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BAION
A type of slow Samba rhythm from Brazil that became popular in North America during the 1950s.

BALBOA
A form of Swing popularized during the 1950s in California.

BAMBUCA
The Bambuca is the national dance of Colombia, South America. It is characterized by cross accents in the music. It was formerly danced only by the natives but became a ballroom dance to be added to the gentle Pasillo, a favorite with Colombian society.

BARN DANCES
Barn dances are the product of our colonial ancestors, who recreated them from England's Country Dances. They were performed in halls and barns as get-togethers among America's first social gatherings.

BATUQUE
Afro-Brazilian jam sessions, where the dancers form a circle around one performer. This solo dancer chooses his successor for the exhibition spot while shouting the word "Sama."

BEGUINE
The Beguine is a type of Rumba in which the accent is on the second eighth note of the first beat. It originated in Martinique and Cuba.

BIG APPLE
This dance originated in a church in South Carolina which had been turned into a black nightclub called the "Big Apple." Arthur Murray created the choreography as we know it. The dance includes all the earlier Swing steps and requires a caller. The caller shouts "Shine" and asks for one of the swing steps. A single couple steps into the center and takes the initiative by performing an exhibition of that popular step. This dance was very popular in the 1930s.

BLACK BOTTOM
Created in New York, circa 1926, the Black Bottom succeeded the Charleston. It may have originally come from New Orleans (as did Jazz music). The stomping steps, the knee sway, and the shuffling are definitely African American in origin. It was the black solo or couple dance about 1925.

BOLERO
Originally a Spanish dance in 3/4 time, the Bolero was changed in Cuba into 2/4 time then eventually into 4/4. Currently is danced to a very slow Rumba rhythm. The music is frequently arranged with Spanish vocals and a subtle percussion effect, usually implemented with Conga or Bongos.

BOLERO SON
Just what the name implies, the Bolero Son starts as a Bolero and finishes as a Son. The Son is faster, with sharper percussion and is less subtle than the Bolero.

BOOGIE WOOGIE
The quintessential African American jazz dance, the boogie woogie has it’s own music that evolved through the 1940s and 1950s. The knees are held close together and the hips sway from side-to-side as the dancer travels forward. This figure is now seen in a variety of rhythm dances including Mambo, Cha Cha, and Swing.

BOOMPS-A-DAISY
This dance is similar to the Lambeth Walk. The dancers bump hips at regular intervals. It is performed in Waltz time to one special tune. It appeared around 1940.

BOSTON JIVE
The Boston Jive is a form of Swing similar to basic Lindy but with kicks added.

BOSSA NOVA
The music, born of a marriage of Brazilian rhythms and American Jazz. The dance, which is said to have originated at Carnegie Hall in 1961, is based on the slower, more subtle Salon Samba and features either type of Clave Beat or a Jazz Samba in 4/4 time.

BOTECITA
The "Little Boat." It is Cuban dancing with a very exaggerated swaying of the shoulders.

BULERIAS
A Spanish Gypsy dance. Livelier and more spirited than most of the repertoire, it’s usually danced by a whole group and could be called a Flamenco “jam-session.”

BUNNY HOP
This dance resembles the Conga line but has three jumps instead of a kick at the end of the phrase. The music is Ray Anthony. 1953.

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