What We Dance...
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At our weekend social dances, we dance to a wide variety of music ranging from current Top 40's hits you hear on the radio to 1940's big band swing, latin, oldies, disco, and more. This variety of music offers the opportunity to dance many different styles. In fact, there may be multiple dances appropriate for just one song!
Not sure what to dance? There's a computer monitor on one side of the room listing the recommended styles for each upcoming song! Here is a list of dances we commonly do at our social events: |
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Bachata
Bolero ChaCha Foxtrot Hustle Mambo Merengue Nightclub Two-Step Paso Doble Polka |
Quickstep
Rumba Salsa Salsa Rueda Samba Swing (East Coast Triple Step, Jive, Lindy Hop, West Coast, Jitterbug, Charleston) Tango (including Argentine) Waltz (including Viennese) |
Want to learn more? We frequently offer regular lesson series on weekdays during the Fall & Spring semesters, and pre-dance lessons on Fridays and Saturdays to help get you out on floor! Check out our Lessons page to learn more. Our homepage is also kept current with info for our upcoming dances and lessons.
Dance Genres Made Easy!
That's a lot of dances! How do I keep track of them all?
Commonly, we refer to a dance style as being in one of four types: ballroom, latin, swing, or nightclub. These distinctions are easy to understand, and perfectly acceptable to use! However, there is a set of official categories that takes some getting used to. These genres are Smooth, Standard, Rhythm, and Latin. Smooth and Rhythm are commonly referred to as the American styles, while Standard and Latin are known as International. Each of these includes specific dances, listed below.
Same name, different dance?
Unfortunately, yes! The biggest source of confusion in ballroom styles is the overlap between types. Smooth and Standard contain different versions of Waltz, Foxtrot, and Tango, danced to the same music, but consisting of different steps. Similarly, Rhythm and Latin each have their own type of Rumba. You'll see both versions danced at BAM, though our non-competitive dancers tend to dance American more frequently, since it's easier in a social setting.
What's what!
For reference, the dances that fall under each of the classifications are listed below.
Commonly, we refer to a dance style as being in one of four types: ballroom, latin, swing, or nightclub. These distinctions are easy to understand, and perfectly acceptable to use! However, there is a set of official categories that takes some getting used to. These genres are Smooth, Standard, Rhythm, and Latin. Smooth and Rhythm are commonly referred to as the American styles, while Standard and Latin are known as International. Each of these includes specific dances, listed below.
Same name, different dance?
Unfortunately, yes! The biggest source of confusion in ballroom styles is the overlap between types. Smooth and Standard contain different versions of Waltz, Foxtrot, and Tango, danced to the same music, but consisting of different steps. Similarly, Rhythm and Latin each have their own type of Rumba. You'll see both versions danced at BAM, though our non-competitive dancers tend to dance American more frequently, since it's easier in a social setting.
What's what!
For reference, the dances that fall under each of the classifications are listed below.
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Smooth:
Tango (American) Foxtrot (American) Waltz (American) Viennese Waltz (American) |
Standard:
Tango (International) Foxtrot (International) Waltz (International) Viennese Waltz (International) Quickstep |
Rhythm:
ChaCha (American) Rumba (American) Bolero Mambo East Coast Swing |
Latin:
ChaCha (International) Rumba (International) Samba Jive Paso Doble |