Learn A Dance That Suits You
Dances We Teach at Arthur Murray Dance Studios
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.cha-cha
From the less inhibited night clubs and dance halls the Mambo underwent subtle changes. It was 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 stage in interpretive social dancing born of the fusion of progressive American and Latin music.swing
An ever popular blend of several African American dances, which include Lindy and Ragtime Jazz and Blues, as well as all the other dance music to accompanying dances of the past ninety years. Today it generally refers to the ballroom and night club version which is based on two slow and two quick counts or the slow and two quick counts of rhythm dances.east coast swing
Description coming soon.west coast swing
West Coast Swing started out, originally, as “Hollywood-Style Lindy Hop”. When the swing craze was at its peak, the Lindy Hop made its way to Southern California and it caught on like wildfire. Swing nightclubs were overflowing and so the rounded, smooth Lindy Hop of the east coast was trimmed down to a straight line, or slot, movement. The slot movement allowed more people to dance on a dance floor without running into each other as frequently. They say that necessity is the mother of all invention, and that’s exactly how west coast swing came about. Nowadays, west coast swing utilizes music from the blues to pop and r&b. It’s perfect for leaders that want to have a laid back, cool look, and for followers that don’t mind a little attention.lindy hop
The original swing dance, the Lindy Hop is the dance that started the swing craze. If you want a dance that takes you back to the era of the Big Band Sound and zoot suits, the Lindy is a must have in your dance toolkit. Lindy Hop incorporates smooth and jazzy rotational movements with other dances like the Charleston to make it an incredibly expressive and creative dance to enjoy.jive
The Jive is one of the fastest dances in the “Swing family”. The Jive is the final dance performed in the International Latin competition category and, for those competitors, represents the last stamina hurdle before the finish line. A great Jive has plenty spins, kicks, and flicks of the feet. Although one could attempt this dance socially, this dance is not ideally suited for crowded dance floors. The Jive takes elements of East-Coast Swing, West-Coast Swing, and Lindy Hop to create a dance built for performance. Love the spotlight, detailed technique, and fast music? Then this may be a perfect match.samba
This 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 tempo played since the steps in all three dance are very similar. The style is to bounce steadily and smoothly in 2/4 meter. They say that the Samba was introduced in the United States in 1939 by the late Carmen Miranda.mambo
The fusion of Swing and Cuban music produced this fascinating rhythm and in turn created a new sensational dance. The Mambo could not have been conceived earlier since up until that time Cuba and the American Jazz were still not wedded. The Victor records of Anselmo Sacaras entitled “Mambo” in 1944 were probably the beginning and since then other Latin American bandleaders such as Tito Rodriguez, Pupi Campo, Tito Puente, Perez Prado, Machito and Xavier Cugat have achieved styling of their own and furthered the Mambo craze. The Mambo was originally played as any Rumba with a riff ending. It may be described as a riff or a Rumba with emphasis on the fourth beat 4/4′ time. Originally played by some musicians in 2/4 time with a break or emphasis on 2 and 4. Native Cubans or dancers, without any training would break on any beat. MARCHA: Latin American counterpart of our One-Step.merengue
Merengue is a style of Latin American music and dance with a two-step beat. Partners hold each other in a closed position. The leader holds the follower’s waist with the leader’s right hand, while holding the follower’s right hand with the leader’s left hand at the follower’s eye level. Partners bend their knees slightly left and right, thus making the hips move left and right. The hips of the leader and follower move in the same direction throughout the song. Partners may walk sideways or circle each other, in small steps. They can switch to an open position and do separate turns without letting go each other’s hands or momentarily releasing one hand. During these turns they may twist and tie their handhold into intricate pretzels. Other choreography is possible. Merengue was made the official music and dance of the Dominican Republic by Rafael Trujillo. Some say merengue derived from the ‘paso de la empalizada’ (pole-fence step). There are also legends about a limping war hero (or El Presidente of a banana republic himself, in some versions) who had to step in this way while dancing because of wounds, and polite (or clueless) public imitated him.
Although the tempo of the music may be frantic, the upper body is kept majestic and turns are slow, typically four beats/steps per complete turn.
bachata
Description coming soon.cumbia
Description coming soon.waltz
Description coming soon.foxtrot
Said by some to have been originated by Harry Fox (1913). It is now a standard ballroom dance the world over and serves as a good foundation for social dances in 2/4 or 4/4 time.viennese waltz
Description coming soon.quickstep
Description coming soon.country western
The Two-Step originated in the 1800′s by people who arrived here from Europe. It was an offspring of the minuet and they danced it as QQSS. In the old Western days when women were not allowed to dance with men, men danced together and that is the reason for the hard on the shoulder holding a can of beer and the other hand to the side. The only women who eventually danced with these men were Indian Squaws and that is where all the turns came about, because Indian women loved to spin. Two-step is a Western dance whose popularity has spread all over the United States.country western swing
Description coming soon.country western cha-cha
Description coming soon.country western 3 step
Description coming soon.country western 2 step
Description coming soon.country shuffle
Description coming soon.country triple
Description coming soon.hustle
A number of similar style disco dances which had its beginning in the mid-70′s and enjoys some continuing popularity as a swing style today. The record “Do The Hustle” was followed by the movie “Saturday Night Fever.” The movie portrayal of partner dancing by John Travolta to the popular beat of top selling music from the Bee Gees and the introduction to America of the Discotheque setting, popular for some years in Europe, took America by storm. Flashing lights, mirrors everywhere, loud throbbing beat, and high fashion were in. Large numbers of popular Discos sprang up in every city and everyone was waiting in line to dance.argentine tango
There are essentially three types of Tango – Argentine, American and International Style. Argentine Tango: (arrabalero) A dance created by the Gauchos in Buenos Aires. It was actually an attempt on their part to imitate the Spanish dance except that they danced it in a closed ballroom position. The Tango caused a sensation and was soon to be seen the world over in a more subdued version. American Tango: Unlike the Argentine Tango, in which the dancer interprets the music spontaneously without any predetermined slows or quicks, the American Tango features a structure which is correlated to the musical phrasing. The dance is executed both in closed position and in various types of extravagant dance relationships which incorporate a particular freedom of expression that is not present in the International style. International Tango: This is a highly disciplined and distinctively structured form of the Tango which is accepted worldwide as the format for dancesport events. The dancers remain in traditional closed position throughout and expresses both legato and staccato aspects of the type of music appropriate to this style.milonga
Description coming soon.tango valse
Description coming soon.international rumba
Description coming soon.international cha-cha
Description coming soon.international samba
Description coming soon.international jive
Description coming soon.international paso doble
Description coming soon.paso doble
Description coming soon.international latin
Description coming soon.international waltz
Description coming soon.international tango
Description coming soon.international foxtrot
Description coming soon.international viennese waltz
Description coming soon.international quickstep
Description coming soon.ballroom dancing
Description coming soon.latin dancing
Description coming soon.social dancing
Description coming soon.