Competitive ballroom dancing, often called DanceSport, brings together a rich variety of styles under one umbrella. Understanding how these styles are grouped helps newcomers appreciate the sport’s depth and helps dancers choose which disciplines to pursue.
Standard (or Modern) Ballroom Dances
The Standard category includes waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, foxtrot, and quickstep. These dances emphasize smooth, flowing movement across the floor, elegant frame, and continuous connection between partners. Standard dancing rewards poise, posture, and precise footwork, often performed in formal attire that highlights the dancers’ lines.
Latin American Dances
The Latin category features cha cha, samba, rumba, paso doble, and jive. Unlike Standard’s continuous travel, Latin dances are typically danced in a slot or a fixed spot on the floor, emphasizing hip action, rhythm, and sharp, dynamic movement. Latin routines are known for their energy, expressiveness, and close connection to Afro-Cuban and Latin American musical traditions.
How Competitions Combine the Styles
Many DanceSport competitions require couples to compete in both Standard and Latin categories, often called “Ten Dance” events when all ten disciplines are included. Others specialize, with dancers focusing solely on Standard or Latin depending on their strengths and preferences.
American Style vs. International Style
In the United States, dancers often encounter two parallel systems: International Style, used in global competitions, and American Style, which allows more open positions and creative variations. American Smooth (based on Standard dances) and American Rhythm (based on Latin dances) are popular categories in US competitions, offering more flexibility for choreography and self-expression.
- International Standard: waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, foxtrot, quickstep
- International Latin: cha cha, samba, rumba, paso doble, jive
- American Smooth: waltz, tango, foxtrot, Viennese waltz
- American Rhythm: cha cha, rumba, swing, bolero, mambo
Why the Variety Matters
This combination of styles is what makes ballroom dancing sports so compelling to watch and to learn. Dancers must master contrasting skills: the elegant control of Standard and the fiery expressiveness of Latin. Training in multiple styles also builds a more well-rounded dancer, improving overall musicality, timing, and body awareness.
Getting Started
If you’re curious about trying these styles yourself, most studios offer introductory classes covering both Standard and Latin basics before students specialize. You can browse ballroom dance classes by city to find instructors who teach the specific style that interests you most.
Whether you’re drawn to the graceful sweep of a waltz or the fiery footwork of a cha cha, ballroom dancing sports offer a style for every personality and every level of competitive ambition.