Ballroom dance consists of two main branches:
1. American Style Ballroom Dance
2. International-style ballroom dancing
American ballroom dancing is made up of two subcategories. Those two categories are American Style Smooth and American Style Rhythm. American Style Smooth is made up of waltz, tango, foxtrot and Viennese waltz. American Style Rhythm is made up of Rumba, East Coast Swing, Cha Cha, Bolero and Mambo
International ballroom dance is made up of international standard and international latin. The international standard is Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz and Quickstep. International Style Latin is made up of Rumba, Cha Cha, Samba, Paso Doble and Jive.
A large percentage of the techniques and figures overlap from International Style dance to American Style dance. On a social level, a good follower should be able to follow International Style figures even if they are trained in the American Style, and a good International Style dancer should be able to follow American Style figures even if they are trained in the International Style.
In the competitive world, international style dance is more popular all over the world. What is considered the championship of ballroom and Latin dances, is held in Blackpool England every year and is held in International Style Dancing.
If you’re learning to dance for social reasons, you’ll want to learn other dances that are outside the scope of traditional ballroom dancing. Those dances are salsa, merengue, bachata, and West Coast swing. In the US, those 4 dances have become extremely popular and are essential to learn if you are interested in learning social dancing. Within the American social ballroom world, two of the most commonly performed dances within the traditional ballroom are the Waltz, Tango, Rumba, East Coast Swing, and Cha Cha. If you’re interested in learning to dance, you’ll want to figure out your goals. If your goal is to go out dancing at a local Latin dance club, you will want to learn Salsa, Merengue, Bachata.
Ballroom dancing is so much fun and has become increasingly popular in the US I encourage you to give it a try and see if you like it. It’s a great hobby that can help you stay fit and enjoy life a little more.