Rags To Riches - A History The history of the African American "vernacular" dance is deeply rooted in Virginia, Maryland. African slaves who were brought to America have most likely introduced a diverse culture of music and dance without any fixed form. In order to retain their nativity as Africans, many of these groups have succumbed to perform their own set of dance routines without putting any emphasis on fixed styles, yet bordering mostly on improvisation and creativity. The basic mambo dance is translated in music using the time of 4/4. However, there are times that the dancer is required to pause or hold a position. The 4/4 beat is then followed by a quick-quick-slow movement, all in sync with the music. Modern Mambo The modern mambo is considered by some as the creation of the New York music and dance scene, especially since some New York dancers added their own flair to the clave of the mambo dance pattern by incorporating steps form jazz, swing and tap into the routine. One of the earlier dance styles of swing is the Savoy Swing, which is a casual-looking style of swing dance that employs a fast and jumpy action. The Lindy Hop, which is another, more popular form of swing dance style, is a much smoother dance style as compared to Savoy Swing. East Coast Swing is a 6 count version of the Lindy Hop, and is popular among dance schools. Aside from calling out the moves to be performed by the caller on the floor, it is also the caller's responsibility to gauge the progress of a student. This will help a student's learning pace and to speed up the process of improvement with their learning. Hence, student dances are often recommended by callers for beginners to ensure that they begin at a level that they can handle. All these different Tango dance styles are danced using different types of music, such as Tango Electronico, Vals, Milonga, Alternative Tango, and simply Tango. Ballroom Style Tango One of the more popular styles of Tango dance is called Ballroom Tango. It is actually divided into two different styles, namely, the English or International Tango dance style and the European Tango dance style. History If you study dancing history then you will see that breakdancing is nowhere to be found in the records. The trend started in the streets of New York -- a way for kids and teenagers to show off their "cool moves" with the inclusion of music. It was observed that this form of modern dance is a combination of athletic moves and dance maneuvers -- with emphasis on extreme "power moves" with "freezes" during breaks in the music.