Ballroom Dances We Teach
Ballroom dancing is a healthy form of exercise that energizes the mind, body, spirit and soul. It brings together laughter, fitness, fun and inspirational tunes. This balance is what makes dancing such a valuable emotional experience to dancers all across the world. It's one of the reasons we at Anastassia Ballroom love to dance and teach so many courses. We instruct over 20+ ballroom dance styles online or at our dance studio in Leesburg, Florida. Here's more information about each dance style we teach: ballet, ballet vaganova, barre, bolero, cha cha, flamenco, foxtrot, hustle, line dancing, mambo, merengue, paso doble, quickstep, rumba, salsa, samba, east coast swing, west coast swing, Argentine tango, tango, waltz, and Viennese waltz. Start your dance journey at our studio or book your first online ballroom dance lesson virtually from anywhere. Share your story with your feet!
We teach ballet lessons and the more advanced ballet vaganova method to children, teens and adults. Our ballet lessons fuse classical dance elements with entire body movement to improve technical form and foundational techniques. Learn about our ballet vaganova teaching
Flamenco is a revolutionary fusion of dance, art, exercise and folklore. The dance phenomena has drawn influences from various cultures. Experience the fun explosion of music expressed in the emotion and artistry of this dance form.
Learn more about Flamenco!
The Merengue was introduced to the US in 1941. It was originally thought to be too provocative; it features lots of hip action in a closed-hold position. The dance tempo has an upbeat, evocative Latin beat. The rhythms of the Merengue are very thrilling, a type of exaggerated style seen in many Latin American ballroom dances.
Samba, also known as the South American Waltz, is an icon of Brazil. It's popularly recognized as Brazil's national dance since its inception the 1930s. It has a type of spontaneous rhythmic quality that's also popular in African cultures. Very adaptable dance with split beat tempo. Not in Brazil? We can help you learn a fun samba routine in Florida!
The Paso Doble or 'double step' in Spanish is a type of militant march often depicting the sound, movement and rhythm of a bull fight. It's lively music accompanies the dramatic dance poses of the matador leading the scene in forward motion to captivate and defeat his prey, the bull.
Learn to Barre every Saturday at 11am. You’ll experience fitness workouts in a social dance atmosphere. Some of our barre fitness benefits include better focus and concentration, improved posture, cellulite reduction, and weightloss. Read more about our Barre Fitness group class!
The Foxtrot is foundational to ballroom dancing and considered a standard in the social dance scene. According to Britannica, it was named after the vaudeville comedian Harry Fox around 1913. What is trot? It's a basic two-step with essentially, a slow slow, quick, quick rhythm. It's primarily composed of walking steps, quarter turns and rocking steps (chassés). Even after more than a century since it's inception, the classic foxtrot is a very romantic style selection for the first wedding dance.
The pace of the quickstep is one of the fastest to master. Developed during New York's 1920s scene, it's active, lively and full of energy. It involves syncopated steps in a brisk fashion. Fun to learn though difficult to master.
The ideal quickstep dancers seem to appear is if flying in mid-air; their feet scarcely touch the dance floor.
The ideal quickstep dancers seem to appear is if flying in mid-air; their feet scarcely touch the dance floor.
Filled with personality and cheer, swing dancing has a most infectious motion. The 6 count basic step has a jazzy rhythm. There's a high degree of athleticism to perform so many aerial and breakdown variations.
The West Coast Swing has roots in the Lindy Hop. Characterized by syncopated steps and various musical styles, this partner dance is a lot of fun and encourages improvisation. Dance to funk, rock n' roll or disco music!
The West Coast Swing became the official dance of California in the late '80s.
The West Coast Swing became the official dance of California in the late '80s.
Imported from Spain, the Bolero has a moderately slow tempo with sensuous rhythm. It is sometimes called the rumba bolero because it is typically danced to the slowest rumba beat. It can be performed by couples or danced solo. Attend our upcoming Leesburg parties and boast your dancing prowess of the bolero.
Do the Hustle! Dunh- Dun...You've mostly likely heard that iconic disco dance song popularized by Van McCoy in the early 1970s. You may have later watched John Travolta's disco hustle performance in Saturday Night Fever. Either way, discotheques were all the rage back then and the Hustle was a staple in the US clubs. The dance fused the uplifting qualities of Swing and Disco with some pop/rock musicality. Much free-style interpretation has taken root since those 1960s/1970s origins. Today there are lots of variations to the Hustle (Latin Hustle, Discofox and single side-by-side line dances and partner versions among others). We also teach the hustle line dance at our studio.
The Rumba is a very sensual couple dance with not as much traveling around the dance floor as other styles, like the quickstep. It consists of open hold motions, muscular discipline, and rhythmic interpretations. Much concentration is placed on timing. Some rumba figures include Cuban walks, back spot turns, box step, chase, contra check, among others.
For a romantic dance choice, don't count out the Rumba for your wedding dance option!
For a romantic dance choice, don't count out the Rumba for your wedding dance option!
The Argentine Tango is defined by the close embrace of the dance partners. It's also much more varied in musical styling and more improvisational in footwork than the traditional ballroom tango.
The Tango is a passionate encounter between two individuals that is emotionally expressed throughout the dance. Italian actor Rudolph Valentino popularized the Latin import during the 1910s. It's often dubbed "the Dancer's Dance" with all its drama and gender roles between the dance couple. You'll learn how to lead and follow in the tango.
The Cha Cha originated in Cuba in the 1950s. According to the Encyclopedia of Latino Popular Culture (2004, 124), its name was derived from the sound of the shuffling movement - "cha cha cha" - of the dancers' feet along the dance floor. The popular Latin dance is relaxing, personal, fun and easy to learn. Some basic figures include the cha cha cha, and cross over to the one-two and one-two-three rhythms.
The 1940s big band sound of the Mambo features full Afro-Cuban beats along with American Jazz. There's a kind of primitive feeling associated with the Mambo that bursts onto the dance floor. Some basic steps of this Rhythmic dance include swivels, underarm turns, cross body leads and peek-a-boo lunges. has a s The Latin dancing of the Mambo is just as exhilarating to dance as it is to listen and watch.
To quote the musician Tito Puente, "Salsa is what you eat; mambo is what you dance." [Musica! The Rhythm of Latin America ,1999 (8)] Salsa is often dubbed the 'street' version of the Mambo by dancers; the steps are similar. The Mambo has a more sharpened and linear form while the salsa dance is more lived, and tends to be more sensual - more natural for students.
Join the salsa dance craze!
Join the salsa dance craze!
The Waltz gives dancers the nicest kind of experience to practice balance and to move lightly with ease. Considered the mother of our present ballroom dances, the Waltz began in southern Germany in the 17th century. The popularity of the Waltz grew with the music of Johann Strauss. It eventually blossomed in the 20th century as the Hesitation Waltz, which is the basis for many ballroom dances and is still popular today all over the world.
The Viennese Waltz is typically danced faster than the slow English style version. A true Viennese waltz consists of constant turns in rotary fashion. Competitive styles feature closed holds, natural and reverse turns, and pattern change steps. Ask Anastassia to demonstrate the reverse fleckerl, a rotation.
