Dance - Round Out Your Life Class Descriptions

Dance Classes - taught by Dennis & Elaine Smith
Lead/Follow To lead you must follow. To follow you must lead. Dancing is a partnership sport with one partner being the "leader" and the other being the "follower." This class explores the arts of leading and following. It's a great class for singles! No partner needed to learn these most basic skills of dancing. It is open to singles and couples who want to learn how to lead and follow the basic dance rhythms.
Bolero Bolero is a slow Latin dance which originated as a form of Rumba. It still shares many of the same figures. Bolero differs from Rumba in its tempo and style of music and movement.
Cha Cha Cha Cha is an exciting, syncopated Latin dance that originated in the 1950s as a slowed-down Mambo. The Cha Cha gets its name and character from its distinctive repetitive foot rhythm.
Foxtrot Foxtrot is a smooth dance introduced to the public in 1913 by Harry Fox. It is noted for being the first dance to incorporate combinations of Quicks and Slows into its rhythm. Foxtrot is characterized by smooth, walking-style movements.
Mambo Mambo is a Latin dance of Cuban origin that was developed during the 1930s through the 1950s. It is rhythmically similar to the slower Rumba.
Merengue Merengue is an energetic Latin dance originally from the Dominican Republic, where it dates back to the early 19th century.
Paso Doble Paso Doble is a lively Spanish style of dance that was developed in France. The man portrays the matador in a bullfight and leads his partner in and out of the patterns as if she were a cape.
Quickstep Quickstep is an International style dance that is similar to a fast Foxtrot.
Rumba Rumba was originally a marriage dance. Many of its movements and actions which seem to have an erotic meaning are merely depictions of simple farm tasks. It was done for amusement on the farms by the black population of Cuba. It became a popular ballroom dance and was introduced in the United States about 1933.
Samba Samba is a rhythmical Brazilian dance originating from African slaves that has been adapted for modern ballroom dancing. It is noted for its distinct style of movement, which incorporates both Latin hip motion and the signature "Samba Bounce."
Slow Two Step Slow Two Step, also known as Nightclub Two Step and California Two Step, originated in the 1960s in crowded dance clubs on the West Coast as a dance that could be used for very slow love ballads that are otherwise difficult to dance to.
Swing The history of swing dates back to the 1920's, where the black community, while dancing to contemporary Jazz music, discovered the Charleston and the Lindy Hop. The terms Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, Lindy, and Swing were used interchangeably in the late 1930s and 1940s. From the mid 1940s to today, ballroom dance studios developed East Coast Swing, a stripped-down and distilled version of earlier Swing. The International Style version of the dance is called Jive. Swing is a "spot" dance where each couple stakes out a small area on the dance floor to dance in.
Tango Tango originated in Argentina at the beginning of the 20th century and is characterized by catlike walking action and staccato head movement.
Two Step Two Step is an American dance style developed in the 1880s. It seems to take its name from a 19th century dance related to the Polka. Early Two Step dances were done to march music like Sousa's Washington Post.
Waltz Probably the most distinguishing characteristics of Waltz is the 3/4 time signature, meaning that each measure is comprised of 3 beats. Waltz dates back to the peasant folk dances of 16th century Austria. It spread internationally in the 18th century and was generally accepted by polite society by the late 19th century. Waltz can be separated into American, International, and Viennese styles. It's usually easiest to start with American Waltz.
West Coast Swing West Coast Swing is California's official state dance. It's distinctive "dancing in a slot" dates as far back as 1938 in San Diego dancehalls. One of the first generic names for West Coast Swing was Sophisticated Swing. It's also been known as Western Swing.
Dance with Parkinson's Come join us as we learn basic dance steps to a variety of ballroom rhythms such as waltz and tango. In addition to a variety of rhythms, we will learn general ballroom skills with appropriate modifications. This is a social dance class for those living with stage 1 and stage 2 Parkinson's Disease. Please bring an able-bodied partner.

Preliminary studies show that dancing may be one of the best ways to help balance and posture as well as help critical areas to help avoid falling. It also facilitates increased awareness of the lower extremities. Combining movement with music helps to build confidence.
Phase I Phase I includes the actions, movements, and figures which people learn as they are introduced to Round Dancing. It focuses on (American) Two Step and (American) Waltz rhythms.
Phase II Phase II adds more actions, movements, and figures to (American) Two Step and (American) Waltz rhythms.
Phase III Phase III adds the final actions, movements, and figures to the (American) Two Step rhythm. It introduces the first International actions, movements, and figures to the Waltz rhythm. It also introduces the Bolero, Cha Cha, Foxtrot, Jive (Swing), Mambo, Merengue, Quickstep, Rumba, Slow Two Step, and Tango.
Phase IV Phase IV adds actions, movements, and figures to the Bolero, Cha Cha, Foxtrot, Jive, Mambo, Merengue, Quickstep, Rumba, Slow Two Step, Tango, and (International) Waltz rhythms. It introduces the Paso Doble, Samba, and West Coast Swing rhythms.
Phase V Phase V adds actions, movements, and figures to the Bolero, Cha Cha, Foxtrot, Jive, Mambo, Paso Doble, Quickstep, Rumba, Samba, Slow Two Step, Tango, (International) Waltz, and West Coast Swing rhythms.
Phase VI Phase VI adds actions, movements, and figures to the Cha Cha, Foxtrot, Jive, Paso Doble, Quickstep, Rumba, Samba, Tango, (International) Waltz, and West Coast Swing rhythms.

Please refer to the class schedule for class dates.