Downtown, Canton is home to some of the best ballroom dance training in the country?!? Right in the heart of downtown, R&J Ballroom has a staff with over 80 years of combined dance experience. R&J students have collected over two dozen world titles and over 30 national titles. If you are interested in learning ballroom dancing in the Canton area, training at R&J Ballroom is a no-brainer.
Ballroom dancing includes many forms of partner dancing. There are more traditional dances such as the waltz, then there are more rhythmical dances such as the cha-cha. You will even see "club dances" like the bachata or salsa being taught in ballroom dance studios and at ballroom competitions. When it comes to dancing with a partner, ballroom dance instruction is the way to improve your skills.
Yes, dance can be fun. Just like everything in life, the goal is to have a good time. When you are learning to do something new, it can be fun AND challenging. Sometimes, making it through the challenges is the most rewarding part of the experience. The more you are unable to surpass each of the challenges that arise., the less fun you will have. That is why getting proper instruction is so important! We suggest you try out each dance studio to get the experience yourself.
Let's be honest, when we are good at something, we enjoy doing it a LOT more :)
There is not much you have to worry about here. Whether you have a little, a lot, or no experience at all, you are right where you are supposed to be. Some teachers even prefer to have students with no training because they believe it means there are no bad habits to break.
However, there are some things you can do. One is finding proper and comfortable footwear. You may not need ballroom shoes right away, however, wearing shoes with too much grip can make things very difficult. Find a pair of dress shoes or something with a smoother bottom so you don't feel stuck to the floor or twist your knee.
If you want to look up dance videos online, then go for it. Here are links to what we would recommend if you were to do so.
EVERYWHERE! The obvious place to dance is at your dance studio's parties. It is not hard to find other locations or individuals hosting dance parties near you. Northeast Ohio has many dance studios and parties every week!
Sadly, we don't see many people ballroom dancing in public. This does not mean that you shouldn't dance when you are out and about. In our opinion, it means you should in order to help spread awareness of ballroom dance.
With great power comes great responsibility ;)
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Ballroom dancing can be split into five different categories.
American Rhythm, American Smooth, International Latin, International Standard and Night Club.
Each of these categories has their own unique grouping of dances.
American Smooth and International Standard have similar characteristics and tempos which will cause the two styles to look like one another. They even have some of the same dances, however the tempos of those dances are different from one another. International Standard is unique in that the couples will never break frame, which refers to keeping both arms connected to one another. Whereas American Smooth allows for dancers to break apart from one another. Some would say this makes American Smooth more “contemporary."
American Rhythm and International Latin have similar characteristics and tempos which will cause the two styles to look similar, like Smooth and Standard’s relationship. They also share some of the same dances, like the rumba and cha-cha, but have them performed at different tempos. The most agreed upon distinction between the two styles is a mechanical/technical one. In International Latin, dancers’ knees should generally be straight when a foot is placed on the floor, whereas in American Rhythm, the knee should be bent and straightened as weight is transferred.
Below is a list with each of the categories and the ballroom dances that belong to them.
American Rhythm
Cha-Cha
Rumba
East Coast Swing
Bolero
Mambo
American Smooth
Waltz
Tango
Foxtrot
Viennese Waltz
International Latin
Cha-Cha
Samba
Rumba
Paso Doble
Jive
International Standard
Waltz
Tango
Viennese Waltz
Slow Foxtrot
Quickstep
Night Club
Hustle
Merengue
Salsa
Bachata
West Coast Swing
Night Club Two-Step
Argentine Tango
Within these categories there will be some shared tempos and characteristics amongst the dances, but never two the exact same. For example, you will notice that Cha-Cha and Rumba are in two different categories. Even though they share the same dance name, they are two different dances. The Rumba that is danced in the American Rhythm style, is danced at a much quicker tempo than the International Rumba. Simply put American Rumba is much faster than International Rumba.
I hope this was informative, we would love to hear feedback, leave us a comment and we will do our best to provide information to help!
Thanks for reading,
Jonathan
Don't live near us? We recommend that everyone take ballroom lessons even if it can’t be with us!
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