Merengue is a very popular vocal and dance style which originated from the Dominican Republic. It developed in the early 19th century and is related to the meringue of Haiti. Since then, Merengue was modified into a "fun", casual latin dance style and one that is rather straightforward and simple. The basic characteristics of the dance consists of a controlled cuban motion (sway of the hips from side to side) and a side-together-side step. As in the case of all Latin American dances, the native version is fast and agitated.

Merengue is found in both folk music, using accordion, double-headed tambora drum, and metal guayo scraper, and in various popular orchestral formats. Although it was introduced in North America about 1950 it did not become well known in the New York area until a few years later. Important performers and bandleaders include Angel Viloria, Johnny Ventura, and Juan Luis Guerra.

Benefits: hip motion, allows concentration of lead and follow

Salsa (Spanish for "hot sauce") is a style of popular music that emerged from New York City's Hispanic community during the mid-1970s, resulting from a musical evolution of various types of latin rhythms. It developed from a blend of Afro-Cuban and Puerto Rican music with rock and jazz. Its roots are in the Latin dance music of the 1940s--which used trumpets, flutes, and voices--and the dance rhythms of the 1950s that have had varying degrees of popularity since then--the rhumba, mambo, and chacha. The electric guitar, along with electronic techniques, has been added from rock, along with the instrumentation and improvisational skills of jazz.

Because of the social and political restrictions and pressures enforced in Cuba and Puerto Rico, many people emigrated and fled into exile to New York, Miami, and many different cities of the USA. It was these and rhythm enthousiasts who grew up in Spanish Harlem of New York that created this new rave along with other musicians in the Caribbean. Salsa musicians include performers such as Cuban singer Celia Cruz and bandleader Tito Puente, whose careers predate salsa, as well as younger musicians including bandleader Eddie Palmieri, trombonist Willie Colon, flute player Johnny Pacheco, and percussionist Ray Barretto. Together with Victor Paz, Bobby Valentin, Larry Harlow, Hector Lavoe, Ismael Rivera, and one must not forget Cheo Feliciano whose contribution along with the rest of these performers formed what was called THE FANIA ALL STARS. This was the name given to the first group of artist whose first performance was in 1973 at Yankee Stadium in New York.

'FANIA', back then a small record label, was the main contributor to the boom of the "Latin sound of New York"

Salsa has spread to Hispanic communities throughout the United States. It has influenced both rock and jazz, and the Latin rhythms and percussion instruments can now be heard throughout rock and dance music. However, salsa is still primarily sung in Spanish, and very few performers have crossed over to reach the same kind of success singing in English.

The waltz is the oldest of all ballroom dances. It is believed to have originated in the 17th century in Austria and Bavaria where peasants had been dancing the Landler and other Weller (turning) folk dances. These traditional expressions influenced the French contredance, of English folk origins, and gave birth to a dance named the Allemande. At the end of the following century , the rapid motion of the Allemande, the elegant postures of the French Minuet and Traditional Weller music combined in Vienna into the dance we know today as the Viennese Waltz.

It quickly became popular as it was the first dance with a closed position hold danced in contact. Some conservatives frowned upon this fact and church leaders deemed it immoral.

As waltz music was then very fast, some dancers modified the Viennese triple step into a two-step pattern that was easier to dance and eventually gave birth to the Fox-trot. Some musicians, on the contrary slowed down the music to accommodate the dancers, and originated the Boston which in turn became the Slow Waltz.

Both Viennese and Slow Waltz are characterised by elegant posture, turning steps and rise and fall motion. The total effort is dreamy and romantic.

Waltz, the grand old lady of ballroom dances is more than 300 years old but as popular and easy to learn as ever.

The Fox Trot, recognized as the first American dance which dates back to 1914, was named after Mr. Harry Fox, a well-known musical comedy star. In its first form of existance the Fox Trot was labelled as an "animal dance" due to body movements that resembled certain animals, i.e. Kangaroo Hop and Bunny Hug. The dance was later modified by professional dancers to reflect a graceful image by means of flowing steps.

In Fox Trot, the steps can easily be adapted to various rhythms which allows a sence of freedom to the dancers. It is danced around the floor counterclockwise and its beauty depends mainly on the long gliding steps required within a smooth but controlled motion carried out from the hips down.

Benefits: developes timing & rhythm, posture, fluidity

Rumba, which existed in Cuba for over a hundred years evolves from an Afro-Cuban influence and was first recognized in 1913. Originally it involved "violent movements of the hips, shoulders, and torso" and was considered the "good times dance of the peasants". The dance was modified from its "fast-throbbing image" to a slower and more refined version entitled "son". The son was a styling created for the middle class society of Cuba. By the time the dance was accepted by the elite society in Cuba, it became an even slower version of the son and was called "danzon".

In Rumba, the most common musical instruments are the drums, the maracus and the claves. Characteristics of Rumba include "Cuban motion", a strong visual contact amongst the partners in a flirtatious manner and a slow-controlled weight change between steps.

The dance is known for its sensual and well-defined hip movement. In Rumba, it is the woman who is shown off and therefore, she becomes the center of attention.

Benefits: - balance, controlled hip motion, sensuality, grace

The Mambo, a dance first recognized in Cuba originated from the music created by cuban band-leader Perez Prado in 1943. It was a music style that combined the sounds of jazz to Cuban rhythm and created a "jazzed" sound. As a result, the dance was developed with a hold step, and gained much popularity in the 1950's. Mambo was recognized as a "jazzed up" version of the Cuban Rumba and is similar to Cha Cha. In fact, it is the Mambo that led to the development of Cha Cha.

An interesting theory exists for the name of the dance which originated in Haiti. Mambo refers to a voodoo princess who practiced rituals of dancing to voodoo music.

Benefits: - musicality

Tango was developed in Spain in the beginning of the 18 hundreds and was very different from today's tango. During the 19th century the tango was recognized as a single partner dance and performed by a woman. Later it became a dance for couples and incorporated the use of castanets.

Buenos Aires, Argentina is known to be the place where ballroom tango developed back in the 1800 hundreds where it was considered to be the "dance with a stop". In 1912, Tango become very popular in England however in Spain it remained a "flirting" dance with little respect.

Tango is a stacato dance known for being very dramatic. The close contact of the dance required a unique hold. One of the impacts of the dance is based on the emphasis of a long pause after each hold within the slow counts.

Benefits: discipline, balance & control, character and posture

Samba, a lively and very bouncy dance style originating from Rio Brazil. During carnival times, the brazillian people engaged in parades and danced on the streets to party-style music rhythms. It is commonly said that Samba dancing was influenced by alcohol. Drunken brazillian street dancers were rumored to have given the dance its bouncy style which in turn developed a craze for this dance. The speed of their lively music required quick steps with lots of bouncing and swaying of the hips.

Samba was adapted as a ballroom style in 1917. It is one of the most challenging ballroom styles due to its speed yet it is very enjoyable and entertaining. The characteristics of the dance include a unique pendulum motion in which the body sways in the opposite direction of the feet. Another common element is the feet always leaving the floor along with quick "cuts" required in this dance.

Benefits: boiancy, flexibility, isolation of body parts

The hustle was first introduced in the early 70's. It is danced to disco music and consists of contact with a partner. Essentially, it was recognized as the dance that brought back "touch dancing" and influenced young dancers into ballroom styles.

Characteristics of the dance include continuous arm linking between changes in movements, a tap step and a constant coming together and separation for the partner between each variation.

Benefits:

The Swing is a lively dance with an energetic style which was first developed in the 1930's. It is a dance style credited to band leader Benny Goodman's Chicago mixed with New York Jazz music. There are three popular variations of swing: Single Lindy, Double Lindy and Triple Lindy. Although each one has a different combination of steps within the basic movement, they all share the common structure of Swing. Many recognize swing as the dance style with acrobatic movements and a relaxed posture in relation to other social dances. The swing also has a unique hand-hold position at the waist level.

In the "Rock and Roll 50's", when the jukebox era was the in craze, the younger generation started to dance a modified, toned-down image of the acrobatic swing and referred to it as Jive. In jive, the acrobatic elements of the dance had been removed and the dance style had been modified for all to participate. Similar to swing, jive had three popular forms which included: single, double and triple. Over the years, it is the triple version of jive that has remained most popular and defines the title "jive". The most common elements of jive are found in its basic steps of dance through the shuffle to each side and a rock step combination.