14 Videos to Familiarize Yourself With Court, Swing, and Ballroom Couples Dancing

Written by Ashleigh Gardner

January 17, 2018

It’s essential that you have a few different dance styles on your resume like ballet, jazz, and tap. But what about couples dancing? Check those out, too! You may find yourself auditioning for a production that will include couples dancing from any era, and it’s better to be informed than go in blind. Below, we’ve collected 14 videos of different dance types — ranging from the waltz to the rhumba — and their origins.

1. The Waltz (Western European)


2. The Lindy Hop (Swing Dance – Harlem, African American)


3. The Collegiate Shag (Swing Dance – Carolinas, African American)


4. The Charleston (African Juba, African American, South Carolina)


5. Tango (Argentinian and Uruguayan)


6. Rhumba (Latin American)


7. Mambo (Cuban)


8. Salsa (Caribbean/Puerto Rican)


9. Baroque court dance (English/French)


10. Renaissance galliard (Italian, Western European)


 11. Renaissance pavane court dance (Italian, Western European)


12. Regency dance (English and French)


13. Barn dance (English/American)


14. Virginia reel (English/American)




Need some advice? We’ve got you covered.

Ashleigh Gardner received her MA in Literary, Cultural, and Textual Studies (with concentrations in Film, Gender Studies, and Psychoanalytic Theory) and her BA in English Literature (with concentrations in Victorian, Gothic, and Early American Literature and Gender Studies) from the University of Central Florida; she received her AA in Theatre/Drama/Dramatic Arts from Valencia College. She is a playwright, an actor, and PerformerStuff.com’s Editor.