Slow Waltz
The Waltz originated as a folk dance from Austria. Predecessors include the matenick and a variation called the furiant that were performed during rural festivals in Bohemia. The French dance, "Walt", and the Austrian Ländler are the most similar to the waltz among its predecessors. The "king of dances" acquired different national traits in different countries. Thus there appeared the English waltz, the Hungarian waltz, and the waltz-mazurka. The word "waltz" is derived from the old German word "walzen" meaning "to roll, turn", or "to glide". Waltz has been danced competitively since 1923 or 1924. Read more...
84-90 bpm
Tango
This dance has its origins in the slums of argentina. African and south american styles blended together with european influences to form a new dance – the Tango Argentino. When travellers in the early 20th century brought the dance across the atlantic, the european upper class deemed it indecent and offensive. Eventually, the dance was adapted to be more socially acceptable and standardised. Thus, the International Tango was born. This style became a part of the international repertoire while sharing little similarities with its Latin-American counterpart. Read more...
124-132 bpm
Viennese Waltz
What is now called the Viennese waltz is the original form of the waltz. It was the first ballroom dance performed in the closed hold or "waltz" position. The dance that is popularly known as the waltz is actually the English or slow waltz, danced at approximately 90 beats per minute with 3 beats to the bar (the international standard of 30 measures per minute), while the Viennese waltz is danced at about 180 beats (58-60 measures) per minute. To this day however, in Germany, Austria, Scandinavia, and France, the words Walzer (German), vals (Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish), and valse (French) still implicitly refer to the original dance and not the slow waltz. Read more...
174-180 bpm
Slow Foxtrot
The International (British) Style of Foxtrot is widely employed in Europe and Great Britain as a social and competitive dance. Its defining characteristic is that partners must maintain body contact at all times. Dancers concentrate on creating an image of a smooth, gliding motion around the dance floor. The use of body contact makes it possible to execute very tight turns, which is further enhanced by the extensive use of heel turns. This use of heel turns, and the effort required to produce the desired gliding motion, give International Style Foxtrot a reputation as being perhaps the most difficult of all ballroom dances to execute well. Read more...
112-120 bpm
Quickstep
The quickstep is a light-hearted dance of the standard ballroom dances. The movement of the dance is fast and powerfully flowing and sprinkled with syncopations. The upbeat melodies that quickstep is danced to make it suitable for both formal and informal events. Quickstep was developed in the 1920s in New York City and was first danced by Black Americans. Its origins are in combination of slow foxtrot combined with the Charleston, a dance which was one of the precursors to what today is called swing dancing. Read more...
200-208 bpm