Dance Styles
Breaking DanceSport
Breaking (also called b-boying or b-girling) is an urban dance style which originated during the mid-1970s. Breaking has progressed from its roots into an internationally-recognized Sport, with elements of urban dance intertwined with extraordinary athleticism. Breaking Techniques include Toprock, Downrock , Power Moves and Freeze movements.
Hip Hop DanceSport
Hiphop dance is an umbrella term consisting of Hip Hop Dance, Locking, Popping, Breaking, Whacking, Voguing, House Dance, Trendy Dances, Krumping, Stepping Dance, Dancehall and Afro Style. Hiphop dance is often heard to be categorized in three main eras; Oldschool, Midschool and Newschool. At the change into the new millennium, hiphop music was then widely spread to the world and is presently one of the most popular genres in the world. It developed from being an underground subculture to a mainstream popular industry.
Popping DanceSport
Popping was born at the end of the 1970s on the west coast of USA. This DanceSport style is characterized by muscle contraction, sudden tensing and releasing of the muscles (“hitting”) to the rhythm of beats in music. You have to separate some parts of your body in a jerky or flowing style of dancing to create a visual effect. The key movements in Popping dance include Animation, Boogaloo, Robot, Hitting, Isolation, Dime Stop, Sliding, Scarecrow, Strobing, Snaking, Miming, Tutting and Waving. Also with stops, the dancer locks his position to the music. It is a dance with precise and locked moves. The dance Athlete has to bring positive vibes on top of technical difficulties.
Latin DanceSport
The five Latin dances are the Samba, Cha-Cha-Cha, Rumba, Paso Doble and Jive. With their heritage in Latin American (Samba, Cha-Cha-Cha, Rumba), Hispanic (Paso Doble) and American (Jive) cultures, they each have their distinguishing traits but coincide in expressiveness, intensity and energy.
Standard DanceSport
The five Standard dances are the Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Slow Foxtrot and Quickstep. Somewhat more formal than their Latin counterparts – and not just in terms of the athletes’ attire – they are generally danced in a closed position of the partners. The hold a Standard dance commences with is maintained throughout.
Contemporary & Ballet DanceSport
Contemporary DanceSport: The Modern/Contemporary dance discipline stems from a rebellion against the classical technique. The dance is an interpretive routine and can be defined as a free-style dance, and should incorporate balance, control and extensions moves. It uses the entire body, all possible body movements, creating new shapes, bringing new compositions and room for experiment. Experimental or original technique and choreography are encouraged, but the basic technique is and remains essential. The use of gravity should predominate, which is expressed in ‘grounded’ dancing and modern floor work. The modern techniques stem from Limon, Cunningham, Graham, Laban, Duncan among others.
Disco DanceSport
Disco Dance has evolved from the discotheque culture in the 70’s. The Disco Dance signum today is the dynamic between soft and hard movements, explosive, high energy and it’s danced in a high tempo. Foundation movements are the body pump with basics in contraction and release. Disco Dance includes basic steps mixed with technical movements as different kinds of pirouettes, kicks and jumps.
Acrobatic Rock'n'Roll DanceSport
Acrobatic Rock’n’Roll is a mix of fast-moving and dynamic dance and acrobatic elements performed to Rock’n’Roll music. Since the 1950s it has developed into a sport which has little left in common with original Rock’n’Roll. Modern Rock’n’Roll is a sport where high-precision movements are carried out at a great speed and which brings the spirit of a spectacular show to the audience. The WDSF Associate Member, the World Rock’n’Roll Confederation governs Acrobatic Rock’n’Roll at International level.
Para DanceSport
Para DanceSport is an extremely elegant, graceful and stylish sport which involves athletes with a physical impairment that affects the lower limbs. Participants can compete combi style, dancing with an able bodied (standing) partner, or duo dance for two wheelchair users together. Group dance involves wheelchair users only or together with able-bodied partners whereas single dance sees a wheelchair user dance alone. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) governs Para DanceSport.
Salsa, Bachata & Marengue DanceSport
These are Caribbean dance styles. Salsa in particular has its origins in Cuba, has developed all across the Caribbean and Latin America, and it is today one of the most popular dance styles worldwide.