About the Dance Styles
All of the social dances we teach are partner dances, where people dance in pairs. One of the partners, the leader, guides the basic form of the dance and the other partner, the follower, completes the moves suggested by the leader.
Lindy Hop
Lindy Hop [wikipedia] is a swing dance that evolved in the 1920s and 1930s at the same time as swing jazz music. This improvisational street dance emerged in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City and at the Savoy Ballroom located there. It combines elements of jazz dance, tap, breakaway, and charleston. It is usually danced with a partner but there are a number of established solo routines as well.
West Coast Swing
West Coast Swing [wikipedia] is a swing dance derived from Lindy Hop. A slotted dance, the follower travels up and down an imaginary line on the dance floor called the slot; the leader usually stays in the middle of the slot and steps out of the way to let the follower pass. This dance grew up on the west coast of the United States, heavily influenced by the dancing of Dean Collins, and allows for lots of improvisation while maintaining a controlled and smooth look.
East Coast Swing
East Coast Swing [wikipedia] is a swing dance characterized by a six-count basic pattern. Even though it was technically developed in a dance studio, it borrows many moves from Lindy Hop and is often danced to fast jazz, jump blues, or rock and roll music.
Salsa
Salsa [wikipedia] is a dance with roots in a number of Caribbean and Latin American dances, though credit is usually given to Cuba for the origins of this dance style. It is characterized not only by the dance itself, but for the music to which it is danced, combining African percussive rhythms with Spanish guitar and other instruments to create the Latin American salsa music we know today.
Waltz
Waltz [wikipedia] is a ballroom dance that uses music in 3/4 time. This beautiful and graceful dance evolved in Vienna, Austria from various twirling folk dances and spread from there. With its close hold, quick turns, and characteristically strong first step on the downbeat of each measure, the basic waltz can be learned very quickly.