Jazz and Swing

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.

Jazz Explained

Jazz Timeline

Lindy Hop and Jitterbug

Origin: 1920's Harlem, New York City.

Official state dance of New York.

Swing History 101: The Birth of Lindy Hop

Just the Swing: Lindy Hop, Jitterbug Dancing

Ballroom

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.

https://arthurmurraystudios.com/the-origins-of-latin-dance/

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Blues

Originally, African-American vernacular dances that were danced to blues music. Modern blues dance is an offshoot of Lindy Hop. 

Click here for a description of blues dance styles. 

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Country Western

Texas two-step is the state dance of Texas. Many other dances are included in Country Western along with the two-step - western swing, polka, line dance, and schottische are some examples. Country western dancing is known as "kicker dancing" in Texas. Read more about the history of Country Western dancing.