Many of the dances that are commonly associated with Ballroom Dancing today are, in fact, examples of Sequence Dancing. This style of dancing originated in London during the early 1900’s. Sequence Dancing is essentially a style of dancing that has a specific set of steps that are repeated every sixteenth bar. The entire dance generally lasts for five or six sequences.

Because of the strict steps and requirements for sequence dancing the music must have a very strict tempo to work for these exacting needs. To keep things exciting in the world of sequence dancing, new sequences are continuously being created with possible sequences at this point in time running well into the thousands. Competitions are held often in order to determine which, if any, of the newly created sequences for dancing are to be widely accepted and distributed as acceptable sequence dancing scripts.

A little side note of interest as far as sequence dancing is concerned is that it created yet another division between the classes. The British upper class greatly preferred the freestyle dances with the working class preferring the newly introduced sequence dances of the day. In fact, the working class desire for upward mobility led to ballroom dancing competitions so that dancers who applied themselves could achieve greater social standing within their circles. It’s a good example that many today would greatly benefit from about the positive results of a good work ethic.

At any rate, recent years had witnessed a decline in sequence dancing as it had become the dance of those who are looking for an inexpensive diversion and appreciate the rigid music that is often used for this particular style of dance. The growing popularity of ballroom dancing competitions around the world my be responsible for a mild spark of interest that seems to be re-emerging in sequence dancing and there are many hopes that it will eventually lead to a revolution of sorts where this lost art form can be reborn.

There are many different styles of sequence dancing that are popular at the moment and have been at various points in history. You should also note that not all sequence dances fall into the same beat or tempo range. There are different tempos for this type of dancing such as: Tango, Swing, Salsa, Foxtrot, Jive, Bossa Nova, Rumba, and the Waltz with each having its own generally accepted “speed”.

Line dancing is a form of sequence dancing that is done without a partner though most consider sequence dances to be done with a partner. The same thoughts hold true however when it comes to sequence dancing. You are dancing a predetermined number of steps in time with the music. You know where your steps will take you and both partners are aware of what comes next.

If you are considering learning sequence dancing, it helps to master the basic steps before moving on to more advanced footwork and techniques. The main thing to remember is that once you have the basics down, everything else builds upon them. In other words, if you take the time to make sure that you are completely comfortable with the basics, each new step will be an addition or variation of the basic steps. This is one thing that makes this style of dancing so widely popular, it allows beginners to experience the dance while also building their skills and various levels of experience may share the dance floor. Take a peek at the videos to see the different combinations and possibilities that lie ahead if you decide to learn sequence dancing for yourself and for your partner.