Salsa is a partner dance style conceived in the Caribbean and developed within immigrant communities in America. It is a widely popular dance style for couples around the world. The basic step of all salsa styles incorporate three weight changes from foot to foot in each four beat measure. The beat without a weight change can include a tap, kick or pause. The basic step can be modified to include improvisation and styling. When a salsa dancer changes weight, the upper body remains level while the hips move.
The Zouk is a variation of the Lambada that emphasizes partner connection and interaction. In contrast to salsa, Zouk is led by parts of the body rather than the hands. The hips of both partners interlock and move before the rest of the body, depicting the sensual nature that characterizes the dance. In certain moves, the partners are connected by eye contact, legs, arms, shoulders and head. In Lambada, the partners dance together in a two-beat rhythm. Another sensual dance style is Bachata, which originated in the Dominican Republic. Bachata consists of three steps to either side with an exaggerated hip lift at the end of the half bar of music, followed by the same pattern in the opposite direction. The close contact of the hips in the dance establishes an intimate connection. The swinging hips in Bachata are called "Cuban Motion."
Conceived in the late 1800s through the early 1900s in Buenos Aires, Argentine Tango is a sensuous, passionate social dance that focuses on the the lead-follow connection between two partners and the personal connection between them. In the early years, Argentine Tango was only danced in the poor outskirts of Buenos Aires, and developed a social stigma that deemed it the dance of the "red light" district bordellos. Unlike many ballroom dances, the dance is not typically choreographed and relies heavily on improvisation. The leader leads the follower into tango patterns in a spontaneous fashion.
Also known as the Jitterbug, Lindy Hop is a partner swing dance style that reflects late 20s Hot Jazz music to early 40s Big Bands tunes, and evolved from the Charleston and Black Bottom dances. It is an incredibly joyful dance style with African and European dance influences. Some distinguishing characteristics include under-the-arm turns, twirling, kicking and a hunched-over body posture with the rear sticking out. Lindy Hop may include aerial acrobatics known as airsteps, which are often executed at very fast musical tempos and are typically used for professional performance purposes. Airsteps look stunning in performance, and films such as "Hellzapoppin" and "Day at the Races" feature these aerial moves.