We specialize in social ballroom and competitive dances, including Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble, Swing, Mambo, Salsa, Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Quick Step, Viennese Waltz, Country Western, and countless other partnership dances. Students learn through a variety of instructional programs with private lessons for singles and couples, and practice parties with a focus on one-on-one dance instruction.
This personalized approach allows us to create a tailor-made program just for you, and our welcoming studio environment makes for the perfect place to sharpen your skill, no matter what level you are currently at. No partner necessary! Contact us today to get started! Dance now. Think later.
Bence is originally from Hungary, where he danced competitively for several years. His notable achievements are being named Under 21 Vice-Champion and receiving a nomination to participate in the U21 World Championships. Bence has travelled extensively around Europe, both training and competing, before moving to the USA in 2018 to teach and dance professionally. Since settling in Texas, he has competed in many Texas state competitions, placing first in Open Rhythm in Sapphire in Austin and becoming vice-champion in Rising Star and Open Rhythm in Texas Challenge in Houston.
Jessi was born in China and raised in Pennsylvania. She began dancing at a young age, training extensively in ballet, modern, contemporary and jazz at the Dance Theatre of Wilkes-Barre. She graduated Cum Laude from The University of the Arts in 2018, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. Since moving to Houston in 2018, she has been training in American Rhythm and International Latin.
Not to be confused with the Tango in International and American Style Ballroom dancing Argentine is an improvised and interpretive social dance. There are different styles of Argentine Tango, such as Salon Tango and Milonguero Tango. Tango Nuevo or 'New' Tango combined the styles of Salon and Milonguero and emerged as a response to the Tango Nuevo music of artists such as Astor Piazzolla.
Salsa is a Latin dance that first became popular in the USA in the 1960s. It is a fusion of Cuban dances such as the Mambo and Pachanga with a bit of American Jazz dancing thrown in. It is quite a fast dance (160-220bpm), and the basic dance rhythm involves taking three steps for every four beats of music. This creates the syncopation that is so important to the Salsa style.
The Hustle is a partner dance typically danced to disco music. It first emerged in the 1970s and has some similarities with Mambo, Salsa and Swing, and steps similar to the discofox style popular in Europe during the 1970s. The film Saturday Night Fever popularised the Hustle. It is typically danced with the couple staying on the spot rather than moving around the dance floor, and steps include 180 degree turns and the rock-step.
The two-step is a ballroom dance that first appeared in the United States in around 1890. It has similarities with the Polka, galop and waltz. It is very similar to the Foxtrot, and today people often refer to the Foxtrot as two-step or vice versa. The dance is in 2/4 time and consists of sliding side steps.
Bachata is a social dance created in the Dominican Republic in the 1960s. It is a paired dance similar to the Bolero and is usually danced in a close embrace. The basic steps involve moving in a square to the count of 8 (side, side, forward, tap with toes, side, side, back and tap). The Bachata is evolving all the time, with variations added to the steps and the inclusion of some freestyling.
The Lindy Hop is an American dance that originated in Harlem in the late 1920s. It is often described as a swing dance and is a fusion of jazz, tap, breakaway (another type of swing dance) and the Charleston. It is typically danced in pairs, and the most distinctive move is the swingout. Pairs are connected hand to hand when in open position, and closed position involves an embrace on one side and holding hands on the other.
The Polka is a Czech dance that started in the 1800s. Its popularity quickly spread around the world, first to London and then to American. The music is in 2/4 time, and the steps comprise three quick steps and a hop. The dancers circle around the floor, covering a lot of space. There are now many different variations of the Polka from different areas around the world.
West Coast Swing is a partner dance similar to the Lindy Hop. It has an elastic look, achieved by the extension and compression technique, and there is an emphasis on improvisation. Several patterns are integrated into routines, including; push break, tuck turn, whip and anchor step.
The waltz is a paired dance in 3/4 time usually danced in a closed position. In some waltz styles, the embrace is never broken, but in the American Style Waltz, contact is broken entirely at some points. Open Rolls are often a feature, as are both partners free-spinning.
Whereas Argentine Tango is typically danced in a close embrace, American Smooth Tango is danced with a more open frame. The Tango is characterised by almost walking to the music and is a flat-footed dance with strong, precise movements.
The Foxtrot is an American dance thought to be named after the vaudeville performer Harry Fox, whose fast-paced 'trotting' to rag-time music became known as Fox's trot. The Foxtrot can be danced at any speed, depending on the accompanying music. It is a partner dance with the partners facing each other. It is a flat dance, and the walking steps are slow for two beats per steps and quick for one beat per step.
The Viennese Waltz is the oldest ballroom dance, dating back as far as the 1500s. It became hugely popular in Europe during the 1800s and was typically danced to the accompaniment of waltz music composed by the famous Strauss family. It is generally quite fast, and the moves include reverse turns and natural turns.
The Cha Cha was developed in the 1950s by Enrique Jorrin and is a slow version of the Mambo. Indeed, its original name was the Triple Mambo. Moves include hip rotations and close synchronisation with your partner. Cuban influenced motions such as bending and straightening the knee are also often included.
The Rhumba is a Cuban dance that came to the USA in the 1920s and was a popular cabaret dance during the prohibition years. Ballroom Rhumba is a mix of Son Cubano and Bolero but does not have many similar characteristics to Cuban Rhumba. Moves include hip rotations and swivelling feet actions.
There are about 40 different versions of 'swing' dancing, and the most common in the USA is East Coast Swing. East Coast Swing was established after WW2 and is lively and upbeat to match the music (typically big band jazz). Moves include a lot of spins and turns.
The Bolero is both a Spanish and Cuban dance, and it is the Cuban style that is performed as an American Rhythm Dance. The Bolero represents a couple falling in love and is often viewed as a combination of several dances, including; Salsa, Tango, Foxtrot, waltz and Rhumba. Elements of all these dances can be seen in the Bolero.
The Mambo originated in the 1930s as a version of the Cuban national dance, the dazon. It is fast and includes improvisation (unlike the dazon, which has a strict structure). Freestyle steps are based on jazz and tap style steps, and the timing involves pausing on beats 1 and 5 (of an eight-beat pattern).
The Waltz style danced in International Ballroom was previously referred to as English Waltz or slow Waltz. It is danced entirely in the closed position (unlike American Style, where contact is often broken). It is slower than American Style or Viennese Waltz, usually around 84-90 bpm. Featured movements include pendulum swing and ballroom techniques such as foot parallelism and contra body movement.
International style Tango is sometimes referred to as English Tango. Tango became popular in Europe from 1912, and as more people wanted to learn how to dance the Tango, the steps were formalised, which produced a standard for competitions etc. This development of the dance primarily took place in England, hence the name English Tango.
The primary difference between American Style Viennese Waltz and International Style (aside from the dresses) is that International Style focuses greatly on the connection between you and your partner. Dancers are in a closed position, and the open position found in American Style is not acceptable. The speed and steps are similar, but it is the partner connection that is the difference.
The primary characteristic of the Slow Foxtrot is that partners must maintain contact at all times. This limits the variety of positions and figures that the dancers can include. The emphasis is on gliding around the floor, and the basic step pattern is slow-slow-quick-quick. Basic moves include feather step, natural and reverse turns and feather finish.
The Quickstep is a fast and fun dance full of syncopations. Three key steps of the quickstep are chasses, quarter turns and the lock step. Other more advanced steps include hops, runs and rotations. The tempo is fast, and the dancers should look very light on their feet.
The Cha Cha is typically danced to Cuban, Latin or pop music in 4/4 time and typically has a tempo of around 124 bpm. It can be danced in an open or closed hold and is danced with forward poise with a straight leg action. The Cha Cha is a lively dance requiring a strong connection between the partners.
International Latin Ballroom Samba is a lively dance that retains some elements of Brazilian Samba but differs a great deal from the original dance found in Brazil. It is a rhythmical partner dance, and most steps are danced with a downward, bounce action. The music is in 2/4 or 4/4 time, and cross-rhythms are common in the steps. The Samba also has a distinctive hip action which makes it different from other Latin Ballroom dances.
The Rhumba is the slowest of the five International Latin dances, usually danced at around 120 bpm. It originates from pre-revolutionary Cuba and is derived from a Cuban rhythm and dance called bolero-son. It is danced without any rise and fall with compact steps. A hip sway is one of the defining moves of the Rhumba.
The origins of the Pasa Doble are much contested. Some say it originated in Spain as a military march, and others in France. Either way, it is one of the oldest dances and may have initially been a way of portraying bull-fights through dance. Famous bull-fighters were often honoured by having a Pasa-Doble named after them. There are several different types of Pasa-Doble, with regional variations. Ballroom Pasa-Doble is danced at a tempo of around 120 bpm and includes 'highlights', where dancers strike a dramatic pose at specific points in the music.
The Jive is the name coined in the UK to describe the swing dances of the 1940's such as the Lindy Hop and the Jitterbug. It has been included as an International Latin dance since the 1960s, and is a lively dance typically danced at a speed of around 176 bpm. The basic steps of the Jive are very similar to East Coast Swing.
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