Benefits of dancing:

Ω  Get more fun and enjoyment out of your social life

Ω  Improve you overall health

Ω  Acquire more grace and poise

Ω  Dress up and have Fun

Ω  Relieve stress

Ω  Never say “no” to a dance invitation

Ω  Feel refreshed and relaxed

Types of Dancing:

> Ballroom Smooth - relaxed dancing; allows you to develop balance and grace.

> Ballet - classics; can be a soothing activity, as well as a vigorous one.

 > Ballroom Rhythm - fast, rhythmical type of dance; strengthens our body and gives us control over it.

> Modern - interpretive type of dance; opens our minds to new things and lets us experience dance "outside the box."

> Hip-Hop - develops our coordination and frees our movements.

                                                                                                         Rhythm Dancing ▼                                                  

Bolero - Originally a Spanish dance 3/4 time, it was changed in Cuba initially in 2/4 time then eventually in 4/4. It is now present as a very slow type of Rumba rhythm. The music is frequently arranged with Spanish vocals and subtle percussion effect, usually implemented with Conga or Bongos.

Swing – An every popular blend of several African American dances, which include Lindy and Ragtime Jazz and Blues, was well as all the other dance music to accompanying dances of the past ninety years. Today it generally refers to the ballroom and nightclub version, which is based on two slow and two quick counts or the slow and two quick counts of rhythm dances.

Samba - The Brazilian dance was first introduced in 1917 but was finally adopted by Brazilian society in 1930 as a ballroom dance. It is sometimes referred to as a Samba, Carioca, a Baion or a Batucado. The difference is mostly in the temp played since the steps in all three dances are very similar. The style is to bounce steadily and smoothly in 2/4 meter. They say that the late Carmen Miranda introduced the Samba to the United States in 1939.

Cha Cha – From the less inhibited nightclubs and dance halls the Mambo underwent subtle changes. It was first known as triple Mambo, and then peculiar scraping and shuffling sounds during the “tripling” produced the imitative sound of Cha, Cha, Cha. This then became a dance in itself. Mambo or triple Mambo, or Cha Cha, as it is now called, is but an advanced state in interpretive social dancing born of the fusion or progressive American and Latin music.

Salsa – This is a favored name for a type of Latin music, which for the most part, has its roots in Cuban culture and is enhanced by jazz textures. The word, Salsa, means sauce denoting a “hot” flavor and is best distinguished from other Latin music styles by defining it as the New York sound developed by Puerto Rican musicians in New York. The dance structure is largely associated with mambo type patterns and has a particular feeling that is associated mainly with the Clave and the Montuno.