Our instinct tells us to express rhythm. Just as children bob their heads to music and senior citizens tap their canes to the beat, dancing comes naturally to both young and old alike. Some form of social dancing has probably existed since the beginning of time, moving from ritualistic dancing to social interaction for pure enjoyment. Modern ballroom dancing has withstood the test of time and is now more popular than ever. Both American and International style ballroom dances are divided into the following categories:


Rhythm:
Bolero . Cha-Cha . E Coast Swing . W Coast Swing . Hustle . Lindy Hop . Mambo
Merengue . Polka . Rumba . Salsa . Samba . Two Step

It all started at the Savoy...or so the story goes. While "Shorty George" Snowden, a dance enthusiast, watched some couples dancing at New York City's famous Savoy Ballroom in the late 1920s, someone asked him what dance they were doing. George glanced down at a newspaper opened up to an article about Charles Lindbergh's flight across the ocean, titled "Lindy Hops The Atlantic," and quickly answered: "The Lindy Hop." A dance was born! The Lindy Hop, always fun to dance, is wild, spontaneous, jumpy, and jazzy!


Smooth:
Foxtrot . Tango . Viennese Waltz . Waltz

© Fred Astaire Dance Studios, Inc 2005