What is latin social dancing?

Learn more about ballroom and latin dance from the ballroom dance professionals of Nocatee, Ponte Vedra, Jacksonville, and St. Augustine areas

August 4, 2022
What is Latin Social Dancing?
Latin dancing is a popular style of that includes many different ballroom dances, like Salsa, Bachata, Cha-Cha and many more. The reason why these dances are placed in one category is their common origin. Many of them were developed in Latin American countries and in the Caribbean region. That's also why these dances share similar techniques, such as smooth hip motion.
The most widely used Social Latin Dances include:

Salsa

Salsa dance developed from merging of various Cuban dances and was heavily influenced by Afro-Cuban culture. This is a fast and dynamic dance with a lot of different turns and elaborate footwork. In the United States, salsa first became popular in the 1960s and was constantly transforming. As a result, now there are multiple styles of salsa throughout Latin America and the United States. Salsa became a popular dance at social parties, ballroom studios, and night clubs.
Bachata

Bachata is another popular Latin dance that originated in the Dominican Republic. Bachata is known to be a very sensual and passionate dance. Bachata is based on four-count rhythm and a lot of hip motion, known as Cuban motion. Body movement and footwork combinations are more prominent in this dance than in Salsa. During the years of history, Bachata changed and transformed depending on a region, which led to multiple dance styles to appear.
Merengue

Merengue is another Latin dance that was born in the Dominican Republic. In fact, Merengue is considered a national dance of this country. It is a fast-paced couple dance with lots of slower turns and active hip movement. The major emphasis falls on hips; the upper body usually stays stable. Merengue is a great latin dance for beginners due to simple count and footwork.
With the S Style Dance Team learn all the Social Latin Dances and more. With us you can learn the basics of any Latin dance and join our social parties to practice, dance, meet new people, and have fun!



Contributor: Alena Chizhova