Riot and Frolic

Here's some lingo of the dance world and what each term means, or doesn't mean…

American Style– the style of ballroom dancing that evolved from social dancing and is now a recognized style of dancing for competitive and social use (not internationally, though) which is divided into two groups: Rhythm and Smooth; what Len hates on "Dancing With the Stars."

Arm Styling– position and movement of the arms relative to the body, often used to create the character of a dance; otherwise known as: the flailing of limbs.

Dance Frame– the position of partners facing each other; parallel, yet slightly offset, to each other's right, where the man's right hand is around the lady's back while she holds her arm lightly on top of his and they hold hands on the opposite side.

Floor Craft– the ability to move around the floor in a skilled, controlled, and courteous manner; in a general direction of counter-clockwise around the floor in the traveling dances; a learned skill that requires balance between Minnesota Nice and New York City Nasty. 

Follow– the correct interpretation of the movements and signals given by the leader; requires trust, knowledge, and skill; "I'll just follow" is a dangerous phrase unless you know a number of "moves," the timing of the dance, and how to propel yourself.  

International Style– the internationally recognized style of dancing for competitive and social use which is divided into two groups: Latin and Standard.

Latin– a style of dancing consisting of 5 dances: ChaCha, Rumba, Samba, Paso Doble, and Jive; a subset of the International style of dancing; the style where they "don't wear any clothes" according to my grandma-in-law.  

Lead– the communication of an intended action by the man through his own movement and physical or visual connection with his partner.  Often misunderstood as "shoving."  

• My favorite "lead" ever was when I had just begun dancing and went to a popular swing joint.  I was dancing with a gentleman and we were doing some "moves" when he let go of me.  I continued dancing the basic apart from him, but after a second, he makes a face and gestures what I interpret to be a "whoop-tee-doo" signal.  When I don't comply with his crystal-clear instructions, he rolls his eyes and says, "You're supposed to turn."  Ah, yes.  Your letting go of me and seconds later making a whirly-gig with your hand, clearly indicates a spin on my part.  Thank you, sir!

Pattern (amalgamation, step)- a small group of movements; a "move" (the term "move" annoys one of my co-workers, so of course I want to use it all the time); example: an underarm turn in Rumba; when you start out dancing, the thing you want to learn the most, which ends up mattering the least. Fancy patterns might seem like the goal in dancing, but nothing can replace dancing a great basic step with a nice partner.   

Rhythm– a style of dancing consisting of 5 dances: ChaCha, Rumba, Swing, Bolero, and Mambo; a subset of the American style; the social cousin of Latin dancing; the other kind where they "don't wear any clothes." 

Smooth– a style of dancing consisting of 4 dances (the lazy style- only four dances!): Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, and Viennese Waltz; the jazzy cousin of Standard dancing where partners can dance apart from each other; a subset of the American style of dancing.

Standard– a style of dancing consisting of 5 dances: Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Slow Foxtrot, and Viennese Waltz; all "moves" are accomplished while partners are in dance frame with one another; now officially called "Ballroom" just to confuse us; a subset of the International style of dancing; the "intellectual" or "nerd" style.