How to Dance

In this lesson, you’ll meet your instructors. Learn why they say dance opened the whole world up to them and why they describe dance as a way to engage cognitive and physical function in the social realm. Your instructors will introduce you to the four main genres you’ll experience in this course: Latin, swing, ballroom, and country.

Explore the history of Latin dance—from Spanish and Caribbean immigrants to African slaves, Spanish troubadours, and more. Since most of Latin dance evolved in Cuba, you’ll learn the knee movements that lead to the hip action known as Cuban motion. With Cuban motion and closed-change foot action, you’re ready to learn the individual Latin dances.

Rumba comes from the Cuban Spanish word rumbo, meaning “party”—and that’s exactly what the rumba is. It’s a passionate dance that is said to embody important elements of life and love. In this lesson, you’ll learn the American version of the dance by exploring the rumba box, rumba rocks, crossover breaks, and more.

The mambo is a Latin dance from Cuba that became extremely popular in New York in the 1940s and ‘50s. In mambo, the dancers keep their feet directly underneath their body weight, not traveling a great deal. Even so, this quick dance can be full of fun twists and turns. Master the mambo basics along with several partner patterns, including open breaks and double turns.

The cha-cha, born in Cuba from the mambo, was one of the most popular dances in the US in the 1950s. Discover how to dance the cha-cha’s defining triple step—which differentiates it from the rum-ba and mambo—as well as rock steps, switch turns, crossover breaks, and more. And, both the follower and leader can turn in the cha-cha, making it even more fun to dance and to watch!

The salsa—mixing Cuban mambo with New York jazz—has many local variations. Here, you’ll learn how to dance LA salsa, also known as “On 1.” While this is a fast dance without a lot of traveling, arm styling and spins add freedom and creativity. You’ll discover salsa’s circular motion while learning rock steps, spot turns, salsa breaks, twists, and more.