Dances We Teach

These dances have their roots in the European dance tradition.  They are danced socially and although their natural habitat is the larger ballroom floor they can be adapted to smaller floors to make them more practical for other venues as well.

For competition purposes there are two main categories of these classic ballroom dances – American Smooth and International Ballroom (sometimes still known as International Standard). All these dances are characterized by their precise elements of technique: footwork, rise and fall, etc. From this technique emerges a unique elegance and beauty.

The International Ballroom style includes five dances: Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, and Quickstep. This style is danced widely in competitions throughout the world. The most obvious trait of the International Ballroom style is the dancers’ constant closed dance position, where the two partners never lose contact from the closed dance hold.

Four of the International Ballroom dances have American Smooth counterparts: Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot and Viennese Waltz. In the American Smooth style, partners often separate from closed dance position utilizing underarm turns and changes in position. American Smooth can also be popular at social dances due to its tremendous adaptability, and is danced at all major competition events across North America and, increasingly, worldwide. This is an expressive style that is fun to dance and to watch.