Some individuals may consider Latin dancing to be a natural trait which does not require any Latin dancing lessons. This could be true for certain types of dances while others require formal instruction. For instance, in order to learn how to execute Latin dances in the right way, Latin dancing lessons need to be taken. Undertaking the lessons will enable an individual to condition the body to synchronize body movements which is often not simple especially for novices.  With time, though, during the Latin dancing lessons you will notice that your body control will gradually begin to improve.

Body Movements for Latin Dance
When you gain knowledge of Latin dance lessons you will be instructed that it is not your arms or legs that initiate movement.  The body should initiate all movement with the limbs following the lead of the body.  In addition, you will be taught that certain body parts which you may have previously thought are incapable of moving on their own can actually move independently. For instance the upper part of the rib cage can move almost in any direction- sideways, forwards, backwards – without your hips being moved at all. When you initially begin to take Latin Dancing Lessons you discover that it is hard to move in a manner that you prefer to. The joint on your left knee for instance has a connection to the right hip which also has a connection to the joint of the right shoulder. This is vital because in some cases when taking Latin dance lessons you will be needed to move particular sets of joints at the same time. Lastly, you should never allow your body be in a still position during dancing. The reason for this is that dancing is a mode in which the body is able to interpret what it hears.

Exertion from hips
With majority of the movements in Latin dance, the exertion to execute a specific movement is drawn from the hips. Hips can move in whichever direction, like sideways, backwards and forwards as well as being able to dance in a figure-of –eight motion. When moving, the lady always uses the hips to carry out a twist of the hip so that she can execute a change to the right direction. The twist of the hips creates the foundation for proper movement when doing the Latin dance.

Due to the curvaceous structure of a woman’s body in relation to that of a man’s, it comes naturally that women have a greater use of hips in this dance. This is why the form of dance has long had a reputation for being considered ‘sexy’. Ladies who make up their minds to take up Latin Dance Lessons need to be ready to frequently   make frequent hip movements. Men are also required to use their hips in Latin dancing lessons but not as much as the women.

Most individuals are spending less time sitting on their couches and instead are enlisting for Latin American Dance classes complete with the Latin dance wear. Dance happens to be an excellent way of keeping active, socializing and discovering a new hobby. Every week though, I see novices not acquiring the highest benefits from the lessons because they do not have the correct attire and shoes.

In Latin dance wear, shoes are the key item for any dancer and even ardent social dancers ensure that they wear comfortable shoes. Latin and ballroom modes of dance involve the dancer sliding their feet across the floor, which is not able to be done using athletic shoes and you may end up hurting your knees trying to do it with sports shoes. The preferable shoes would be ones with leather or suede soles. The shoes should however not be worn outside the dance studio because the soles are bound to get ruined. If the leather soled shoes are not available, then smooth soled shoes can be used.For the women many ballroom dance steps require you to move in backwards motion and with slip-on’s it is difficult to execute these kinds of moves. Without a secure shoe, dancing becomes a problem.

Another important point concerning shoes is, for women, the heel of the shoe is usually between two and two and a half inches, whichever you feel comfortable in. Flat sneakers are not a good option and nor are ballet slippers. The weight of your body needs to be in the direction of the foot and the simplest method of achieving this is by wearing a proper shoe.The costumes for Latin dance wear needs to be comfortable more so if you are getting private lessons. The line of the body needs to be clearly visible. For the gentlemen, the clothing should not include any form of jackets unless they are specially designed for dancing and drape the shoulder well when your arms are in a ballroom hold.

Many men evade this issue by wearing formal shirts when ballroom dancing or t-shirts when performing Latin American Dance. The trousers for men should never be too baggy that his leg line cannot be seen.The clothing for ladies has another issue in Latin dance wear; for American type of ballroom dancing you require a skirt whose length reaches the middle of the calf, which is just the right length. The skirt adds esthetics to the movement of the dancer and does not show bent knees, which are not appealing but are the secret to great movement. A proper

skirt needs to permit a good stride out therefore, a skirt that is tight would not be appropriate. For the Latin American dance the skirt is not as long and the trousers a little more standard. Latin dance wear is more optional and knee-length flippy skirts will accentuate the movement as well as the leg line.

Latin Paso Doble dance identifies a dance with a basis on music that is commonly played during bullfights especially during the paseo (bullfighters’ entrance) and during the faena (passes) prior to the kill. The dance leader plays the matador’s part while the follower plays the general part of the cape, or the role of representing a flamenco dancer or the bull. The origin of Paso Doble can be dated backwards to a military march namely”Paso Redoble“which was performed by the French. This march was rather fast paced hence attributing to the fast pace of this Latin American dancing style. The modeling of the dance was put to effect after the bull fight in Spain.

Paso Doble is similar to Samba in that it is an internationally progressive Latin dance. The Latin Paso Doble dance  is the one that most resembles the International style, in regard to the forward steps which are usually taken using the heel’s lead, while consisting of a wider frame that has to be firmly kept up and a significance reduction and difference in hip movement. Paso Doble is a name that means two steps in Spanish and is differentiated from the name ‘Paso a Dos’ which refers to a dance for two. “Two Steps” is used in reference to the steps’ marching nature which is commonly counted ‘one, two’ for ‘Left and Right’. The name’s alternative description as a ‘Spanish one Step’ contrasts this notion and it is so called owing to the fact that for each music beat, only a single step should be taken.

The dance’s popularity is relatively limited amongst the English speaking people. In Sydney, the only place where the Latin Paso Doble dance is regularly played during social dances is at Italian clubs as well as various European clubs. Paso Doble’s competition version is danced while positioning the chest high, shoulders wide but down, and the head slightly kept aback but somewhat inclined forward but downwards.

The weight has to be kept forward, although a majority of the forward steps comprise heel leads. Usually, the dance is choreographed in regard to the Espana Cani’s tune which is a Gypsy dance of the Spanish, and comprises three music crescendos. The highlights are generally matched using dramatic poses for the choreography through an addition to the spectacular nature of the Latin Paso double dance.

A considerable number of these songs are modifications of Espana Cani and the song consists of breaks in the song’s fixed positions of two breaks per syllabus levels and three breaks with a relatively longer song for the Open levels. Traditionally, the routines of Paso Doble are choreographed in a bid of matching these breaks and the music phrases.  Consequently, most of the other ballroom tunes for Paso Doble make use of similar breaks when being written while those that lack this are basically avoided during most competitions. Due to its intrinsic and choreographed tradition, ballroom Latin Paso Doble dance is largely danced for competition purposes only, very rarely socially-whilst at least sticking to a certain sort of routine, previously-learned.

In Spain, Vietnam, France, Colombia as well as certain Germany parts to the western side of River Rhine, it is socially danced in the manner of a lead but not a choreographed dance.  This dance involves one person taking the role of the bull or the cape while the other person becomes the person comprising the cape or the matador. The Latin Paso Doble dance generally entails possessing power, aggression, anger and force.

The Origin of the Latin American Dance

The history of Latin American Dance is linked to the popular worldwide dances, which had their roots in Latin America, for example the Salsa, Bolero, Rueda, Conga, Carimbo, Merengue, Macarena, Cueca, Mambo, Cumbia, Lambada and Joropo. However, three of these dances have been separated from the entire lot, like the Rumba, Cha Cha and Samba and some other two from Europe and North America called Paso Doble and Jive respectively. This is because these dances are globally performed as Latin American dances socially, in international DanceSports and competitions. The dances are for man-and-lady couples. In the dances, the holds differ from one figure to the other with either dancers holding one another using one hand or in closed ballroom holds. Conversely, the history of Latin American Dance figures are categorized and standardized to diverse levels for coaching, with globally agreed techniques, tempos, vocabularies and rhythms. However, that was not always the case. These dances, specifically launched in the 20th Century to the Western European societies, have varied origins in past eras.

Romantic languages (such as Rumanian, French, Portuguese, Italian and Spanish) originated from prehistoric Latin languages. These languages also identify a society that spread over extensive regions of the Americas. From this region came three dances which with another dance from France/Spain and another one from America comprise the dance sets that are currently known as ‘Latin-America’ dances internationally. It should be noted that, ‘Latin-American’ here stands for Latin and America and does not refer to Latin America geographical regions.

In the history of Latin American dance, there are three Latin American dances developed to a combination of native, Negro and European forms. Captors from Europe brought in Negro slaves from different West African regions to larger American areas at early stages mostly since Europeans had difficulties convincing Indigenes to be in their service. Therefore, by 1553, African slaves were then brought in and outnumbered Europeans living in Mexico, and Luis de Velasco the Viceroy, advised Charles V of Spain not to allow further influx.

In the seventeenth and eighteen centuries ongoing fusions of these three societies took place to come up with a new society known as Creole. As soon as European dances were introduced in Latin America; immediate adoption took place and they became creolized. Contradance, then changed to be Contradanza Habanera in Cuba (was initially Havana) with the implementation of syncopated rhythms.

History of Latin American Dance has it that as the years passed, as that dance developed, the identity was shortened to ‘Danzon’. Afterwards, the music was syncopated and included rhythm and bars. Multifaceted syncopated rhythms are presently an aspect of every Latin-American dance. A slower and advanced version then developed using the ‘Son’ as an abbreviated name. In the history of Latin American Dance, the rhythm was used in a love song (Modinha) that had become widespread in the 19th Century in Europe.

Here is a great Latin dance competition held by ARD Masters Gala Latin Ballroom Dancesport Championship. Enjoy the ballroom dancing video…