Allegro uses two methods to describe the levels of our group classes.  The first method is based on the groups of steps, or "syllabus," we follow for many of the ballroom and Latin dances. Each syllabus organizes a dance's steps into three groups:  Bronze, Silver, and Gold.  These groups of steps are progressive in that Silver steps presume a solid preparatory understanding of the Bronze steps, etc.   At Allegro you will find group classes designated as Bronze, Silver, or Silver-and-Above.  Silver-and-Above means that the class will cover steps taken from both the Silver and the Gold syllabuses.

 

The other method we use to denote difficulty level is Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.  We use this method for dances without an established syllabus (e.g., Salsa, West Coast Swing, Argentine Tango) and for classes where the instructor has designed the class to include steps which are not part of Allegro's normal syllabus.

 

 

There are two main styles of ballroom dancing:  American and International.  American style is danced competitively only in the U.S. and Canada, while International style is danced both competitively and socially throughout the world.  Allegro offers group and private lessons in both of these styles, and both styles are popular during social dancing at Allegro's weekend parties.

 

International style is characterized by very thorough documentation of the movements for each step, slower innovation, and much less variation to the basic steps.  In International Standard (see dance list below), the partners never come out of closed dance position.  This contrasts with American Smooth (see below) where the partners change from closed to side-by-side and other variations even within the Bronze syllabus.

 

Most beginning dancers choose to learn the American style first because in the early going there is a tendency to focus a bit less on some of the technical and stylistic details.  However, as students progress, many find that the discipline and subtle details associated with International style offer benefits that carry over to the dancing of both styles.

 

Here are the ballroom dances that belong to each style:

 

 

    Smooth - Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz

 

    Rhythm - Cha Cha, Rumba, East Coast Swing, Bolero, Mambo

 

 

    Standard - Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep

 

    Latin - Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble, Jive