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MODULE III
BALLROOM DANCING

Lesson 1 Introduction to Ballroom Dancing

Lesson 2 Different Ballroom Dancing Position

Lesson 3 Swing

Lesson 4 Cha cha cha

Lesson 5 Boggie

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BALLROOM DANCING
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 INTRODUCTION

This module presents about ballroom dancing. Ballroom dancing sometimes

called social or popular dancing is usually performed by couples, for their pleasure and
satisfaction either at private functions or in public dancing halls. Dancing steps are
created from man’s basic movements: the walk, run, jumps, hop, skip, slide, leap, turn
and sway. Combinations of this have become traditional dance steps have been used in
stylized manner, for folk and ethnic dances, social or ballroom dance, ballet and
modern expensive dances. Skills in ballroom dancing, once learned, add lifelong
enrichment and pleasure. Ballroom dancing is a good option for individuals to become
involved in an enjoyable activity that can lead to sustained, improved physical health
for a wide variety of populations.

OBJECTIVES

After studying the module, you should be able to:

1. Define and discuss the meaning of ballroom dancing.

2. Demonstrate different dance positions in ballroom dancing.
3. Demonstrate the basic steps of waltz and tango.
4. Create new variations of steps of waltz and tango.

 DIRECTIONS/ MODULE ORGANIZER

There are four lessons in the module. Read each lesson carefully then practice
executing the activities properly. Your output will be a practicum to be sent to your
instructor via messenger.

In case you encounter problem, discuss this with your instructor during the face-
to-face meeting.

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Good luck, enjoy reading and happy dancing.

Lesson 1

 BALLROOM
DANCING

Introduction

Ballroom dancing is a partnership dance where couples, using step-patterns,

move rhythmically, expressing the characteristics of music. Some of the most
important features of ballroom are rhythm, or the relatively fast or slow repetition
and variations of movements; design, or the force and intensity of movements; and
technique or degree of body dances are gestures, especially hand movements.
Over the years, these dances have been dance by millions of people for social
events, competitions and championships to world class level. They have been
covered by many British television programs, most recently are now produced
throughout the world.” Strictly Come Dancing” and dance programs are now
produced throughout the world. Dance schools generally run classes for children
and adults. People can dance for enjoyment, to keep fit and to compete.

https://www.adancetoremembertx.com/

History of Ballroom Dancing

The term 'ballroom dancing' is derived from the word ball which in turn originates
from the Latin word ballare which means 'to dance' (a ball-room being a large room
specially designed for such dances). In times past, ballroom dancing was
social dancing for the privileged, leaving folk dancing for the lower classes

Ballroom dancing developed in England. However, the first authoritative

knowledge of the earliest ballroom dances was recorded in the 16th century in France.

Centuries ago, ballroom dancing was primarily for the privileged and well-to-do,
while the commoners had to make do with folk dancing; however, these boundaries
have since disappeared, leaving ballroom dancing a fun hobby for everyone.

Today, ballroom dancing applies to numerous dances in which a “leader” and a

“follower” dance together in close proximity, usually with some degree of physical
contact. This closeness is to permit the leader to get the follower to, well, follow along.

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BALLROOM DANCE ETIQUETTE

1. Dance in the line of dance. Ballroom dancers move around the floor in the
counterclockwise direction. You should be moving in this direction most of the
time. This is ballroom dance etiquette 101.
2. When things go wrong, apologize. If you bump into someone, or step on
someone’s foot tell them sorry. Don’t just ignore them.
3. Slow dancers should move to the center of the room. So if you are a beginner
to ballroom dance, just learning new moves, don’t clog up the main lines of
dance. Stay towards the center.
4. Conversation should be off the dance floor. If you’d like to talk, do it off the
dance floor.
5. Cross the dance floor around the perimeter. Don’t cut through. I’ve seen people
walk across the middle of the ballroom dance floor holding drinks. Not good.
6. Clean up your mess. So, if you are carrying some drinks and you do spill
something, clean it up before some dancer slips and gets hurt.
7. Personal hygiene. Make sure you don’t have bad body odor or bad breath.
8. Dance at your partner’s ability. If you are an experienced ballroom dance leader
dancing with a beginner follower, don’t expect her to do advanced moves. Build
the dance. Start with easy stuff. Once you see that she’s with the timing and
following easy patterns, try advancing to more difficult ones. If she has difficulty
doing one turn, don’t lead her in to a double turn.
9. Sneezing and coughing while dancing. This does happen. Always sneeze or cough
into the underside of your elbow. Do not sneeze into your hand and then ask her
to take that hand for dancing.
10. Don’t chew gum while dancing. This is annoying to your partner. He or she
doesn’t want to dance with a cow chewing grass, which is what it feels like. It
doesn’t look elegant.

https://dancefeverstudios.com/ballroom-dance-etiquette/

PERSONAL GROOMING

1. Wear comfortable clothing.

2. Wear appropriate footwear to prevent injuries.
3. If the hair falls below the shoulder, be careful that it does not fly into contact
with
your partner. Long hair should be put up or tied in a ponytail.
4. Accessories like watches, rings and bracelets can be dangerous they can scratch
your partner’s hand and arm.

General Rules for Following

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1. Whatever you do, don’t lead.

2. Be alert to your partner’s lead.
3. Support one’s own weight. Learn to keep good balance when moving backwards.
4. Step straight backward with reaching motion so as to give him room to reach
straight ahead.
5. Pass the feet close together.
6. Hold your own frame (arm positions) against gravity (versus resting weight on your
partner’s arms).
7. Maintaining your frame so as to provide gentle feedback to define your space.
(Avoid very rigid or very limp arms, sometimes called “spaghetti” arms.)
8. Keep your weight over the ball of your feet to keep a good balance.
9. Execute the turn (after the leader signals when to start and stop the turn).

General Rules for Leading

1. Hold partner firmly but not tensely.

2. Listen to the music before starting to step out on the accented beat.
3. Start with the new step with a left foot leading.
4. Start with the easy steps before going into variations, be sure partner can follow.
5. Signal a turn by lifting your hand above your partner’s head.
6. End a turn by lowering your hand below your partner’s head.

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Lesson 2

 DIFFERENT BALLROOM
DANCING POSITIONS

Dance Position Description

Aida The V-back-to-back position we assume at the end of
the Aida figure. The inside hands are joined, and
the inside feet are free.
Attitude Line A stationary position on one leg in which the woman
bends the non-supporting knee, rotates it outward,
and lifts the leg.
Back Cross Side by side, man to woman's left, right
hands joined behind woman's back, and
left hands joined behind man's back.

Back-to-Back Partners facing away from each other.

Ballerina Woman rises onto toes of left foot and lifts right foot
to the left knee, toes pointing down. The man
might have her in a Shadow or Varsouvienne hold.
Banjo A closed position with the man’s left side
leading. When the man steps forward
with his right foot, he steps outside his
partner's feet. Note that the diagram
does not show a good banjo position, but
an exagerated, "hip-to-hip" position—they
are not properly closed.

Bolero An offset, facing position, right hip to right hip, in

which both wrap the right arm around the other's
waist. The left arm is up and curved inward. Also
known as Bolero Banjo. Bolero Sidecar has her on
his left, left arms low.

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Butterfly A facing position, somewhat apart from

each other. Lead hands and trail hands
are joined at shoulder height. The
elbows are up and out. A couple can be in
"Butterfly Banjo" (left side lead) or
"Butterfly Sidecar" (right side lead). In
each of these two cases, the next step
would be outside partner.
Chair A semi-closed position in which the dancers have
lunged forward onto the trail feet with the trail
knees bent. Some see the body shape as that of a
straight-backed chair, with the bent trail legs
representing the front legs and seat of the chair, the
trailing lead legs the back legs of the chair, and the
dancers' torsos representing the back of the chair.
Closed Standard dance position, facing partner,
slightly offset to the left, lower bodies
together, upper bodies apart, both
looking left. The man’s right hand is just
below her left shoulder blade and her left
hand is on his upper right arm. His left
hand is out to his left and about at
shoulder height and is holding her right
hand.
Contrary Body Movement Position A position in which your step crosses in front or
(CBMP) behind the body without body turn. (Contrary Body
Movement (CBM) is the action of turning the
opposite side of the body in the direction of the
moving leg.)

article on side lead or contra body

Cuddle A closed embrace, man's arms around her
waist or lower back and woman's arms on
his shoulders, neck, or face.

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Escort An open position in which the woman's

left arm is passed through the crook of
the man's right arm. Her forearm rests on
his forearm.

Facing Any position in which the man and woman

are directly in front of each other, front
to front, e.g., closed, butterfly, open
facing positions, or with no contact.

Fallaway A step backward in Semi-Closed Position.

Fan A left open position; that is, the man's left hand
joins the lady's right, and the lady is to the man's
left, but they are not side by side but at an
angle. He faces one way (e.g. wall), and she faces
ninety degrees to that (e.g. reverse). The two
bodies make a kind of "L." Her right foot is extended
forward without weight; his left foot is extended to
the side without weight.
Figurehead A stationary position in which the woman turns away
from the man and takes a high, forward poise, like
the figurehead of a ship.
Half Open Both facing the same direction, woman
on man's right side, bodies turned half
toward each other; man's right palm on
woman's back and woman's left hand at
or near man's right shoulder. Free arms
may be extended to side. In Left Half
Open, she is on his left side.

Hammerlock A facing position in which all hands are low and one
hand of one partner is behind his or her
back. Usually, she is to his right side with her left
hand behind her back.

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Hand Shake A facing position, right hands joined at waist

level. Left Hand Shake Position has left hands
joined.
High Line A stationary position in which both have a high,
extended poise. The difference between the High
Line and the Promenade Sway (see "Picture Figure"
below) might be that the High Line includes a
straight left leg and a little left-side stretch (for the
man), and both are looking up, whereas the
Promenade Sway includes a soft left leg and man’s
right-side stretch, and both are looking out.
L-Shaped Dancers are at 90 degrees to each other and one is
in front and to the right of the other. For instance,
he may be facing the wall, while she is facing line,
in a loose semi-closed position, but arm position and
hand hold may vary.
Layback Usually a woman's position in which she arches her
back and inclines into one or both of the man's arms.
The woman's arms may be raised and arched to
follow and extend the line of her body.
Layover Usually a woman's position in which she leans
forward against her man, draping her body along his.
Left _____ Any figure name preceded by the term "left"
indicates a sort of mirror image of that figure with
the woman on his left side rather than his right or
with lead hands joined rather than trail hands.
Left Half Open Both facing the same direction, woman on man's left
side, bodies turned half toward each other; man's
left palm on woman's back and woman's right hand
at or near man's left shoulder. Free arms may be
extended to side.
Left Open Facing Partners are facing each other but apart,
man's left hand and lady's right
joined. Man's right and lady's left arms
may be extended to the side.

Left Open Position Partners side by side, lady to his left, man's left
hand and lady's right joined, both looking in the
same direction.

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Left Varsouvienne Partners face the same direction, the man behind
the lady and to her right -- lady to man's left. He
holds her right hand in his right slightly in front and
above her shoulder. His left arm passes behind her
shoulders, and his left hand holds her left, again to
the side and above her shoulder.See Varsouvienne
below.
Loose Closed Closed Position (see above), but partners are slightly
farther apart. His hand will be on her shoulder,
rather than on her shoulder blade or even on her
upper arm. There are 6 - 8 inches between the hips.
Loose Closed is the typical closed position in the
Latin rhythms.
Low Butterfly Butterfly postion, but the hands are
closer together and about waist high.

Man's Left Varsouvienne Partners facing the same direction, man a little in
front and to the left of the lady. She holds his right
hand in her right a little above and in front of his
right shoulder. Her left arm passes behind his back
and she holds his left hand in her left to the side and
a little above his left shoulder. See Varsouvienne
below.
Man's Varsouvienne Partners face the same direction, the man in front
of the lady and to her right. She holds his left hand
in her left slightly in front and above his
shoulder. Her right arm passes behind his shoulders,
and her right hand holds his right, again to the side
and above his shoulder.See Varsouvienne below.
Nothing Touching Any position in which there is no body contact, and
no hands are joined.

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Open Side by side, lady to his right, man's right

hand and lady's left joined, both looking
in the same direction. Free arms may be
extended to the side. Left Open Position
is side by side, lady to his left, man's left
hand and lady's right joined, both looking
in the same direction.
Open Facing Facing each other but apart, man's right hand and
lady's left joined. Man's left and lady's right arms are
extended to the side. In Left Open Facing Position,
man's left hand and lady's right are joined.
Picture Figure Any stationary figure that is held or displayed for a
time, such as a Hinge, Same Foot Lunge, Promenade
Sway, Throwaway Oversway, or the like; also High
Line and Attitude Line above. "Extending" a picture
figure has the man releasing the woman to move
gradually farther into the figure, while both perhaps
slowly and smoothly stretch their bodies and extend
the free arms. This "developing of the picture" can
continue for a full measure, two, or even longer at
the end of a dance.
Reverse Fallaway or Counter A step backward in Reverse Semi-closed Position
Fallaway (see immediately below).

The term Reverse Fallaway is also used to designate

Reverse Semi-Closed or Counter
Promenade
a three-step figure in the smooth rhythms that turns
left-face to Semi-closed position. In essence, it is
used as a shorthand for "Reverse Turn to Fallaway
Position."
From Closed Position, the man turns 1/8
right face, and the woman turns 1/8 left
face so that his left hip is in contact with
her right hip. Compare to Semi-Closed
Position (see below), where his right hip
and her left are together. However, do
not shift laterally. The woman should still
be on the man's right side. His right hand
remains on her back, although this hold
will have to be loosened a little. Lead hands remain
joined up and to the side.

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Reverse Varsouvienne This is a Varsouvienne (see below) in

which the man and woman occupy each
other's spot. The partners face the same
direction, the woman behind the man
and to his left. She holds his left hand in
her left slightly in front of her left
shoulder. Her right arm passes behind his
shoulders, and her right hand holds his
right, again to the side and above his shoulder, or if
he is too tall for this to be comfortable, at his waist.
Semi-Closed or Promenade A position lying between Open and
Closed. In Closed Position, if the man
turns his hips to the right and gives a
little more right side stretch, the lady
will look to her right. This is called
opening the lady's head. Her body will
open a little, too. It will turn a bit to the
right. Now, your two bodies form a slight
"V." Your arm positions have not
changed, and the man's right and the lady's left hips
are still in contact. The lady is still a bit to the
man's right, but the man's left and the lady's right
sides are separated slightly, and both are looking
down line of dance. When the man steps forward,
the lady will step forward, too. Note that the man
does not turn to SCP; he truns the lady to SCP, and it
is mostly the man's right side that is in control of the
lady's head.
Shadow Partners facing the same direction, one (usually the
man) to the left and a little behind the other. A
common mistake is to get too far to the side and
maybe almost even with each other—hip-to-hip.
Actually, the woman should be located where she
would be in closed position, on his right hip, but she
is turned around. Hand positions are not specified in
shadow, but often left hands are joined and the
man's right hand is comfortably on her back or at her
waist above her right hip. This position might more
specifically be called Woman’s Shadow. The man is
"shadowing" the woman.

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In Left Shadow, she is in front and to the left.

In Man’s Shadow, he is in front, and she is to the left

and a bit behind. In Man’s Left Shadow or Reverse
Shadow, he is in front and to the left.
Side-by-Side Partners are beside each other and usually facing
the same direction, for instance, an open or left
open position with no hands joined.
Sidecar A closed position with the man’s right
side leading. When the man steps
forward with his left foot, he steps
outside his partner's feet. Note that, as
with the banjo diagram above, this
sidecar diagram is overdone. Their bodies
should not be offset but should be angled
and in closed position.
Skaters Partners facing the same direction, the man to the
left and a little behind the woman, left hands joined
and held in front of her and a little higher than her
shoulder, right hands joined at woman's right hip.
Alternatively, the man may simply extend his right
arm behind her back, and she may place her hand at
her waist or extend it to the side. In Skirt Skaters,
the woman holds her skirt flared out with her right
hand. The man's right hand is on her right hip. A kind
of Shadow.
Skirt Skaters Skater’s position, but the woman holds her skirt
flared out with her right hand. The man's right hand
is on her right hip.
Sombrero Partners facing opposite directions with right hips
adjacent, with right arms in front of partner at waist
level, and with left arms curved up and inward, with
left hands above the head (like a hat). There may be
light contact with the partner's left hand (producing
a single sombrero for both heads?) Left Sombrero has
left hips adjacent and right arms forming the hat.

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Star A facing position but offset, right hip to

right hip, woman a little in front of man,
right hands joined at shoulder level or
above, right elbows may be touching. In a
Left-Hand Star, each would turn 1/2 and
join left hands. The woman would be on
the man's left side and a little in front of him.
Stork Line A stationary position in which the woman stands on
one foot with the free foot raised to the knee, toe
pointing toward the floor.
Tamara A facing position with the woman to the man's right.
Her left hand is behind her back. The man reaches
his right around her right side to take her left hand
at her right hip. His left and her right hand are
joined high, arms curved to frame a window. Look at
your partner through that window. A kind of
Hammerlock.
Tandem One partner directly behind the other, facing in the
same direction.
Varsouvienne The partners face the same direction, the
man behind the lady and to her left. He
holds her left hand in his left slightly in
front and above her shoulder. His right
arm passes behind her shoulders, and his
right hand holds her right, again to the
side and above her shoulder. In Man's
Varsouvienne the man and woman occupy
each other's spot. The partners face the same
direction, the woman behind the man and to his
left. She holds his left hand in her left slightly in
front of her left shoulder. Her right arm passes
behind his shoulders, and her right hand holds his
right, again to the side and above his shoulder, or if
he is too tall for this to be comfortable, at his
waist. In Man's Left Varsouvienne, the man is in
front but to the left. She reaches behind him to join
left-left hands held high. Left Varsouvienne puts the
woman in front but to the man's left. All of these
are kinds of Shadow.

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Wrapped Man stands behind and slightly to the left

of the woman. She crosses her right arm
over her left in front of her body. He
holds her right hand in his left. His right
arm passes behind her, and he holds her
left in his right at her right hip. A kind of
Shadow.

X-Line A Semi-Closed Position in which lead legs are

extended to the side and top lines are held away
from each other in the direction in which the free
leg points. Lead arms might be extended up and
apart. The two bodies form an "X."

 LEARNING ACTIVITY

1. Find a partner and take a photo while in the different

ballroom positions. Copy only the 18 positions with photos in
the table which are commonly used positions in Ballroom.
Send your photos in our Google Classroom.

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