The Dances

At Two Left Feet we mainly concentrate on Ballroom, American Latin and Salsa dancing. However we also teach line dancing and sequence dancing.* Street dancing and disco dancing is also available on request.

Ballroom

Ballroom dancing includes the popular elegant ‘Waltz’, the fast ‘Quickstep’, the man’s dance’ Foxtrot’, the twirly ‘Viennese Waltz’ and ‘Tango’, the dance of passion.

Waltz

The dance became extremely popular in the nineteenth century especially in the Hapsburg Court. The waltz however faced immense criticism because of its close hold and rapid turning. The waltz originates from the German word ‘walzen’ meaning to ‘glide’. It is an elegant dance often danced at weddings.

Foxtrot

The Foxtrot is a smooth dance designed by the actor Harry Fox. During a show in New York, Fox trotted to rag time music, hence the name ‘Fox-trot’. The dance was then quickly introduced into other countries by dancers who favored the combination of quicks and slows which gave them greater flexibility.

Tango

The tango originated from Argentina. Well known for its dramatic music and sharp head movements, Tango is passionate dance which is as well known as the waltz. There are many different Tango’s including Ballroom Tango, Argentine Tango (known for its seductive movements) and Taiwan Tango.

Quickstep

The quickstep is similar to Foxtrot expect much faster. It was developed because the Foxtrot music had become too fast to complete the movements required. The quickstep became a separate dance around the 1920’s.

Viennese Waltz

The Viennese Waltz is a dance consisting of three hundred and sixty degree turns. The dance is extremely fast and became popular thanks to the music composed by Johann Strauss.

Latin American

Latin American dances include the cheeky ‘Cha Cha’, the sensual ‘Rumba’, the funky ‘Samba’ and the fast and furious ‘Jive’ not forgetting the matador dance ‘Paso Doble’.

Cha Cha Cha

The Cha Cha became popular in 1954. The Cha Cha has roots in the Mambo and Rumba. When dancer, Pierre Lavelle went to Cuba he saw that Rumba was sometimes danced with an extra step. When he returned home to Britain, he danced the steps as the Cha cha.

Rumba

The Rumba originates from Cuba and is based on the idea of a woman teasing her man. Originally the Rumba was a marriage dance which was carried by the slave trade to Cuba. Rumba is the most erotic and sensual of the Latin dances because of its slow rhythm and hip movement.

Jive

The jive was introduced into Britain through American G.I’s during world war two. The dance became popular with the youth after 1927. However the older members of society tried to ban the jive in dance halls because it was non-progressive. Instead the youth danced the jive ‘underground’!

Paso Doble

The dance originally from France but developed in Spain tells the story of a bull fight. The man represents the powerful and proud matador whereas the lady acts as the cape for seventy percent of the time and the bull for thirty percent of the dance. The lady moves around the man using sharp body movements.

Samba

Samba is a dance originally danced by African slaves in Brazil. Samba is a lively dance often danced at carnivals. The dance combines the Latin hip movement with the Samba bounce.

Salsa

Salsa is the newest of the Latin dances. The word Salsa actually means ‘sauce’ and involves flirtatious movements and eye contact between the couple. The dance should reflect the idea of the man flirting with the lady while the lady plays hard to get!