DANCESPORT

• Dancesport is a combination of art and sport. It was called competitive ballroom dancing in the
past.
• This goes with partners (male and lady) competing against other partners dancing on the floor at
one time.
• There are 5 latin dances: SAMBA, CHA-CHA-CHA, RUMBA, PASODOBLE, and JIVE.
• There are 5 Standard Dances: WALTZ, TANGO, VIENNESE WALTZ, SLOW FOXTROT AND
QUICKSTEP.
WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF DANCESPORT?
 POSTURE - Enables a dancer to stand out on the floor, which shows sophistication and
confidence.
 TIMING - Dancing on time with the music.
 LINE - The stretching of the body.
 HOLD - The correct position of the body with the partner closed position.
 POISE - The stretch of the woman's body upwards and downwards and leftwards into the
man’s right arm to achieve balance and connection with his frame, as well as to project
outwards the audience.
 TOGETHERNESS - Dancing of two people as one on the dance floor.
 MUSICALITY AND EXPRESSION - The basic characterization of dance with the particular
music being played and the choreographic adherence to musical phrasings and accents.
 PRESENTATION - How the couple presents their dancing to the audiences as well as the
proper costuming and grooming.
 POWER - The energy that is controlled and not wild.
 FOOT AND LEG ACTION - The use of lower extremities that creates balance, beauty and
strength.
 SHAPE - The combination of turn and sway to create a look or a position.
 FLOORCRAFT - The ability to avoid bumping into other couples and continue dancing
without pause when boxed in.
LATIN BALLROOM DANCE
 They are called Latin American dances because most of them are from the Latin-American
countries.
 While the Modern Standard Dances they are somewhat revealing, tight-fitting, sexy yet
sophisticated in nature.
 Standard dances on the other hand, wear formal, ankle-length gowns for females and
coat-and-tie for males. Most of the time, movements in these are restricted to close
ballroom position with partner.
Latin American Dances Origin Modern Standard Dances
Origin
Cha-cha-cha Cuba SlowWaltz
Austria
Rumba Cuba Tango
Argentina
Samba Brazil Viennese Waltz
Vienna
Paso Doble Spain Foxtrot
USA
Jive/Boogie USA Quickstep
USA
Swing USA
Merengue Dominican Republic
Salsa Cuba

Latin American Dances

• Includes the salsa, mambo, meringue, swing, cha-cha-cha, rumba, samba, jive, boogie, and paso
doble. They are called Latin American dances because most of them are from the Latin-American
countries.
Cha-cha-cha
• Developed from the mambo, is the most commonly known Latin American Dance. Just recently,
the name was shortened to CHA-CHA(dancedancedance.com, date accessed JULY 16, 2015)
Rumba
• This originated in Cuba, became the classic Latin American Dance. The focus of rumba is to
impress and seduce the opposite sex.
• The rumba is a “tease and run” dance which tells of an erotic and passionate love story between a
man and a woman in a courtship ritual.
Jive
• Is a dance style that originated in the United States from African-Americans in the early 1930s. It
was originally presented to the public as 'Jive' in 1934 by Cab Calloway. It is a lively and
uninhibited variation of the Jitterbug, a form of Swing dance. Glenn Miller introduced his own jive
dance in 1938 with the song "Doin' the Jive" which never caught on.
Samba
• Before 1914, samba was called MAXIXE a Brazilian name. It became a popular dance in Europe
after World War II. It is Brazil’s national dance.
Paso Doble
• Is a Spanish dance and the movements danced by the man are symbolic of those made by the
torero (or matador) in building. The lady represents the cape and her movements suggest the cape
passes during a bull fight.
The Modern Standard Dances
• Include the slow waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, foxtrot and quickstep. Latin dances distinguish
themselves by the costumes worn by performers. They are somewhat revealing, tight-fitting, sexy
yet sophisticated in nature. They are also distinguished by the nature of the movements. They are
freer and can be performed in close or open hold.
Tango
• The word “tango” is thought to be African in origin, and denotes a “meeting place” or “special
place”.
• Originated in Buenos Aires, Argentina from a dance called milonga. It was a popular dance in
Europe in the early 1900s and became especially popular in Paris. After the First World War, tango
was developed into a ballroom dance.
Waltz
• The waltz, which derived its name from the Latin volvere, meaning to turn, was derived from
Austria’s Landler. It is a graceful and elegant dance with long, flowing movements, continuous
turns, rise and fall, and romantic
Slow waltz
• The slow waltz emerged to fame in the 1920s. Most people think of the waltz as the dance for
special occasions. "Slow Waltz" was also the name of a dance in the International Standard dance
category of ballroom dances. Now it is officially called simply "Waltz", but "Slow Waltz" is still in the
informal use, to distinguish from other types of waltzes. It is sometimes called the "English Waltz".
Viennese waltz
• The Viennese waltz, dating back to the 12th and 13th century European folk dances is definitely the
oldest of the standard ballroom dances. It was introduced in Paris in the mid-1700s and became
popular around the beginning of the 1800s.
Foxtrot
• The foxtrot, developed in the 1920s, reached its popularity in the 1930s. It is a smooth progressive
dance characterize by long, continuous flowing movements across the dance floor. The dance is
similar to the waltz. Big band (usually vocal) music accompanies the foxtrot.
Quickstep
• Developed in the 1920s in New York and first danced by African and Caribbean dancers, is one of
the most fun and lighthearted of the standard ballroom dances. The dance has fast and powerfully
flowing movements, sprinkled with syncopations. It is danced to upbeat melodies.
BASIC DANSPORT TERMINOLOGIES
• Name of the figure - Identification of a figure in a dance style.
• Step Numbers - Number of steps in a figure.
• Alignment - The position of the feet in relation to the room.
• Amount of turn - This is measured between the feet.
• Footwork - Refers to the part of the foot in contact with the floor.
• Timing - The synchronization of actions with the beat of the music.
• Line of dance - The counter clockwise direction around the dance floor.
• Open facing position - A variation of open position where man and lady stand apart, facing each
other, usually with one-or-two hand connection.
• Closed position - The normal hold where partners facing each other on body contact slightly offset
to the left.
• Open position - Any dance position where man and lady stand apart or slightly apart, without taking
a closed position dance hold.

CHEERDANCE
Background information for learners

Cheer dance is coined from the words: “cheer” and “dance.” To cheer is to shout-out/
shoutout words or phrases that motivate and boost the morale of a playing team to perform
better during the game while to Dance is to do physical activity where one expresses
emotions or gestures while performing bodily movements usually in time and rhythm.
On the other hand, Cheerleading is the performance of a routine, usually dominated by a
gymnastic skill such as jumps, tumbling skills, lifts and tosses combined with shouting of
cheers and yells to lead the crowd to cheer for a certain team during a game or sport. To
draw the connection between Cheerleading to Cheer dancing, it is but imperative to take
a closer look and have an in depth understanding on cheerleading. This will lead you to the
idea that cheer dancing is deeply rooted from cheerleading.

There are three elements which make up a dance, these are: Space, Energy, and Time.

Space is an element which deals with the physical area where dancers move accordingly. This
comprises Direction, Size, Level, and Focus

Energy speaks of the power of a dance; could it be heavy or light, Sharp or smooth,
depending on what type of dance is being executed.

Time includes Beat, Tempo, Rhythmic Pattern, Duration, and Accent, refers to the
length, patterns of movement, music accompaniment’s beat, and tempo, as well as the
accent of the dance.

The following are the basic steps in Cheer dance

ARMS AND HANDS MOVEMENT FOR CHEERDANCE (videopresentation)

Bucket - arms are straight with fists facing down, as if holding the handle of a bucket in each
hand.
Candlestick - arms are straight with fists pacing each other as if they were holding a lit
candle in each hand.
Blade - arms are in straight sideways, open palm and fist facing down, and fingers must stick
together
Jazz Hands - open palm, fingers are spread out.
Clap - strike palms together in front of the chest
Claps - claps hands together in front of the chest
T- Motion - both arms are extended sideways parallel to the ground
Half T – both arms are parallel to the ground and the both elbows are bent.
Touchdown - arms are stretch out in upward position; closed fist facing in
K Motion - one arm is raised upward, while the other arm positioned downward across to
the opposite side.
Checkmark - arms are extended upward, clasp hands together
Dagger - both arms are bent; clenched fists facing each other parallel to shoulder
Box – both arms are bent; clenched fists facing each other; elbows are on shoulder
level.
Punch – raised one arm overhead with closed fist.
L Motion – one is raised upward; the other arm is raised on the side in the shoulder level.
Diagonal - one arm is raised diagonally upward, while the other arm positioned diagonally
downward.

ESSENTIALS OF CHEER DANCING LEG/ FEET POSITION

Beginning Stance- stand straight with both feet close together.

Cheer Stance – stand straight with feet apart.
Side Lunge – one leg is bent, while the other leg is
extended Squat – both knees are slightly bent facing
outward Kneel – body is supports by knees.

ESSENTIALS OF CHEER DANCING JUMPS

Tuck Jump - as you jump, bring knees closer to chest, keep knees together.
Spread Eagle- as you jump, arms and legs are extended open wide.
Double Hook- as you jump, both knees are bent sideways.
Front Hurdler- bring straight leg up to chest and between the arms, back knee points
towards the ground; land with feet together at the same time.
Front Hurdler- bring straight leg up to chest and between the arms, back knee points
towards the ground; land with feet together at the same time.
Side Hurdler - as you jump, one leg is bent; knee is facing forward, while the other leg
goes straight up.
Pike Jump- keep head up; bring legs to arms; arms parallel to the ground.
Toe Touch - also known as straddle jump. As you jump, legs are open and parallel
to the ground.