Glossary of partner dance terms

thumb|[[Contra dancers at Glen Echo Park in Maryland, U.S.]]

This is a list of dance terms that are not names of dances or types of dances. See List of dances and List of dance style categories for those.

This glossary lists terms used in various types of ballroom partner dances, leaving out terms of highly evolved or specialized dance forms, such as ballet, tap dancing, and square dancing, which have their own elaborate terminology. See also:

Glossary of ballet terms
Glossary of dance moves

Abbreviations

3T – Three Ts
CBL – Cross-body lead
CBM – Contra body movement
CBMP – Contra body movement position
COG – Center of gravity
CPB – Center point of balance
CPP – Counter promenade position
DC – Diagonally to center
DW – Diagonally to wall
IDSF – International DanceSport Federation
IDTA – International Dance Teachers Association
ISTD – Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing
J&J – Jack and Jill
LOD – Line of dance
MPM – Measures per minute
NFR – No foot rise
OP – Outside partner or open position
PP – Promenade position
Q – Quick
S – Slow

A–C

Alignment

Alignment can mean:

the directions the feet face in relationship to the room. more generally: a sequence of figures that a couple wants to dance.

=== American Rhythm ===

A category of dances in American Style ballroom competitions. It includes cha-cha-cha, rumba, East Coast swing, bolero, and mambo. Sometimes it may include samba and West Coast swing.

This category loosely corresponds to the Latin category of International Style ballroom.

American Smooth

A category of dances in American Style ballroom competitions. It includes waltz, tango, foxtrot, and Viennese waltz. The term is frequently used, e.g., in the swing dance community.

Compression is lowering the body by bending the knees in a preparation for a step.

Contra body movement position

Contra body movement position occurs when the moving foot is brought across (behind or in front) the standing foot the body turning. Applies to every step taken outside partner; occurs frequently in tango and in promenade figures.

Counter promenade position

In ballroom dances, the dance couple moves (or intends to move) sidewise to the leader's right while the bodies form a V-shape, with leader's left and follower's right sides are closer than the leader's right and follower's left. In other dances, there are other definitions.

Cuban hip motion

Cue

A signal to execute a dance figure. Rules of matching vary. The name comes from the popular English nursery rhyme, "Jack and Jill". In venues with same-gender dance partners, the ambiguous names "Pat and Chris" have been used, or event could be called "Mix and Match".

In dance competitions J&J is included as a separate division (or divisions, with additional gradations).

J&J is popular at swing conventions, as well as at ballroom dance competitions in the United States.

L–R

Latin

As applied to dances, Latin dance is any type of social dance of Latin American origin.

Latin hip motion

A characteristic type of hip motion found in the technique of performing a step in Latin and Rhythm dances.

The shift in Argentine/salon style tango is less pronounced and more individualized: the hold similarly variable but usually very close especially in the upper body, less in the hips.

In some swing dances (East Coast, triple-count, country, or single-count), the feet are more opened/rotated in their respective directions to lie parallel to each other and exactly perpendicular to their original Closed position placement.

The intention, is for the position to anticipate a change in direction of movement, to direct each partner of the couple/partnership, and to lead the follower to step in the direction of the rotation between their bodies; similarly for the counter promenade position.

Replace

In brief descriptions of dance figures, replace means replacing the weight to the previous support foot while keeping it in place. For example, a "rock back" figure may be described as "step back, replace". Notice that it doesn't require to "replace" the moving foot to the place from where it come in the previous step.

Rhythm

See American Rhythm.
See Rhythm.

Rise and fall

Rises and falls refer to the body ascending and descending by use of feet, ankles, and legs, to create dynamic movement.

Syncopation

In dancing, the term syncopation has two meanings. The first one is similar to the musical terminology: stepping on an unstressed musical beat.