Latin and Ballroom Dance Classes in Bristol

Ballroom and Latin dancing is the form of dancing that has dominated in the UK and Europe since the middle of the 20th century. There was a time when people had to make their own fun, rather than having a choice of broadcast and online entertainment.

 

Ballroom and Latin styles were danced in halls around the country. It was where young adults went to find their sweethearts. Everyone could do a little bit of waltz and cha cha, it was a basic social skill.

 

Times have changed and learning ballroom dancing may not be as common it is still very current and popular. Come Dancing ran on the BBC for nearly fifty years and was replaced by one of the Beep’s most successful shows ever, Strictly Come Dancing.

New Beginners
We teach Latin and Ballroom classes from absolute beginners through to experienced dancers at four venues in central Bristol. If you haven’t danced before and you’d like to give it a try, the beginners classes are for you. It’s best to start in the first week as the dance lessons build on each other, week by week, but if you can’t make it not to worry come along the following week.
Dancers With Previous Experience
If you have experience and want to join a more advanced dance class, please use the contact information at the bottom of the page to tell us your experience level and we will be able to direct you towards a class to suit you.

Slow Waltz (Ballroom)

The (“slow” or “modern”) Waltz is the ideal starting ballroom dance with a simple timing and a slow rhythm. The Waltz is characterised by graceful turns, a gentle sway and a rise and fall during the steps.

We teach the waltz basic step during the first few weeks of the beginner class.  Nothing as fancy as you see in the video here but we all have to start somewhere.

Cha Cha Cha (Latin)

The Cha-Cha-Cha is a great introduction to Latin beats. It’s catchy and energetic rhythm make it a firm favourite for many dancers and can be danced to many popular songs.

You will get to try this dance as we start our beginners class with the cha cha cha. It is easy to get started with this and you will quickly see why people love dancing.

Rythm Foxtrot

This dance introduces students to different step timings with slow, slow, quick, quick, step patterns. This dance comes in handy at social occasions and on crowded dance floors.

There are two sorts of dance called foxtrot.  They share many characteristics (including the music) but the “Slow foxtrot” requires more experience so we start teaching that after a few terms and stick to the simpler “Rhythm Foxtrot” for our beginners.

Rumba (Latin)

This is the slow Latin dance and uses many of the same patterns as the Cha-Cha-Cha, so you can get going with this dance quite quickly.

Don’t worry Craig wont be watching you.  Lots of people like the rumba because it is slow and gives them more time to remember the steps!

Samba (Latin)

This dance has a real carnival feel to it and should have lots of hip action. Unlike the other Latin dances which stay mainly on one spot, this dance progresses around the room

This video is actually showing some advanced steps.  We’ll start you on the basics which are easier and we keep the mix of rhythms simpler than they do on Strictly.

Quickstep (Ballroom)

This dance combines elements learned in the earlier dances and adds speed. This is one of the more energetic of the ballroom dances and definitely true to its name.

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Jive (Latin)

An evolution and combination of the swing dances of the 20’s through to the rock’n’roll of the 1950s. This is one of the fastest Latin dances with lots of energy, bounce and turns.

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Tango (Ballroom)

The Tango is an instantly recognisable dance because of the music and by the characteristic stalking and staccato movements which makes it alot of fun to dance. Think drama and passion and you’re well on your way!

Tango is a slightly more advanced dance so we don’t teach it until dancers have done a few terms with us.  They will then have many of the necessary skills to do this dance.

Viennese Waltz (Ballroom)

This is closer to the original Waltz and is roughly twice the speed of the slow Waltz that students start with. It is very fast and constantly rotating and requires certain aspects of dancing to have become automatic as there is no time to think. Dancing the Viennese Waltz is exhilarating and lots of fun.

Because of the speed of this dance we wait until students have enough experience before starting to teach it.