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Acceleration**Accelerated Spins**Accent**Accented Beat**Accented Movements**Across
Across the Foot Position**Action**Activate**Active**Adage**Adjudicator**Ad Lib**Advanced
Booking Aesthetic Effect**Affectation**Aggression**Airy**Agility**Alemana Turn**Alias**Alignment
Amalgamation**Algamations(Clusters)**Allure & Dance**Amateur**American Style**Amount of Turn
Anchor Triple Step**And**Animation**Anti-clockwise**Anticipating**Apart**Aplomb**Appel
Arabesque**Arc turn**Arch**Argentine Tango**Arguing**Arm Positions/Movements (Freestyle)
Arm Styling Associate**Associations(Organisations)**Attitude**Attire**Audience Appeal **Austere Lines**Axis

ACCELERATED SPINS: Progressive spins that gradually increase in speed.

ACCENT: The emphasis placed on a regular or irregular beat of music. It is also the powerful notes in the fluctuation of the melody of the music.

ACCENTED BEAT is the stress or emphasis placed on specific beats in the music, as the 'one' is accented in Waltz - ONE, two, three; ONE, two, three, and Quickstep - ONE, two, THREE, four.

ACCENTED MOVEMENTS: Movements that are used to emphasise a particular piece of music as in phrasing.

ACROSS: Movement across the Line of Dance or movement of one leg being placed in front or behind the other.

ACROSS THE FOOT POSITION is where one foot is placed on or over the path of the other.

ACTION: A movement or type of movement, i.e. Lowering Action, Hip Action, Pivoting Action, Leg Action, etc.

ACTIVATE: To set in motion, i.e. to activate the moving leg, a spin or turn, etc.

ACTIVE is a student who has attended one lesson or more in the week (see non-active).

ADAGE (French 'at ease'), ADAGIO (Italian): The first part of an extended pas de deux, in the conventional style established by Petipa, with the ballerina dancing with (and supported by) her partner. Sometimes the adage is preceded by the entrée. The term is also used for the slow exercises at the beginning of the centre-work of a class, after the barre-work is finished (see theatre arts and exhibition dancing).

ADJUDICATOR is a qualified judge appointed to mark and select his/her best couples from the various heats of a competition. In the final round the adjudicator allocates a number (1 to 6) in order of merit, to determine the top 3 couples.

 NUMBER OF ADJUDICATORS: The adjudicating panel for each category, level, and style shall consist of an odd number of qualified judges who are certified as judges by a member organisation of the  ICBD  or  IDSF .
The minimum number of qualified judges shall be:

a) Seven for any titled championship of a region or larger geographic area, for a protected competition or for an international competition.
b) Five for formation team competitions, local titled championship competitions and regional non-titled competitions.
c) Three for team matches and non-titled local competitions.

AD LIB: From the Latin, ad libitum, meaning in accordance with what you wish or without limit or restraint. Used here it should read 'what you like, whenever you like, at your own pleasure', i.e. when a dancer improvises his/her choreography or interprets the music without following a set routine. Also known as impromptu or impro dancing.

ADVANCED BOOKING is when a pupil and trainer arrange numerous fixed bookings or standing appointments in advance to ensure the time is reserved for that pupil alone.

AESTHETIC EFFECT in dancing, is the elegant, artistic quality that allures and pleases the onlooker - the tasteful, finished or polished appearance of a performer.

AFFECTATION is a distracting or affected style caused by poor technique, such as rigid knees, hunched shoulders, a tilted head, a slumped torso, etc. It's an odd or awkward presentation of a dance or its style and character.

AGGRESSION is an assertive style. In Paso Doble, it's the man's power and commitment that portrays this quality accurately. He must show or play a dominant, arrogant role, emulating the strength and character of the matador, without loss of control. It's a dancer's attitude and ability to make his/her presence felt or noticed.

'AIRY': The soft, controlled, effervescent rise and fall effect of the Quickstep is often referred to as being light and 'airy'.

AGILITY is the skill of a dancer to rapidly change from one movement to another with balance and control.

ALEMANA TURN: An 'International Style' term for a specific type of arc turn used in Rumba and Cha-Cha.

ALIAS: A term used in the International syllabus to describe an alternate name for a step pattern, variation or grouping (see cucaracha).

ALIGNMENT: This word has several meanings in dancing. It may refer to the position of the feet in a forward or backward step, when the feet should be perfectly in line, turned neither in nor out, and with the inside edge of each foot touching an imaginary line drawn through the middle of the body. (see alignments)

 It is also used to refer to the directional line of some part of a figure. Alignment can also include the direction of the movement and the position of the different body parts relative to one another. Proper alignment is achieved by vertically lining up the different 'blocks of weight' of the body: head, shoulders, abdomen, hips, legs, and feet. The position of the body in relation to the Line of Dance (see feet Alignnment).

FLOOR ALIGNMENT: Forward, Forward Left Diagonal, Forward Right Diagonal, Centre or Left, Wall or Right, Reverse LOD, Reverse Left Diagonal, Reverse Right Diagonal.

PARTNER ALIGNMENT: The symmetric alignment of a couple.

ALLURE & DANCE: Attraction, a thorny concept between lovers, even more so between dance partners. How can we manage attraction between partners, especially when the feelings are not mutual.

OK, hands up, who has not at some point in life been attracted to the person they are dancing with? It doesn’t necessarily have to be in ballroom; it could be in the nightclubs, a disco, a party or your regular dance. The only real qualification is that before you started dancing you didn’t and afterwards you did.

The reason so many dancers fall in love is that the act of dancing so closely mimics our natural courtship routine. It's the innate processes which control our subconscious actions and thoughts. Let’s explore this courtship in a little more detail.

There are different elements in the courtship routine, comprising non-verbal communication and verbal communication. Without a doubt the non-verbal contacts are initially the most important.

Eye contact. You know how important eye contact is when you’re on the pull. You're there, quite happily messing about with your mates, when wham, across the dance floor a pair of big open eyes magnetise your attention.

Eye contact is the initial stage of the courtship. It connects interest and feelings with the intended focus. Holding that gaze for a second longer than necessary is all it takes to spark the attraction. Coupled with a smile, eye contact has been the start of many encounters.

In Latin you are taught to hold eye contact. Look at any advanced couple on the floor and watch how their rumba sizzles with electricity. A lot of that sparkle is generated through eye contact. A beginner couple on the dance floor will often look as though they are just ‘going through the motions’. Add the eye contact and you add chemistry, it helps turn the dance into something more.

A lot of beginner girls can get quite embar-rassed when coaching them. You look into their eyes  and try to hold the contact and they laugh, look away or get the wrong idea. The reason is that you are taking the courtship signals and per-forming them out of context - a simulation.

OK, back to the nightclub, eye contact has been established and we know there is a mutual interest. Obviously we would like to talk to the contact, but how? What common interest will we talk about?
Dancers obviously already have a common interest, dancing! Dancing and music is often discussed; turns, routines, dance-club gossip. We have a shared and common goal that we work towards, and as a result we are all the very best of friends.

Back to the nightclub; everything is going well. Not only have we started talking to the connected person but something deeper has developed, symmetry. Symmetry in attraction is the strange way couples who are attracted to each other mirror each other’s body language. Watch a couple who seem to be getting along quite well the next time you go nightclubbing or dancing, and notice how both stand. Open positions, perfectly reflecting each other.

The final stages in a courtship is body contact. We all have an area of personal space; ‘our’ space, the space that must not be violated unless invited. How much space we allow depends on our culture, upbringing and the moment. In a club atmosphere, if somebody were to enter your personal space by a touch, along with the other signs, they would almost certainly be interested. A returned touch from you would be the green light of the exchange.

In dancing this is mimicked. Not only do you have absolutely no physical space, but also  pro-longed physical contact - eye contact, touch, sym-metry. Dancing often portrays the actions of love.
We all know a smile makes us feel happier, well, the same is true of attraction. If you show interest, they show interest, and a mutual chemistry begins. So many dance couples marry each other and considering this chemistry, it’s hardly surprising!

That's the process, but what do you do when your dance partner falls for the love bug and you don’t? It can be awkward for the partnership. How do you address it. You either keep your partner’s friendship or no more dancing. The answer lies in understanding the attraction process. Assume different characters for ‘on and off stage’ in the same way actors and actresses do.

Avoid prolonged eye contact, symmetry and physical contact. Spend time with your partner off the dance floor in groups and be sure not to let your partner dominate your time.

If you know your partner is attracted to you but  you have no personal interest, it may be wise to avoid practising alone with him/her. Make sure there are other couples at each practise session. There is however, no substitute for open, honest communication. Let your partner know how you feel, how much you value his/her friendship and dancing, but if the subject arises make it clear that dancing is the basis of your friendship.

What if the reverse is true and you are attracted to your partner but he/she feels naught. This is the ultimate horror between partners. It drives you crazy, you can’t stop thinking about him/her and you don’t know how to deal with it… get ready for the rebuttal, the crunch is near… decisions, decisions… a good partner is very hard to come by.

It is a spiky issue. Not only are your feelings on the line but your dance partnership as well. Ask yourself whether jeopardising your dancing is worth the infatuation, or the infatuation greater than the dancing. Ask why you feel attracted to him/her. Is it just a phase or is it something deeper. Whichever it is, be tactful and honest and be prepared for rebuttal. Making your partner feel awkward around you is the worst possible thing that can happen to your dancing.

AMALGAMATION is a combination and  of two or more figures danced one following the other. A number of different amalgamations joined together forms a routine, i.e. the arranging, joining or combining of steps to arrange a set routines or groups of patterns.

AMALGAMATIONS aka CLUSTERS or COMBINATIONS: A group or sequence of dance figures or patterns.

AMATEUR is a competitor prohibited from generating a net profit from his or her dance skills above and beyond the amount of allowable expenses and must be registered to compete. An Amateur, who decides to become a Professional Dancer or Professional Dance Organiser by adopting any form of dance as a full-time or part-time occupation or profession whereby he or she earns an income, is ineligible to continue to compete or to be registered as an Amateur Competitor, i.e. forgoes his or her Amateur status.

Amateur dancing is the most common form of competitive dancing. Several of amateur dancers start between the ages 7-10, and continue dancing so as to become professionals. These are of course the best amateur dancers. The top level of amateur dancing is extremely competitive, and is very similar to professional dancing. The quality of the dancing can reach as high as that of the professionals.

There are also the less committed, or late starting amateurs who compete because they enjoy it. Some ex-students whom competed at college enter the amateur circles after graduation. At the less serious level of amateur dancing the atmosphere amongst the dancers is often very good. At the serious level it is much harsher. At amateur and professional level it is the couple that are important. They dance for themselves only.

AMERICAN STYLE: A type of ballroom dancing which evolved from social dancing and is now a fully recognised competitive style of dance. The 9 main American dances are divided into two groups:

1. Smooth style (Ballroom), consisting of Foxtrot, Waltz, Tango, and Viennese Waltz.
2. Rhythm style, consisting of Cha-Cha, Rumba, East Coast Swing, Bolero, and Mambo.

AMOUNT OF TURN: The amount of rotation of the feet which occurs on one step or between two consecutive steps. Rotation is measured in fractions of a full turn. Body rotation is indicated only when different from the feet (see alignment).

AMOUNT OF TURN: The amount of turn made by the body in relation to the room (see body turn / amount of turn).

ANCHOR TRIPLE STEP: A type of triple step where the feet stay anchored in one place.

'AND':

1. Half of a Quick count (and one or one '&').
2. A Call such as 'ready AND' indicates simultaneous action.

ANIMATION is the lively, passionate or energetic feeling with which a dancer performs.

ANIMATION in dancing also means to colour in a picture; the use of an arm; body shape or leg action, etc. it's to attract attention to a particular style-part. It could be the step, a partner, a frozen position, an arm or foot flick, a look or gesture or even a slow oozing out of an action. Animation is mostly used in the form of presenting something, i.e. instead of holding the girl around the waist, simulate the hold by animating the action, i.e. an imitation of the hold.

ANTI-CLOCKWISE is the orderly direction in which a dancer moves around the floor when dancing the progressive or moving dances, such as Ballroom and Samba, i.e. the opposite to the direction in which the hands of the clock move (see line of Dance).

But where did moving around the floor 'anti-clockwise' start? Tracing the history of dancing back to its primitive beginnings, early man (the one with the loin-skin and club) based a great deal of his religious convictions upon the cycle of the seasons and the power of nature.

The sun played a very important part, for it produced light and warmth and enabled the crops to grow. To primitive people the sun became a powerful god and it is from this worship that many customs and superstitions stem. One such of extreme importance was to follow the path of the sun.

The sun rises in the East, travels South and sets in the West. On the clock-face this would read 3 o'clock, on to 6 o'clock and then to 9 o'clock. If this was marked on the floor the pattern would be a left or clockwise direction. It was this sun-path that was incorporated into primitive dances. To counteract this direction was to court disaster.

The social dances in the 12th century were Farandole and Branles which would all begin on the left foot and move or circle to the left. In the 14th century the social dance developed further and couple-dances were introduced. The man would have his partner on his right side and, probably due to her long and heavy skirts, it was easier to lead her on the outside of the circle. This would mean an anti-clockwise direction.

The dancers held strongly to the view of Geocentric Cosmology or sympathetic magic produced by the sun's path so they still commenced on the left foot. The man, in those days, had his left arm free and the feeling of a leftwards action persisted, although they were in actual fact moving anti-clockwise. The left foot and sun path has survived many centuries, for all circle dances followed this direction, and this is still found in Scottish and English Country dances today. In the same way, the anti-clockwise movement reveals part of the background of our dance heritage.

The other theory is:
In 94 BC, it all started with the induction of Anti-Ethelbert The Bad. Until Anti-Ethelbert came into power there was no set direction for performing Ballroom steps. People danced in all directions and the result was pretty much the same as you see at some championships or when dancing socially at one of the weekend 'opskops' in Springs. In those far-off early days, male dancers wore a full suit of armour and held the lady in front of them to cushion the effects of collisions. In other words, he used her as a battering-ram. This, by the way, is how the Closed Hold originated in dancing, and male beginners may note; girls with a fuller figure are still your best insurance against injury and are, generally, much lighter on their feet.

The Englishman Anti-Ethelbert decreed dancers should progress anti-clockwise round the floor. When he was finally deposed, his successor, Eustace the Good (the man who built 50 dance halls in the depressed areas as an emergency relief measure) had not the heart to change things, for by then, dancers were totally au fait with cavorting anti-clockwise.

The main thing to remember is that when the sun rises in the East, travels South and sets in the West and the clock face reads 3, on to 6 and then to 9 o'clock and you are not following that same path on a crowded dance floor, then, you're positively well on your way to leaving a couple of innocent dancers injured. But fear not, you have your able assistant (partner-love) to absorb most of the shock.

Anti-clockwise certainly is the more natural route, because most of the patterns in the Ballroom dances take the couple round the floor smoothly this way, particularly in social dancing. In theory, it appears that once the direction was decreed by our primitive enthusiasts, evolution took its course with all the figures dominating the direction they set. This all makes for orderly driving on crowded dance floors.

ANTICIPATING: Premature action taken by the follower before a signal is given by the leader. A habit abhorred by all male social and competitive dancers.

APART: Any dance position where the man and lady have no points of contact. Since there is no physical connection, the use of apart position is limited to visual lead and follow or open choreographed dance routines.

APART:

1. Movement away from partner or one foot away from the other.
2. Placement of feet apart from each other (2nd and 4th position).

APPEL: An accented movement in place, where the body weight is dropped sharply onto a flat foot. The Appel usually marks the beginning of a strong directional movement used in Paso Doble - a stamping of the foot.

ARABESQUE: A position of the body where the free leg is extended straight behind the body and usually lifted off the floor.

ARABESQUE: To stand on one leg with the other leg extended backwards, the rear foot either raised or in contact with the floor and the body erect.

ARC TURN(Arch Turn): An underarm turn in which the lady turns to the right under her partner's right arm or to the left under his left arm (see alemana Turn/Outside Turn).

ARCH: The part of the foot between the ball and the heel, which forms an arched shape when the foot is pointed.

ARGENTINE TANGO: A style of tango which originated in the streets and salons of Buenos Aires, characterised by its passionate hold and complex leg and foot movements. Argentine Tango is danced socially and as an exhibition dance, but rarely in competitions.

The Argentine Tango holds a unique place in couple dancing. The body is much closer and intimate than in any other dance form. And yet the two legs move faster and with more deadly accuracy than in any of the other comparable dances. It is this combination of sensual, meditative, relaxed contact in the upper body and swift, almost martial arts-like movement in the lower body that gives the tango its unique identity.

Today, the tango is a living art form, with Buenos Aires the center of a cultural phenomenon. The tango remains essentially a popular musical form, rooted in the visceral sense of its dance; combining melodic, lyrical beauty with its unmistakable rhythmic drive. Heady and passionate, sensual and meditative, melancholic and yet joyful, it is identifiably Argentinean and clearly, is universally accessible.

Various Styles of Argentine Tango

ARGUING(Couples who fight): It may be the norm and quite natural for couples who take social or competitive dance lessons to fight and argue about who is doing what wrong. However, if analysed, both are at fault even if what each says is logically correct. Why? A couple who cannot dance a particular pattern together - though each has no difficulty doing that same movement perfectly well with their teacher separately - must realise that all they really need is a little more time, practice and a lot more patience with each other... be patient or become one.

Couples who fight also make giving instruction very awkward and even cause considerable embarrassment for the teacher. Partnership dancing is a twosome venture which couples can share and enjoy together as a hobby for many years. Think of the end result - BETTER DANCING, FUN, EXERCISE, CONFIDENCCE, etc. rather than the nuts and bolts of learning.

TEAMWORK by Cathy Gibbons (former SA champ): "Fighting seems to be very common among competitors and as a trainer, one hates to have to ref. a lesson with 'fighters' as pupils. I was very fortunate to have danced with Chris Yates who has emigrated to Australia. We had a 10-year partnership with many differences of opinion yet honestly, NOT ONE FIGHT.

We had a good 'system' going. He knew my strong points and I knew his, and we respected one another. There was no issue to win an argument, it was merely important to improve the Dance - WE WORKED TOGETHER. We were the undefeatted South African Amateur and professional Latin-American Champions throughout our partnership and believe it or not we commenced dancing together in 1975 and we won the SAs that year and never lost the title together, and that was mainly because we did not fight".

ARM POSITIONS/MOVEMENTS (Freestyle):

1. HORIZONTAL - both arms stretched outwards at shoulder height parallel to the floor.
2. PARALLEL - Both arms carried in the same direction as each other and being equidistant.
3. DIAGONAL - One arm stretched high and the other low in opposite directions to each other at any level.
4. OPPOSITION - Arms carried in opposite directions to each other, i.e. one arm forwards and the other backwards at any level.
5. HIGH V - Both arms stretched upwards and outwards.
6. LOW V - Both arms stretched downwards and outwards.
7. ARM CIRCLES - The circling of one or both arms in any direction from either the shoulders or the elbows.
8. WRIST CIRCLES - The continuous circling of either one or both hands from the wrists.
9. PUSHING - To thrust either one or both arms away from the body in any direction.
10. PULLING - To draw either one or both arms inwards from any direction.
11. ARM SWINGS - A pendulum movement of either one or both arms in any direction.

ARM STYLING: Movement and positioning of the arms, reflecting the character of a dance or style of dancing. Besides the decorative purpose Arm Style serves, it also helps a dancer maintain good balance.

Arm movements should be relaxed and fluent and avoiding any stiff appearances. The man should remember that he is trying to present his partner with his arm movements and the lady should try to characterise each dance with her arm movements.

Another important use of the arms is to accentuate the beat, i.e. the 'four' is the accented beat in the Rumba fan position, the 'one' in the Cha-Cha and the 'two' in the Samba. The arm line is therefore created on the accented beat during open positions. A general rule is, the arm should be in front of the body, avoid taking the arm back behind the body which would give a strained appearance and feeling in the upper body. Arm movements should also be gently rounded with the wrist and elbow following a natural curve - not completely straight or bent - the longest curve you can make.

ASSOCIATE: The first complete level (Bronze) of the International system, representing the foundation of movements and basic dance concepts. A professional with an Associate qualification may judge the Associate level.

ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANISATIONS:

• ADA - African Dance Academy.
• ADFP - The Association of Dance Freestyle Professionals.
• ADO - Amateur Dance Organisation or (ASO) Amateur Sports Organisation is an organisation organised and run by Amateurs and/or Social Dancers to promote and facilitate dancing as a sport, hobby, recreational activity, etc.
• AIDT - Association of International Dance Teachers (Previously IDTA). An examining body which promotes MODERN JAZZ, Contemporary and Tap Dancing throughout the world.
• ARISF - Association of the IOC Recognised Sports Federations
• FEDANSA - Federation of DanceSport South Africa.
• GAISF - General Association of International Sports Federation
• ICBD - International Council of Ballroom Dancing, the recognised International Sports Federation for Professionals (no longer exist).
• IDSF - International Dance Sport Council, the recognised International Sports Federation for Amateurs.
• IDTA - International Dance Teachers' Associatioon. (see AIDT)
• IMG - International Management Group.
• IOC - International Olympic Commission.
• IWGA - International World Games Association
• RDTA - Republican Dance Teachers' Association.
• SACODA - South African Council of Amateur Dancers.
• SADTA - South African Dance Teachers' Association.
• SANCBD - South African National Council of Ballroom Dancing.

ATTITUDE: A pose in which the dancer stands on one leg and the other leg is raised with the knee bent.

Variations: Forward Attitude, Back Attitude. Unlike the Arabesque, the leg is bent to the front, the side, or the back. In attitude to the front or the back, if the angle is 90 degrees, the calf should be as nearly horizontal as possible.

ATTITUDE is also a dancer's pleasant or aggressive disposition and self-portrayal, but is used mostly as a buzz-word to describe a dancer's "I love myself, who do you love?" temperament.

ATTITUDE (Freestyle): To stand on one leg with the other leg held forwards, sideways or backwards with the knee flexed at approximately right angles to the thigh.

ATTITUDE JUMP:A high jump with the flexing of both knees, one leg in front and one leg behind the body. Commencing and landing with flexing of the knees and ankles.

ATTIRE is the proper dress or apparel worn by dancers in the various competitive or examination sections.

AUDIENCE APPEAL is the natural response dancers evoke from their onlookers. Whether dancing an exam, an exhibition or competition, if a dancer's performance does not appeal to the audience then it will have very little impact generally. Audience appeal plays an important part in determining how much atmosphere a couple's dancing creates. Here we are not talking about the "rent-a-crowd" audience appeal. Listen to the applause; did the audience respond to the performance with spontaneous enthusiasm? If the answer is yes, then the couple influenced them favourably.

Audiences, however, react more readily to lively music and spirited dancing, than they do to the finer details of technique. For this reason many are befuddled by the outcome at contests when judges want more than just a lively performance.

AUSTERE LINES refer to arm, leg, neck or body lines that give a harsh, stiff, unnatural appearance or bearing.

AXIS: An imaginary vertical line around which the body turns. The line originates at the bottom of the standing or supporting foot and extends through the centre of the body and out through the top of the head.