Jazz is an umbrella term for many related dances, similar to Swing, and includes both partner and solo dancing. Jazz was born from the African-American vernacular styles of dance in the early 20th century.
Ballroom began as social dancing for the elite. The earliest recorded ballroom dances were in 16th century France. Learn more about the history of ballroom in this article.
Latin/Rhythm
Among the Latin dances are salsa, cha-cha-cha, merengue, pasa doble, rumba and bachata. This article from Arthur Murray explains the origins of latin dance.
