So you’ve watched, “Dancing With The Stars”, and fell in love with the beautiful ballroom dance styles. Well, how would you like to learn how to dance just like the stars? It isn’t hard, and you will really impress others when you show up on the dance floor. In this Learn and Master Ballroom Dance review, I’m going to show you how this professional DVD course will have you dancing like a pro.

If you want to learn ballroom dance, you have several options available to you: private lessons, group lessons, books and videos. Ok, forget the books…you will never learn how to properly do the steps from them. Lessons are okay, but they can be costly, and often it is difficult to find classes that fit within your schedule. That leaves you with videos, which is the next best thing to having an actual instructor right there with you the entire time you are learning. Why pay $50-100 hour for private lessons when you can learn right from the comfort of your own home? As an added bonus, you don’t have to embarrass yourself in front of others while you are still learning the steps!

The best video lessons available when it comes to learning how to ballroom dance is the Learn and Master Ballroom Dance DVD set. This professional package comes with 13 DVDs, a 75-page instructional book filled with illustrations of all of the steps you will learn, plus a 6-Dance Along CD set containing all the music from the course. Everything you need to learn ballroom dance is right here.

The Learn and Master Ballroom course is taught by two great instructors, Mark Short and Jaimie Simon. Both have a ton of experience teaching ballroom dancing and you are in good hands with them as your teachers. The course covers the 6 popular American ballroom dance styles: Waltz, Tango, Rumba, Cha Cha, Foxtrot and Swing. New learners will appreciate the fact that the lessons are geared toward beginning ballroom dancing learners and the videos do a great job of setting the right pace for you to learn.

Each of these dance styles is taught in multiple ways to help you commit the steps to memory. First, the steps are introduced and explained. Then the Gentleman’s part is taught followed by the Ladies part. Finally, they are combined together so you can see the complete dance in its entirety. To ensure that you can follow what the instructors are doing at all times, the video uses a split screen, which allows you to see the movements of both the body and the feet.

There is tons of information packed into this Learn and Master Ballroom course and the instructors do a great job of explaining the steps in an easy-to-learn fashion. Not only that, you can go online and get any additional questions answered online. Just head over to the special student support website where you will be able to communicate with qualified dance instructors as well as other students of the course.

If you are interested in learning ballroom dance, but don’t want to pay a ton of money for outside instruction, then Learn and Master Ballroom is most likely the course for you. Not only is it a fun way to learn, but you are free to learn at your own pace. You don’t even need a partner if you don’t have one! The course even comes with a full 60 day money back guarantee so you can always return it if you don’t like it. I doubt you will have to use it however as I really enjoyed the course a lot and I highly recommend it as the best way to learn ballroom dance.

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The Mambo is a sensual form of dance that requires much hip movement. Mambo is not only a style of dance but is also a music style and is derived from parts of Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America. The movements in Mambo consist of mostly forward and backward movements, and the Mambo is very similar to the Salsa. The rhythm of the steps performed in Mambo goes quick-quick-slow where the leader guides the partner through the steps like in most forms of Latin dance. Some of the steps in Mambo mean that you don’t move your feet as such, but rather you shift your weight onto your feet instead. There are several versions of Mambo, but only one true form of the original Mambo.

Basic Mambo Steps for Men:

The man typically takes the position of the leader and guides the follower through the dance with fierce, strong movements.

1. Stand with your feet together, across from your partner.
2. Right hand on partner’s waist, left hand in the air in a 90 degree angle loosely grasping your partner’s hand.
3. Wait for the music to start and do not move until the second beat.
4. On the second beat, step backward with your right foot.
5. On the third beat, transfer your weight forward to your left foot, leaning into your partner.
6. Fourth beat – step forward with your right foot, bringing your feet together, then transfer your weight to your right foot.
7. On the fifth beat, pause with your weight still on your right foot.
8. Sixth beat – transfer your weight to your left foot and take a step forward with that foot.
9. Seventh beat – move your weight back onto your right foot, leaning back.
10. Eighth (final) beat – move weight back to the left foot, and bring it back by stepping back, bringing both feet together again.
11. Repeat.

Basic Mambo Steps for Women:

The woman partner typically takes the place of the follower, allowing their male partner to guide them through the dance but being sturdy enough to bring their partner back on step with her strong movements. Mambo for the follower consists of the same moves, only backwards.

1. Stand with your feet together, across from your partner.
2. Left hand on partner’s shoulder, right hand loosely grasping partner’s left hand.
3. Wait for the music to start and do not move until the second beat.
4. On the second beat, step forward with your left foot.
5. On the third beat, move your weight backward to your right foot, leaning away from your partner.
6. Fourth beat – step backward with your left foot to bring your feet together, transferring your weight to your left foot.
7. On the fifth beat, pause with your weight still on your left foot.
8. Sixth beat – transfer your weight to your right foot and take a step backward with that foot.
9. Seventh beat – move your weight back onto your left foot, leaning forward.
10. Eighth (final) beat – transfer weight to right foot and bring right foot up by stepping forward, bringing both feet together again.
11. Repeat.

Mambo Tips for Men and Women:

• Listen to and watch Mambo music as much as possible, especially when you are first learning to do the Mambo.
• The most important thing to recognize in Mambo is the rhythm and the tempo.
• There are many different steps you can learn for your Mambo style to add some zest to your kick, try checking out some videos online and seeing other people’s Mambo moves.
• The follower should know the rhythm in case the partner messes up.
• There are many different variations of Mambo.

Mambo is very addictive and there is only way to get great at Mambo dancing: practice, practice, practice! This dance will make you want to dance your little heart out, so get out there and dance!

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Ballroom dancing is an activity enjoyed by people worldwide, adding excitement to their lives. There are many types of ballroom dances, and many people who are looking to master these dancing styles. The most important part of performing any dance well, however, is the position of your body throughout the dance. The key to graceful, beautiful ballroom dancing is the ability to maintain proper form and posture throughout your dance routine. The best way to learn proper dance posture is to practice it all day, every day.

So, here’s what you should know about posture:

• Head: A dancer’s head needs to be upright with their chin parallel to the dance floor; stretching the neck upward, dancers need to take caution that they don’t lean to one side of their neck. Make sure that the back of your neck isn’t shorter because you are holding your chin to high; your head should be held like a plate sitting flat on the table.

• Chest/Abdomen: The chest needs to be in alignment with the hips. Lift your ribcage off of your hips in order to gain straightening in your spine. It’s important not to rotate your shoulders with your hips when dancing.

• Hips: The pelvis should be held in the center of your body not pushing out forward or backward while your hips allow for natural curvature in your spine.

• Legs: The hips and feet should always be vertically aligned when standing with feet beside each other. When legs are straight, legs should form a perfect V. When knees are bending, the hips should stay in alignment with the feet. It should feel like you are pulling your shoulders back away from your legs slightly to maintain posture and spine curvature.

• Feet: Your feet should move from ball to heel, and when you are in standing position, the weight of your body should be distributed to the middle so that it relieves pressure off of the toes and heels. During Latin dance, the weight should always be placed on the balls of your feet.

Did You Know?

Many Latin ballroom dances imply that there are a lot of hip movements, but it is important to remember that you shouldn’t force movement in your hips as it comes naturally from the natural rhythm of the legs, more specifically the knees. It is believed that because of the bending and straightening of the knees, the rhythm runs up the leg and creates the Latin Hip Motion.

We are so used to slouching, that learning and sticking to good posture can be a difficult thing. Once you have learned your posture skills and put them into practice regularly, you will feel much more graceful in your dance step. Being able to maintain body position will give you more control over your dance movements and more control over the flow of your dance. There are many benefits to having good posture including good spine health, as well – so it’s definitely something that deserves a shot!

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The Rumba dance is a very passionate and romantic dance involving very sexy looks and a lot of hip movement. In Rumba, the dance partners maintain very strong eye contact, and the upper body is mostly still while the lower body moves in rhythm. The basic rhythm that you move to is quick-quick-slow while the tempo of rumba is about 100 beats per minute. In Rumba, the leader will place their right hand on their partner’s waist and sturdily grasps their partners hand with their left hand. The follower in Rumba places their left hand on their partner’s shoulder whilst grasping their partner’s hand with their right hand.

Basic Rumba Steps for Men:

The man is typically the leader and needs to be confident and precise with their steps in order to allow your partner to follow with ease.

1. Step 2 feet to the left.
2. Right foot follows.
3. Step 2 feet forward with left foot.
4. Right foot follows.
5. When right foot arrives beside left foot, immediately step 2 feet to the right.
6. Left foot follows.
7. Step 2 feet back with the right foot.
8. Left foot follows.
9. Repeat.

Basic Rumba Steps for Women:

The woman is typically the follower and must do everything the man does, only backwards.

1. Step 2 feet to the right.
2. Left foot follows.
3. Step 2 feet backward with right foot.
4. Left foot follows.
5. When left foot arrives beside right foot, immediately step 2 feet to the left.
6. Right foot follows.
7. Step 2 feet forward with the left foot.
8. Right foot follows.
9. Repeat as your partner repeats.

Rumba Tips for Men and Women

• Practice, practice, practice!
• For further instruction on forms, etc. for the Rumba dance, there are dance instruction videos available.
• Maintaining eye contact is the most necessary step in Rumba as eye-contact contributes to the passion and seriousness of the dance – allowing it to be spicy and beautiful.
• Stepping with your knee bent and then straightening the leg as your foot hits the floor will add some Latin pizzazz to your dance step.
• Don’t stop dancing when you’re doing the rumba because it will throw your step off and it is such a fast paced dance that it is hard to get the rhythm back.

The Rumba is a beautiful Latin dance that represents passion and romance. The Latin dances are known for their intensity and that is just what Rumba dance offers: intensity. It is very important that you practice before learning more advanced Rumba steps, but once you get the rhythm and basic steps mastered, it will be a breeze for you to pick up some signature moves and add them to your dancing spice rack. After much practice, and ensuring that you maintain eye contact, there is no reason why you and your partner won’t look just like the dancers you see in movies or on stage.

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There are many different body positions for ballroom dancing as there are many different types of ballroom dances.

First, we’ll talk about getting started.

Starting out, most ballroom dances require that the follower places their left hand upon the leader’s upper right arm while holding the leader’s left hand with their right hand held above eye level at a 90 degree angle. Partners should stand about six inches apart. Strong eye contact and strict movements are what make ballroom dancing so graceful.

Let’s move on to closed position.

The most common position used in ballroom dancing, closed position, is achieved when the leader firmly places his arm below the follower’s left shoulder blade. The follower should rest their left arm gently on the leader’s upper right arm and grasp gently. The follower should rest their right hand in the palm of their partner’s left hand while the leader gives the follower support.

Ever heard of Promenade?

The promenade position occurs when partners are standing sideways in an open position, holding one set of hands. The leader puts his right hand on the follower’s left side and quickly grasps their partners right hand with theirs pulling their partner into them.

Then there’s always right parallel and left parallel positions.

Right parallel and left parallel positions are similar to closed position, but instead of the follower placing their feet directly across from their partners, their feet are placed to the left or right of their partner’s feet, respectively. In these positions, the shoulders should still be directly across from each other.

Let’s discuss open and reverse open positions.

Open position occurs when couples are standing side to side with the woman to the man’s right side. The couple is holding hands on the inside. Reverse open position is the same only the woman is standing to the man’s left side.

Now for open and opposite…

The first is the open break position and occurs when the partners are standing directly across from each other with both sets of hands clasped together in any combination. The open break position typically occurs before a swing. The opposite position occurs when the partners are standing across from each other and aren’t holding hands.

Does anyone want to cuddle?

The cuddle position is when the woman is standing to the right side of the man facing the same direction and takes the man’s right arm is around her. The woman then joins hands with the man right-to-right and left-to-left. The lindy cuddle position occurs when the woman stands in front of the man with her back to him, while holding his hands right-to-right and left-to-left. In the Lindy cuddle position, partners should shadow each other’s moves.

That about sums it up!

There are many different positions in ballroom dancing, but by learning the basic positions, you have already enabled yourself to enjoy many forms of ballroom dance. The basic positions will at least get your through the dance and may encourage you to feel the flow so well that you learn new moves naturally. So go ahead and let your dancers dance!

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Salsa is perhaps the easiest and most popular version of Latin dance and also has roots of the Caribbean and North America. It has been said that there are as many forms of Salsa as there are Salsa dancers, but the basics of Salsa remain the same across the board.

The Basics of Holds:

• Closed Hold – Standing about ½ a foot away from your partner facing them, the leader should place their right hand below their partners left shoulder blade while holding your right arm at a 90 degree angle. The follower should place their left arm over the leader’s right arm grasping their upper arm. Raising your hands above their partner’s eye level, the leader should hold their partner’s right hand in their left hand.

• Double Open Hold – Standing about ½ a foot away from your partner and facing them, the leader takes the follower’s left hand with his right hand, and vice versa to basically hold the hands of their partner.

• Single Hold – The same as a double open hold only with one set of hands. This hold usually signifies a more advanced move to follow.

Basics of Salsa for the Leader:

The follower will do the same steps only forward, therefore when the leader steps forward, the follower steps back and vice versa. This also applies to which foot to step, whether to slide left or right, etc.

1. Stand across from your partner in double open hold or closed hold form.
2. On the first count, step forward on your left foot.
3. On the second count, the leader will shift their weight to their right foot without moving it, leaning backward.
4. Third and fourth counts are spent by bringing your left foot back beside your right foot and holding for one count.
5. On the fifth count, you step backward on your right foot.
6. The sixth count – bring weight to your left foot without moving it, leaning forward.
7. On counts seven and eight, you will bring your right foot back next to your left foot and hold for one count.
8. Repeat.

Salsa Tips:

• When doing the Salsa, you and your partner should stay in one spot rather than moving across the room.
• Don’t force the hip movements.
• Slower music means bigger steps – faster music means smaller.
• Maintain eye contact with what’s in front of you, never looking down.

Salsa is a very popular dance that can bring that extra spice you’ve been looking for between you and that special someone. Because Salsa is so easy to learn, it’s likely you and your partner will find a great new way to bring romance and spice into your life. The most important part of any dance routine is practicing, which means the more you practice – the more romance you get to enjoy with your significant other, so what are you waiting for? Get out there and add some sassy spice to your life with Salsa!

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Born on the streets of Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Tango is bursting with passion.   This hypnotic and sensuous dance can help put some excitement into your nights.  Possibly in more ways than you first anticipate, as dancing the Tango is often compared to making love.

With the passionate nature of the Tango, it’s likely no surprise that it is danced in the closed position, with the man usually leading.  In closed position, you and your partner will be standing facing one another, close enough together that your upper bodies are touching.  In American Style Tango, the dancers sometimes part from the closed position in order to do special open moves.  Open moves common in the Tango include dancing apart, alternate hand holds, underarm turns and even side-by-side choreography.  Tango has a slow, slow, quick, quick, slow rhythm with two beats of music for each slow step and one beat of music for quick steps.  The best music for Tango dancing is that with 2/4 or 4/4 timing and about 120 beats per minute.

The Tango is often danced free-form, but it can be intimidating to learn something new without at least some guidelines.  Here are some basic steps and information to help learn to tango.

Basic Tango Steps for Men

• Left foot, slowly step forward
• Right foot, slowly step forward, slightly passing the left foot
• Left foot, quickly step forward, slightly passing the right foot
• Right foot quickly step forward and to the right
• Left foot slowly moves to meet the right foot

Basic Tango Steps for Women

• Right foot, slowly step backward
• Left foot , slowly step backward, slightly passing the right foot
• Right foot, quickly step backward, slightly passing the left
• Left foot, quickly step backward and to the left
• Right foot slowly moves to meet the left foot

Some things to keep in mind while you are giving these basic steps a try:

• Forward steps and done with first your heel, and then your toe meeting the floor
• Backward steps are done with first your toe, and then your heel meeting the floor
• Tango steps are often describes as cat-like or slinking.  Because of the steps done where the foot moves slightly past the previous foot, the movement resembles that of a cat.  This slinky, sexy nature is part of the allure of Tango
• Steps usually curve gradually left

As with learning anything new, be patient with yourself and don’t be discouraged if you don’t get it right away.  As Fred Astaire said, “The higher up you go, the more mistakes you are allowed. Right at the top, if you make enough of them, it’s considered to be your style.”

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1. How To Foxtrot – Rockin’ Around the Clock with the Foxtrot

Learning how to Foxtrot can help put a little more sway in your step and it isn’t time consuming or expensive!  As Friedrich Nietzsche said, “Let that day be lost to us on which we did not dance once!”  So don’t delay, try the Foxtrot today!

The Foxtrot is very versatile and can be done to a variety of different music.  Harry Fox, the man often accredited with giving this smooth dance its name, originally did it to ragtime music.  But the Foxtrot can be danced to Big Band or any music with 4/4 timing.  From its introduction in 1914 to well into the 1940s, the majority of records released were foxtrots.   Even the popular Lindy Hop in the 1940s didn’t diminish people’s love of the Foxtrot.  After all, Lindy Hop records could be danced to with a Foxtrot as well.  When “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley and His Comets debuted in 1954, it was usually danced to with a Foxtrot.  The Foxtrot, with its slow-slow-quick-quick rhythm fits so well with early rock and roll music that Decca Records labeled its first rock and roll albums, not as “Rock and Roll” but as “Foxtrots.”

The Foxtrot has a rise and fall action similar to the Waltz, but more subtle.   The man usually leads in the Foxtrot and it is traditionally danced in the closed position (with the man and woman facing one another, with their bodies parallel).  A semi-closed position is common when first learning the foxtrot steps, or when dancing socially.

Foot Movement
With forward steps:  Your heel meets the floor first, and then your toe, as you move forward
With backward steps:  Your toe meets the floor first, and then your heel, as you move backward
Side steps vary but are usually done toe first.

Basic Foxtrot Steps for Men

Forward Basic
Left foot forward, slowly
Right foot forward, slowly
Left foot to the side and slightly forward, quickly
Right foot meets the left foot, quickly

Back Basic – a reversed Forward Basic
Left foot back, slowly
Right foot back, slowly
Left foot to the side and slightly back, quickly
Right foot meets the left foot, quickly

Basic Foxtrot Steps for Women

Forward Basic
Right foot back, slowly
Left foot back, slowly
Right foot side and slightly back, quickly
Left foot meets the right foot, quickly

Back Basic
Right foot forward, slowly
Left foot forward, slowly
Right foot side and slightly forward, quickly
Left foot meets the right foot, quickly

Once you’re comfortable with the basics, you can try some of the more advanced Foxtrot steps like a Hesitation Left Turn, a Left Box (Reverse) Turn, a Side Sway, and the Promenade.  Like Bill Haley and His Comets, the Foxtrot’s endless combinations will have you and your partner rockin’ around the clock.

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Learning to waltz may sound intimidating at first, but don’t be frightened! You will be waltzing your way into the hearts of onlookers in no time with these simple steps.

As Paul Nettl wrote in The Birth of the Waltz, “The vigorous … dancer, following an instinctive knowledge of the weight of fall, utilizes his surplus energy to press all his strength into the proper beat of the measure, thus intensifying his personal enjoyment in dancing.”  Who couldn’t use a little more personal enjoyment in dancing?  So let’s start with the basics.

The Waltz is a sliding or gliding ballroom dance with 28-30 bars per minute and 3/4 timing. Depending on where you’re from and with whom you’re speaking, it may also be called the English Waltz or the Slow Waltz.  The Waltz is characterized by a rising and falling movement while the shoulders remain parallel to the floor.  The Waltz is danced in the closed position, (partners face one another with their bodies parallel), and the man usually leads.

The most common pattern for the Waltz is the Box Step, (called such because your feet will create a square or box as you dance). The Box Step involves two parts, each with three steps. A partial forward box is accomplished by a step forward, a step to the side, and then a step to bring your feet back together. A partial backward box consists of a step backward, a step to the side, and then a step to bring your feet back together. The person leading starts with the left foot and completes a partial forward box.  The person following starts with the right foot and completes a partial backward box.  The dancers then reverse parts, with the person leading completing a partial backward box and the person following completing a partial forward box.  All steps are done in a smooth, sliding manner, giving the Waltz it’s graceful form.

Basic Waltz Steps for Men

• Left foot, step forward
• Right foot, side step
• Bring left foot over to meet the right foot

(thus completing a partial forward box)

• Right foot, step backward
• Left foot, side step
• Bring right foot over to meet the left foot

(thus completing partial backward box)

Basic Waltz Steps for Women

• Right foot, step backward
• Left foot, side step
• Bring right foot over to meet the left foot

(thus completing partial backward box)

• Left foot, step forward
• Right foot, side step
• Bring left foot over to meet the right foot

(thus completing a partial forward box)

Once you’ve mastered the simple Box Step, you can throw some spice in your Waltz by rotating the box.  Generally this is done counter clockwise (to the left) and is called a “left box turn.”  With each partial box, turn a quarter to the left.  Once the dancers complete four partial boxes (or two full boxes), the dancers have completed the turn and will end at the place they started.

As with most things in life, practice and patience will only make you better.  So what are you waiting for?  Get dancing and you’ll be impressing your friends, family, and people you have yet to meet in no time!

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Some people attribute the resurgence of ballroom dancing to the ABC reality show, Dancing with the Stars, (which was based on the British television series, Strictly Come Dancing, and now has its format licensed in over 30 countries). Dancing with the Stars premiered in the United States the summer of 2005, and is now in its 9th season as of September 21, 2009. Perhaps the documentary Mad Hot Ballroom, which premiered at the 2005 Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah is the culprit?  Mad Hot Ballroom, by director Marilyn Agrelo and writer/producer Amy Sewell brought us the endearing story of eleven-year-old public school kids in New York City who learn about ballroom dancing and themselves through a school ballroom dancing program. The film was bought by Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Classics has earned over $8.1 million, making it the United States’ ninth-highest-grossing documentary film. 

Others think ballroom dance fever started in October, 2004 with the release of movie, Shall We Dance, staring Richard Gere as John Clark, a disenchanted lawyer whose marriage is rejuvenated through dancing with the beautiful Paulina (played by Jennifer Lopez). The movie’s tagline, “Step out of the ordinary,” gives us just a hint of the magic that is unlocked in both John Clark and Paulina’s lives through the beauty of ballroom dancing.  Or did the ballroom dance phenomenon really take hold with Antonio Banderas bringing ballroom dancing to problem kids in New York City public schools as Pierre Dulaine in 2006′s Take the Lead (from New Line Cinema)?  If Antonio Banderas can encourage a group of troubled kids to get on the straight and narrow, could he have been the one to spark the ballroom dancing fire for the rest of the world as well?  Whenever and wherever the rebirth of ballroom took place, it is currently enjoyed by people around the world, both socially and competitively. 

Cindi Leive, the editor of Glamour magazine says, “It’s clearly fresh, fun and sexy to a new generation of women in love with dressing up and behaving in formal style.” Thomas Murdock, marketing chief of Arthur Murray Studios would certainly agree.  After the release of Shall We Dance, Murdock said, “Since the film, there has been a big increase in men wanting lessons.  Our students used to be 55 and older, with the majority women. Now many are men or couples in their 20s and 30s. Lopez and Gere increased interest in a younger audience.”

“Ballroom dancing is no longer just for old fuddy-duddies,” Brian McDonald, president of the National Dance Council of America says. “Young people like it because it’s different, artistic and has a great competitive attitude about it.” The viewers of Dancing with the Stars and its sister programs, (now in 30 countries), would likely concur.

Why the revival of ballroom and not the twist?  Yvette Campbell, director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater explains, [ballroom takes us] “back to a time where it’s very romantic and very inspiring to dance like that.”

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