Latin Dance Rundown

Latin Dance Run down

Chachacha

Cha Cha is a fast cheeky rhythmic ballroom dance of Latin American origin with a basic pattern of three steps and a shuffle. This dance originated in Cuba in the early 1950s.

Samba

Samba is a fun, upbeat, lively dance that progresses counter-clockwise around the floor. It is characterized by its syncopated timing, bounce, rolling hip action and pelvic tilt and a great deal of rhythm is expressed throughout the torso. Samba originates from Brazil and is known as a celebratory dance!

Rumba

Rumba is universally recognized as the dance of love. It is danced to slow, sensual music with a Latin beat and features a hip action known as “Cuban Motion”. Rumba is derived from the Afro-Caribbean dance “Son” and has been popular in this country as a ballroom dance since the 1930's.

Pasodoble

Pasodoble is a style of ballroom dancing included in DanceSport categories of competition that began in the 16th century in the country of France. This dance became popular in Spain because it became based on the sound, drama, and movement of the Spanish and Portuguese bullfight. This dance is intense and packed with character!

Jive

Jive is a very happy, hoppy, energetic dance, with plenty of knee-lifting, bending, and rocking of the hips. The fastest of the 5 Latin dances, jive incorporates lots of kicks and flicks, even twirling of the woman, and doesn't move around the dance floor like other dances. Jive also consists of jazzy and swing like movements and actions!

Social dancing vs. Competitive dancing

What is the difference between social and competitive dancing? Our studio has both social and competitive dancing, it really depends on the persons goals and what they particularly want in their dancing! 

Social dancing is a popular category which is great if you are just starting and dipping your toes in the water of dancing. Social dancing is more relaxed, danced in a easier atmosphere, more easy going, and primarily focuses on socializing. Plenty of times in social groups or parties it in popular to switch partners and lead and follow. It’s a great way to mingle and get to know people around that love to dance! 

Competitive dancing is when you want to take your dancing to another level and begin competing on the dance sport circuit. Most competitions are divided in levels and categories which you would compete either with a professional instructor or a dance partner. You will perform your choreographed routines to dance music, get judged, and receive placements. Typically as you go up in levels the steps and patterns get more challenging! Competitive dancing is a great way to get involved in a whole other level! 

Here at imperial Ballroom offer both styles and typically we suggest all beginners to start social and see how they feel! Once you catch that dancing bug you can decide whether or not you want to stick to social, or go competitive!

Let us know if you are interested in trying our classes out! 

What to Wear When Dancing?

What to wear when you go dancing? This question has two answers! Depending on what you are dancing for you can either dress comfortably like a workout outfit, or get dressed up like you are about to go to a nice dinner! Again, comfort is key! Regardless of what you are wearing it should feel comfortable to move around in! 

If you are dancing for a great workout we suggest ladies to wear leggings and a tank top or t-shirt. For gents some black slim dress pants or sweat pants work, as long as you don’t feel restricted in the legs! A t-shirt or a button down polo/shirt also works great!

If you are dancing for fun or as a date night you can dress up nicely with a dress or a top and skirt for the ladies, and for the gents a nice button down and dress pants is preferred! You don’t want to have to fidget around and experience uncomforted times during your lesson so make sure the fabric and feel of your outfit makes you confident and happy. 

Regarding shoes, before purchasing real ballroom dance shoes a few suggestions we make is to wear…

For ladies: flats, low heel, light sneaker, booties, strapped wedges, or heels.

For Gents: loafers, light sneaker, or dress shoes.

With the group and private lessons we offer, we always want to make sure everyone we have a friendly and comfortable atmosphere! Regardless of what you wear, our goal at Imperial Ballroom is to make sure you have the best time learning how to dance! 

Spring Trophy Ball 2022

2022 Spring Trophy Ball

Trophy Ball is such a special time for the children of Imperial Ballroom as they work hard and prepare for competitions!! Trophy Ball is held in the Spring and Fall which gives the kids time to work hard, improve, and learn new steps and routines. This is a great time for the kids to also demonstrate achievements and progress to the supportive parents and families. Our event ran on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, kids were all dressed up, hair done, and ready to perform! 

Every Trophy Ball we invite judges to give the kids scores so the kids and families know where their child is at and what we need to improve! The kids demonstrate solo basics, am-am partnering, and pro-am partnering with routines! 

All parents and families are welcome to join and we encourage everyone to cheer and support the kids! 

To conclude our Trophy Ball the kids who participated received a trophy, a medal, and placement stickers. They also got announced with their scores which showed them how they placed throughout the day! 

It was incredible to see all of the progress of our Imperial Ballroom Beginner, intermediate, and advanced kids! 

Congrats to all!

Until next time! 

Why is Dancing Good for Your Brain?

Not only is dancing a wonderful exercise for the body but also is great for the mind. 

Multiple studies have shown and proven that dancing regularly helps improve your brain and boosts memory. 

With dancing, there are patterns of steps, sequences, choreographies, and movement to music which is quite the bit to juggle. Having the ability to do or learn this helps your brain so much and reduces the risk of dementia. Being able to dance means there is lots of coordination going on in your body. Between what your feet, knees, arms, center, and face is doing, it doesn’t stop there! There is also music that adds on to the list of things to coordinate to your body. Dancing consists of memorizing steps and routines which activates and mentally stimulates your brain. 

Now, not only do you want to dance for fun or for exercise, but now there’s an additional benefit to dancing that you will feel long lasting differences in. Sign up for our introductory package which will include a sampler of basic elements to most dances. This will help you gage where you want to focus on in your dancing and grow as a dancer at Imperial Ballroom Dance Company! 

Father/Daughter & Mother/Son Dance

An unforgettable Father/Daughter and Mother/Son dance is a beautiful addition to your First Dance that will have the guests sharing tears and memories. Not only is this an emotional moment you will share but everyone will feel all the love that will be accompanying the dance. Having your parents or family members in your wedding dance is a great way to make the night even more special, full of love, and happiness! Here at Imperial Ballroom Dance Studio we are ready to create a wonderful, custom, shared moment for this exceptional moment and day. We’ll help develop your confidence and skills in your dancing leaving you feeling your absolute best!! Sign up today!

The Difference Between Rhythm and Latin

As rhythm and Latin both look like similar dance styles, they do have some major differences. One difference in the rhythm style is that in the action you step onto a bent leg where in Latin it is commonly danced on a straight leg when weight is shifted. Long story short, in rhythm you focus and highlight the knee action and in Latin you highlight and focus on the foot action. 

There is also a slight change of dances in each style. Rhythm dance style has Chacha, Rumba, East Coast Swing, Bolero, and Mambo. Latin dance style has Chacha, Samba, Rumba, Pasodoble, and Jive.  

The Difference Between Smooth and Ballroom

Smooth and ballroom are both such captivating styles as the dancers glide across the floor with power and ease. There are major differences in these styles which we will get into! 

One major difference in the styles is that in the smooth style, the frame is less restricted. There are pieces in closed and open holds which gives it a variety and is much breathier between the couple. There is still a traditional hold but commonly it is mixed to show a balance of hold, side by side, and open holds. In Ballroom hold you have to stay in a closed hold, keeping body contact with your partner at all times. 

Another main difference is that in smooth there is Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, and Viennese Waltz. In the ballroom style there is Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, and Quickstep. There are a few more technical differences! Come to Imperial Ballroom and sign up for lessons to find out more about these dances and the different styles!!! 

Most Popular Ballroom Dances

Although it is hard to choose favorites, there will always be the dances that are go-to’s, crowd favorites, and most popular dances. The most famous ballroom dances are Waltz, Swing, Salsa, Chacha, and Foxtrot! These dances are classics for when you are out and hear a tune! Chacha, Salsa, Swing for a more upbeat song and Waltz and Foxtrot are great for a classic slower paced song. Whether you are at a social, a wedding, or any party these are the dances to know! You will impress all of your friends around as you know and dance all of these movements!

At Imperial Ballroom we offer an introductory package which includes two private lessons and 10 group classes which is great as you will learn the basics of most dances. Imagine an appetizer sampler at a restaurant. After you complete two lessons you choose your favorites and proceed to learn more steps in your favorites!!!
Sign up today.

Children Evaluation Day!

Every 6 month we organize event for our Kids to evaluate their dancing. To showcase of progress they have made for last half year, demonstrate to parents of achievement the kids did.

The Event runs 2-3 hours long

Children getting ready with their dances

We invite outside judge to evaluate dancing

All parents and their family welcome to come

here are some pictures from our 1st Children Evaluation Day!

and the most important is to have fun!

The next Children Evaluation Day is: June 19, 2022

#childrenevaluationday

Social Cha Cha

Social cha cha

Social Chacha is a fun way to let loose and dance to a quicker beat. The cha cha dance originated in Cuba. This dance was introduced to the United States in 1954 and became a very popular dance in the social dance space. Although cha cha is one of the quicker dances, most of the basic elements are quite similar which makes execution simpler! Typically in this dance you take smaller steps and the movements mostly come from the hip region. Once you get used to the rhythm of cha cha and nail that pattern of steps, you have fun and enjoy the music! Learn your first steps in cha cha at Imperial Ballroom as we offer weekly social group classes and private lessons. This is a fun dance that will leave you with lasting memories and a great time!

SuperFoods for the Body

Dance - is “FOOD FOR THE BODY”

Welcome to Imperial Ballroom Dance Company. Learn your first steps of ballroom dancing as you walk into our beautiful studio. You will experience a wonderful ride of exquisite dances that have many origins, a plethora of styles, and a truly spectacular group of instructors that will pave the way for your dancing needs. You will walk back to your car feeling refreshed, educated, and amazed at what you are capable of! Our team of instructors main job is for you to enjoy every moment spent in the studio and to help you achieve your goals. Whether you are here to explore styles, learn your first dance for a wedding, have a fun activity, or have a good workout in, we are here to support you!

Explore our bundles and membership program to see what fits right for you, and we are looking forward to seeing you on the dance floor!

Imperial Ballroom Dance Studio

Ballroom and Latin Dance Studio

Services we provide:

• Social Dance Classes ( Group Classes ) Mon. Wed. Fri. at 7:15pm

• Children Dance Classes ( Group Classes ) Mon. Wed. Fri. at 4:45 pm

• Private Dance Lessons ( one on one, single or couple ) by appointment

• Wedding Dance Lessons ( package of 5-10 lessons ) by appointment

• Am - Am dancing ( social or competitive )

• Pro - Am dancing ( Professional dancing with Amateur )

• Pro - Am Dance Competition .

• Coaching with World Knowing Teachers

• Studio Social Dance Party ( 6 times a year )

• Studio Semi-Annual Show Case ( 1 time a year )

• Kids Evaluation ( 2 times a year )

• Adult Evaluation ( 2 times a year )

• Grand “Masquerade Ball Gala” December

• Dance Competitions all over the country and overseas

• Ballroom Dance Studio Rental

• Dance Routines ( Bronze Silver Gold Amateur and Professional )

• Technical analysis of your dancing

• Dance Shoes

• Dance Dresses ( Handmade Dress )

• Dance Wear

• Preparation for became a teacher

• Preparation to take Judging Exam

• Organize Party for any occasion

Please do not hesitate to contact us about any inquiry,

Yours Imperial Ballroom Dance Dream Team

Happy New Year

2021 Year was challenging, by looking in the past, pandemic have change our everyday living as we never have thought it could. So many lost their loved once, others, have no point of return. Never the less we have to recover and start moving forward...

I would like to say Big Thank You to all our Dancers in 2021, We really appreciate your time and dedication.

Welcome 2022
Imperial Ballroom Dance Team want to tell you A Happy New Year And we are looking forward what's 2022 can bring us!

*Shortly we will be be announcing our Schedule for 2022

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Dance Lessons with Irina Suvorov

Irina Suvorov will be teaching at Imperial Ballroom

Dance Studio on September 15, 2021. If you want to

schedule Private Dance Class please contact us

480-201-5726 or email us

services@imperialballroomdance.com

Igor and Irina Suvorov are World Elite Masters of

Ballroom Dancing, with more than 40+ years of

experience as a dancers and coaches! Their

knowledge are exceeds expectations.

They also organizers of one of the biggest dance

competitions in United States “ Desert Classic Dance

Sport Championship “

Please book in advance, Limited time available!

Read more…

Ballroom Beach Bash

Ballroom Beach Bash Dance Competition

Due to this difficult time (COVID-19) a lot of competitions was canceled. Finally … It was great pleasure to hear that Ballroom Beach Bash is running this year.

Ok lets go, it was the most difficult competition i ever pack for…    When i receive contract, i started to read all requirements and notice something about dress code?!?!?!    It says All day sessions is resort casual and please no ties. We will still respect you! Friday Night was half Beach wear and half Formal :) and only Saturday Evening was Formal. As you can imagine, Professional Ballroom Dancer is always on the road non-stop, our closet are full of formal, teaching, practicing and competitive wear,  vacations is ones a year or less. There for Beach Wear ???????? Where ????? After looking in my closet i realized that finding what to wear will be so difficult :)

I would love to say Big Thank you for inviting me to judge Ballroom Beach Bash 2021!

Organizers of Beach Bash is Tony Redpath, Michael Mead and Jonathan Roberts.

Hotel : Hilton Hotel Costa Mesa/Orange County   •   Costa Mesa, CA

Normally Ballroom Beach Bash is in San Diego, California but this year it was moved due to Covid 19 restrictions.

Dance Judges

Hotel it self were nice and had bunch of restaurants out side surrounding arias. Inside for breakfast main restaurant was open and Starbucks coffee shop. Lunch and dinner, Lobby dinning only with limited space available. Menu was not so great, but we all understood due to restrictions. 

How Fun Competitions is

Ballroom was wow! From Decorations to the Staff Dressed! It really felt like you somewhere on the vacation. Atmosphere was fabulous! The dancers was dress appropriate to the competition attire and the rest of audience, judges, staff and even organizers were dress in Resort like clothing. The feeling was so relaxed and casual. Making so welcoming for everybody. Jonathan told me once, we want to make competition less official to attract every level of Dancers! And so they’ve done it !

So much Dancers, from beginners to advance love to come to Ballroom Beach Bash because it's fun and entertaining. 

Its not a regular competition you have attended, its fun entertaining and have so many dancers from beginners to advance to give you that competitive edge!

I would highly recommended to every dancer to go there at least once, to see it for yourself. Especially if you just started to dance and have never competed (must be one of the first ones) 

Friday Night Dress Code

Saturday night Open Professional Dancers took the stage. It have bean so long with out competitions that the atmosphere was sky rocketing by audience! So many people just come to watch. Screams, claps and calling numbers of favorite couples filled the ballroom! 

Amazing job Organizers !!! 

Competition: 5+ Stars 

Organization: 5 Stars 

Dinning: 3 Stars (due to restrictions) 

Hotel: 4 Stars 

The Story of Ballroom Dance Beginners, Must Read!

After a year of sitting at home, redecorating the house, You-Tubing how to bake bread, and helping the kiddos with online school; we knew it was time to get out and enjoy ourselves. But what could we do? We knew that we wanted something physical to shed some “Covid weight”. But we also wanted to have fun. And be safe. After hours on Google looking up “things to do in Scottsdale”, it seemed hopeless and looked like more time sitting at home with Netflix. That was until we found Imperial Ballroom. Neither of us had ever danced before and the idea of dancing was a little scary. But it was also exciting. We have been fans of Dancing With The Stars for years and always joked that we could do better than some of the celebrities that we saw each week. It was time to put our money where our mouth was. We were happy that scheduling was easy and worked around our schedules; so we decided to make it our weekly “date night”. Dinner and dancing. I was sold.

Our first lesson was great! After a shaky start, we started to understand how to move together and just laugh at our mistakes. Our instructor is super helpful and makes the learning process comfortable. Even though we don’t have any immediate plans to go out dancing or “show off” to anyone, we love that it is something we can do together and always leave with tired arms and a little sweat. We started with only two private lessons and then bought the package of ten lessons to continue learning. Now that the kids are back in school, we are dancing two nights a week; it makes a big difference to dance more often and we always look forward to it! If you are like us, and looking for something to do in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, I highly recommend taking lessons at Imperial Ballroom. I have two left feet and so does my husband, but we are doing much better and feel great about our progress. We hope to teach what we are learning to our children soon. I wish we had started dancing together years ago.

Diana McDonald in Scottsdale

Diana McDonald

NDCA/WDC Adjudicator

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

10-time undefeated United States 10-Dance Champion

• 2-time U.S. South American Showdance Champion

• U.S. Classic Showdance Champion (2002)

• United States Professional Latin Champion (1997)

• World 10-Dance Champion (1997)

• 9-time United States Professional Latin Finalist (1991-1999)

• 3-time United States Standard Finalist (1995, 1998, 2000)

• British Open Rising Stars Latin Runner-Up (1994)

• United States Open Rising Star Latin Champion (1992)

• United States National Rising Star Standard Champion (1992)

• Hosted and performed at dance competitions televised on NBC, ESPN, A&E and PBS

Ballroom Dance Competition Music BPM (beats per minute)

American Smooth:

Slow Waltz ………………………….. 28-30 BPM

Tango ………………………………….. 30 BPM

Slow Foxtrot ………………………… 30-34 BPM

V. Waltz ………………………………… 53-54 BPM

American Rhythm:

Cha-Cha ………………………………. 30 BPM

Rumba …………………………………. 30-36 BPM

East Cost Swing …………………... 34-36 BPM

Bolero …………………………………… 24-26 BPM

Mambo …………………………………. 47-51 BPM

International Ballroom:

Slow Waltz …………………………….. 28-30 BPM

Tango ……………………………………. 32 BPM

V. Waltz …………………………………. 56-58 BPM

Slow Foxtrot ………………………….. 28-30 BPM

Quickstep ……………………………… 48-52 BPM

International Latin:

Cha-Cha ………………………………… 31 BPM

Samba …………………………………… 48-52 BPM

Rumba …………………………………... 25-27 BPM

Paso Doble ……………………………. 60-62 BPM

Jive ……………………………………….. 38-44 BPM

Quickstep Dance Studio in Utah

Quickstep Ballroom Dance Studio

I would like to say big thank you to ANNIE TOPHAM for inviting me to teach.

Quickstep Dance Studio located at 9524 South 500 West, Sandy, UT 84070, USA, about 20 min. south from Salt Lake City. The Studio it self not as big but have a unique touch of the ownership personality. One Ballroom, high celling, mirrors and very nice music speakers.

When i arrive Annie met with a big smile on her face even it was covered with a mask :) As i say i can’t wait when this pandemic will end for all of us so we can see each other smiling faces. Through out the day i have met so many talented kids, full of energy. Max, Lauren, Brayden, Nessa, Traven and Ella Thank you for hard work you have done on the lessons! At evening i was teaching a group class, the energy of this guys is amazing. So if you haven’t started to dance yet or looking for place to go to dance i would recommend Quickstep Dance Studio in Utah. They offer: ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSES, TECHNIQUE CLASSES, PERFORMANCE AND COMPETITION TEAMS, Workshops, Events and much more…

Website link: Quickstep Dance Studio

Email: info@quickstepstudio.com

Phone: (801) 427-6277

Thank you,

Artem Plakhotnyi