Ballroom literally stands for "dancing room", and is a the general and most common name for five elegant dance:
Waltz, Tango, Slow Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz and Quick Step.
Internationally they are called Standard Dances.

All these dances have grown and are developed from various insights, influences and backgrounds. For Ballroom Dancing moves and posture are fairly clearly defined and documented.


Ballroom attitude

Ballroom can be identified by the position of the dance partners. They dance in pairs in a tight, upright posture, lady and gentleman standing against each other. In most dance schools these dances begin (except Tango) for the men with the right foot. All ballroom dances are 'progressive': it is danced around the dance floor. The dance direction is counter clockwise. If you sin, you are a ghost driver or better: a ghost dancer. You'd better avoid accidents.


The attitude is created by broad shouldered (lord) stand upright opposing the partner. Subsequently he reaches his left arm almost straight out to the lady. She walks to the man, brings her right thigh against his, extends her right arm and folds her right hand in his left hand. Both close their hand (lightly, without clamping). He then folds his right arm around the woman and places his right hand on the bottom of the shoulder blade of the lady. (Indeed, not over her shoulder, but under her armpit.) Finally, the lady puts her left hand on the right arm of the gentleman just above the muscle (even if there is hardly any).

The intention here is not that the lady will lean on the gent. The graceful posture in which the lady obliquely bents can only be achieved when she is fully self- stable. (Tango can differ sometimes about this.)

The hands are kept locked together at eye level of the smallest partner. He extends the elbows in line with his shoulders.


With the arms lady and gentleman form a frame, a solid framework. However, there is less tension present in the arms than is the case with Latin. Each partner holds its own frame in shape.

The gentleman and lady do not look at each other, but usually look to the left of each other.



The lady and gentleman are standing with the right thigh together, and moving forward or back starts from the thigh. The gentleman steers the direction with his hips, and how far and how fast the partner needs to run.

Ballroom you dance like a pair against each other or at a small distance. Right against right, not over the buttons or tie. Or also explained as: belly button point just next to each other, or tit on tit (but not literally). There was (and remains) contact of the top of her leg until below the rib cage. The upper body remains tight over the hips. So there are not as in the Latin American dance movements made ​​with the hips.


Technically there are five contact surfaces:

• his left hand - right hand lady
• lady left hand - right upper arm man (the tango: underneath)
• right hand gentleman - left scapula lady
• left elbow lady - right elbow gentleman (so you feel ' framework ' and control)
• right part of the abdomen touches. These five together give good steering capabilities.

(This attitude possibly originated to let the left side of the man free to wear a sword.)

The gentleman leads the dance and the lady follows his movements. Usually the steps in the ballroom dances are danced according to a certain program, but basically most of the moves can be danced in any order after each other.

Usually the man starts (right foot) with one or two long, low, slower pass over the heel and then the basic step or move is finished higher, with faster strides on the ball of the foot.

The forward passes are usually danced on the heel of the shoe, the lateral passes - the chasses - In contrast on the ball of the foot.