Are you looking to take ballroom dance lessons at a dance studio? Do you want to be the next Ginger Rogers or Fred Astaire? How about the new Julianne or Derek Hough from Dancing With the Stars fame? Your local dance studios will help you get started on your dancing journey. Here's what you need to know before you start taking lessons.

Types of Ballroom Dancing

If you're looking for traditional couples whirling-around-the-floor ballroom dancing, you may want to start with the traditional ballroom style. The traditional ballroom style includes dances like the waltz, the tango, the foxtrot, the Viennese waltz, and the quickstep. Couples generally stay in pair formation for the entire dance and emphasis is placed on flow and finesse. Men usually wear tuxes and women are usually in long, flowing dresses. These dances are also known as American Smooth.

The Latin styles include dances like the mambo, the cha cha, the samba, the rumba, and the paso doble. Latin dances are usually fast-paced and focus on rhythm and staccato movement. Couples wear more casual outfits than traditional ballroom. With the exception of the paso doble, the men usually wear dress pants and some version of a button-down shirt. Women wear much shorter dresses than ballroom to better show off their legs and footwork. Fringe is often incorporated into costumes to enhance movements and quick turns. The paso doble, a traditional Spanish dance, features costumes inspired by Spanish bullfighting and flamenco costumes.

A notable exception to the two is jive, also known as swing. Swing dancing is technically qualified as Latin dancing, though it's notably different like traditional Latin dances like the rumba or samba. Swing dancing features bouncy footwork and plenty of turns and sharply defined footwork. Jive is typically done to American rock 'n' roll songs and features plenty of tricks, kicks, and flips. Jive dancers generally wear 40's or 50's-inspired outfits instead of traditional Latin or ballroom costumes.