Togetherness: When your bodies are correctly melded together you will be able to dance in total synchronization with your partner and appear to lead and follow with no effort. Presentation: The judges will be looking not only for how you appear to them but how well you sell yourselves to the audience. The rhythm of the dance, which is emphasized by any type of percussion, drums, pots, maracas, etc., is more essential to the dance than the tune itself. The fascinating rhythms and mesmerizing body movements of this dance make it one of the more popular ballroom dances. The Rumba was influenced by the Spanish and Africans with most of the development of the dance taking place in Cuba. The Batuque was an incredibly popular dance - so much so that at one time it was outlawed. The Batuque was done in a circle with dance steps resembling those of a Charleston with a solo dancer in the center of the circle. Down the line carnival steps were added and members of Rio's high society decided that once the dance had been modified to use the closed ballroom position it was then a proper dance. The dance stabilized during the 19th century its popularity was helped along by the music of Josef and Johann Strauss. You can find references to the Waltz that go back more than 400 years, however the popularity of the dance had started to wane until 1913 and the advent of the Hesitation Waltz which, as the name implies, slowed the dance down considerably incorporating hesitations and poses throughout the dance. Ballroom Dancing - The Viennese Waltz and the Quick Step The Viennese Waltz which was derived from the Austrian Landler is an elegant fast paced, whirling dance where the partners hold each other as if in a romantic embrace. This raised more than a few eyebrows of "polite" society. The rise in popularity of the Viennese Waltz, like the standard waltz, can at least in part be contributed to the music of Johann Strauss and toVienna's famous ballrooms. Most international ballroom gowns are designed for appearance from one angle - either they look appealing from the front or back, but not usually both. You're most likely to find that American ballroom dresses are accented with sequins or jewels, and come in a variety of lengths. Most ballroom dresses do not extend all the way to the floor - this is probably because a long dress could become tangled in the dancer's feet and lead to a disaster on the dance floor.