Standard (European program)

At the well-known Blackpool dancing festival in Great Britain dancing couples compete only in 4 dances of the European program. The exceptions made the Viennese Waltz. Nevertheless it was executed by all dancing duets before the beginning of competition.

The Viennese Waltz

The musical size:3/4. Tempo 58-60 bpm

The first Viennese Waltz is dated from XII-XIII cent. and was applied in dances with the name "Nachtanz". The Viennese Waltz has come to us from Bavaria and was called then "German".

Approximately in the beginning of 1830 composers such as Frantz Lanner and Johan Strauss have written a little, well-known nowadays, Waltzes of our epoque, promoting the development of popularity of this dance. These compositions were rather fast, but making the rhythm of the dance comfortable enough, we call them now Viennese Waltz and dance them always with the great pleasure.

Slow Waltz

The musical size:3/4, Tempo:28-30 bpm

The waltz has been brought to the United States in the middle of 1800. The ratings of Viennese Waltz were fast enough and soon composers began writing music which was slower then the usual waltz rhythm. From this music the new style of the Waltz named Boston, with slower turns and longer sliding movements has developed. Approximately in 1874, in England, "the Boston Club", was created a new style of dance, the English one, named further the Slow Waltz. However, only after 1922 this dance becomes as luxurious as Tango. It is very strange, but that dance the couples used to dance the Boston Waltz very differs from the dance is dancing now. Right after the World War I, the Waltz promptly varies. In 1921 it has been decided that the basic movement should be: a step, a step, a prefix. When in 1922 Victor Silvestr won the priority, the English program of waltz consisted only of Right Turn, the left Turn and Direction Change. In 1926/27 Waltz advanced considerably. The basic movement has been changed on: a step, a step aside, and prefix. As a result of it have appeared more possibilities for development of figures. They have been standardised by the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance (ISTD). We dance now much of them.

Tango

The musical size: 2/4, Tempo: 31-33 bpm.

The first time of Tango was executed in Europe before World War I, in tempo 36 steps a minute. \it came from Buenos Aires (Argentina), where it was shown for the first time in "Barria Las Ranas", a ghetto of Buenos Aires. It was then it is known under the name "Baile con corte" (dance with rest). "Dandies" of Buenos Aires changed dance into two ways. At first they changed so called "the Rhythm of the Role" in "the Habanera a Rhythm", and secondly, they named this dance into Tango.

Slow Foxtrot

The musical size: 4/4, Tempo: 50-52 bpm.

Foxtrot, the dance was born in the XX cent. and was named so in honour of the American executor Harry Fox. Originally it was executed in tempo of 48 steps a minute. The problem which has led the Foxtrot into two directions is tempo of music.

To that music was executed in a tempo of 50-52 steps a minute only Quickstep or Fast Foxtrot was danced, to the music was executed in a tempo of 32 steps a minute (more slowly)-Slow Foxtrot. The charming Foxtrot with a plenty of interpretations is simultaneously simple and difficult dance.

Quickstep

The musical size: 4/4 Tempo: 50-52 bpm

The dance appeared during the World War I in a suburb of New-York, it was originally executed by the African dancers. Debuted in the American music-hall and became very popular in dance halls. Foxtrot and Quickstep have the common origin. In XX many orchestras played slow-foxtrot too quickly that caused many complaints among the dancers. Finally, two various dances developed-the slow foxtrot, the tempo has been slowed down till 29-30 steps a minute, and the Quickstep which became the fast version of Foxtrot executed in tempo of 48-52 steps a minute. One of dances that influenced the Quickstep development was the popular Charleston.