 1950s where casinos, nightclubs and music flourished. Cuban bands played music that gave rise to the mambo which later evolved into the Cha Cha. The two dances are very similar except the Cha Cha has a triple step before and after the break step (or rock step).

Cha cha made its way to the United States in the 1950s and soon became a dance craze. People were so eager to learn the Cha Cha that its popularity spread through the country and overseas. In the 1960s Cha Cha evolved into a more formalized dance style that became part of Latin American Dancing.

Contact The Dancing Duo today about Cha Cha Lessons! Also check our calendar to see if this is currently being taught!

Mambo

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Mambo is a high energy, flirtatious Latin dance. It is a compact dance requiring little space on the dance floor.

Like other Latin dances, mambo is characterized by Cuban hip motion, which is a rolling action of the hips in a figure eight movement resulting from the alternate bending and straightening of the knees.

It is very similar to Cha Cha except that Mambo does not have a triple step before and after each rock step (or break step) but instead has a slow beat (2 beats of music) during which the dancer does not change weight.

The music for mambo is written in 4/4 time and typically danced to fast tempo Latin music. The count for mambo is 2 3 4 (1) indicating that the dancer does not step on count 1, but steps forward or backward on 2 for a rock step or break step.

Music for Mambo

  • Lou Bega- Mambo No. 5
  • Barry Manilow- Hey Mambo
  • Beyonce- Single Ladies
  • Michael Buble- Comin’ Home Baby
  • Tito Puente- Ran Kan Kan

Mambo History

The Mambo originated from Cuba as a combination between American Swing/Jazz and Cuban music. The Mambo dance is attributed to Perez Prado who introduced it at La Tropicana night-club in Havana in 1943. Mambo is enjoyed throughout the world at both the social and competitive dance levels. The Mambo is a favorite of dancers due to its high energy level and infectious rhythms.

Contact The Dancing Duo today about Mambo Lessons! Also check our calendar to see if this is currently being taught!

Rumba

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Rumba is a very popular and versatile dance and is a great dance for beginners to learn. Rumba is often considered to be one of the most romantic of dances, often called the dance of love. It is a slow Latin dance that emphasizes the chemistry and intense energy between the partners. Rumba highlights body movements, rib cage isolations and Cuban hip action which is created from the alternate bending and straightening of the knees.

The basic Rumba step is a box, which is a common step in many dances. Many of American rumba’s dance steps are similar to cha-cha steps. As with most Latin dances, it is danced in one spot on the dance floor.

The tempo for Rumba music is usually about 108 to 140 beats per minute and the music has a steady 4/4 beat. The rhythm for rumba is slow- quick-quick or quick-quick-slow. Because the rumba rhythm is common in many contemporary songs, the types of music that rumba can be danced to are quite varied, from Latin and pop, to blues, jazz and country. Even many songs that do not have the strong percussion sounds of Cuban music, work very well for dancing Rumba.

Examples of rumba music:

  • Elton John- Blessed
  • Maroon 5- She Will Be Loved
  • Alabama- Dancing on the Boulevard
  • The Bee Gees-How Deep is Your Love
  • Ricky Martin-Nobody Wants to Be Lonely

Rumba History

Rumba evolved from “Son” and “Danzon” which comes from Cuba with African influences. It incorporated small steps and Cuban hip motion accomplished through alternate bending of the knees. “Son” was introduced in the United States in 1913, 1923 and 1925 without success. It was renamed “Rumba” and popularized in the late 1920s when a famous band leader began writing rumba music. This was followed by the film industry’s inclusion of the new rumba dance in a 1930 film, which sealed rumba’s success as a hit in the U.S.. Rumba was introduced in Europe as well and by the mid 1950s, it had become a ballroom dance.

There are two main styles of Rumba, American and International. The main difference between the two is that American Rumba involves Cuban motion created by stepping on a bent knee then straightening the leg whereas International rumba requires stepping on to a straight leg. International Rumba is also danced to slower music.

Contact The Dancing Duo today about Rumba Lessons! Also check our calendar to see if this is currently being taught!

Samba

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Samba is a high energy, rhythmical Latin dance reminiscent of the Brazilian Carnival celebrations.

It has its roots in African and Brazilian music and culture where there are many styles of samba, including a style as a solo dance. However, the samba danced in Brazil is very different from the samba which became a ballroom dance in the 1930s.

Samba is characterized by a vertical bounce action, which is challenging to learn, but which gives samba a unique feel and look. Those who dance samba are challenged to make this action appear effortless and carefree. The bounce action in samba is quite difficult to master and not recommended for the beginner dancer.

Samba is danced to music with a tempo of about 100 beats per minute and is written in 2/4 or 4/4 time.

Examples of Samba songs:

  • Madonna- La Isla Bonita
  • Gal Costa – Aquarela do Brasil
  • Demônios da Garoa – Trem das Onze.
  • Beth Carvalho – Vou Festejar.
  • Bezerra da Silva – Malandro é Malandro e Mané é Mané

Samba History

Samba is a style of dance and music from Brazil. It developed from a complex mix of influences including West African slaves brought to Bahia, a region in Brazil, by Portuguese traders. The dance and drumming customs of these enslaved people eventually developed into Samba.

Contact The Dancing Duo today about Samba Lessons! Also check our calendar to see if this is currently being taught!