Ballroom dance classifications

Ballroom dance: Other forms of dances

The same dances that are danced in competition are danced in social situations. The most popular social dances are the nightclub dances, including the Lindy Hop, West Coast Swing and the Hustle. The nightclub dances differ, depending on the location of the dance. Some of the nightclub dances are also known as street dances. But these street dances many differ in style from those which are taught in ballroom studios.

The Latin swing dances in Europe are the Tango Argentino, Mambo, Lindy Hop, Swing, Disco Fox and Boogie (also known as the Nostalgic Boogie). Country and Western dances also danced socially and competitively. These types of dances are, of course, popular at Country & Western bars, but they are also danced at other clubs and even ballrooms. There are rock & roll dances which are variations of some of the Country and Western dances.

There are also Regional Ballroom Dances. An example of a dance in the regional dance category is the Cajun dance, which began in New Orleans, but there are now branches on both coasts of the United States.

A famous dance pair in the movies was that of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. This pair had a big influence on ballroom dancing. However, both actors enjoyed successful careers of their own. Astaire had other dance partners, and Ginger Rogers won an Academy Award for a role in a dramatic film that did not include Astaire. However, they are probably remembered best for their film roles in which they were together as dance partners. In fact, they were considered to be dance icons. Their performances were choreographed, often by Astaire himself or Hermes Pan, and they were rehearsed continually to near perfection.
 

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