Get in Shape with Ballroom Dancing Nearly everyone got caught up in the dance craze by watching "Dancing with the Stars" this past season. There's just something about the music, the dances, the level of competition, and the sarcastic responses from the judges. But there is also something else to be noticed with the professional dancers - their bodies. For example, the paso doble is a popular style of ballroom dance that incorporates Spanish culture in the steps. It only makes sense that the dress would represent the theme; this particular dress would probably have sleeves, a ruffled knee-length skirt that twirls easily, and be decorated with lace. Eventually aspects from all these dances and probably others combined emerging as the Samba we know today. Some things the judges watch for in a good Samba are steps like the Volta (crossing in front of the body), the Samba Roll (moving the upper body in a circular motion while going through a six step turn), Botafogo (traveling walk that includes a direction change) and dancers who have a good balance of moving and stationary moves. The "sway" is simply leaning slightly in the opposite direction of the line of dance movement. Ballroom Dancing - The Quick Step The Quick Step: The Charleston, the Black Bottom, the Shimmy and probably a couple other dances all melded into a faster version of the Fox Trot, which in 1923 became known as the Quick Step. The thing that makes this movie truly unique is that it is one of only a few movies that actually used ballroom competitors making for wonderfully realistic ballroom dance scenes. Dance, ballroom or otherwise has played a large part in hundreds of movies. The Sharks and the Jets danced their way through West Side Story, Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze put Dirty Dancing on the map. This would also explain the counter clockwise movement around the dance floor as the man would've stood on the inside of the circle so he wouldn't inadvertently hit any of the people watching the dancers with his sword as he danced past. In Latin American ballroom the postures vary from dance to dance with some using the closed hold and others where the partners hold each other with only one hand.