American Style Smooth:  The American style smooth consists of the Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Peabody and more advanced Viennese Waltz. This style is characterized by the partners being allowed to break away or open up from each other and therefore offering opportunity for interpretive and creative movement within the structure of the dance. The American style, although available as a competitive style in the Dancesport competition is also the social style danced at weddings, parties and other social events. There are many syllabi available in this style and the patterns and combinations are virtually limitless.

International Style Smooth (standard) - The international style of smooth dance consists of the Waltz, Slow Foxtrot, Tango, Quickstep and Viennese Waltz. This style is mainly used for competitive Dancesport. Although the partners strive to achieve the character and mood of dance, the main emphasis is on meticulous attention to the proper technique of each dance as well as the partnership aspect. The dancers cannot break away from each other and attempt to maintain the perfect dance position or hold. This style is standardized on an international basis through the use of a single accepted syllabus. There is some variety with regards to the combinations of the accepted patterns and the precedes and follows for each.

American Style Rhythm - The American rhythm style dances include Cha-Cha, Rumba, East and Westcoast swing, Samba, Mambo, Merengue, Bolero. The Latin dances in this style are characterized by an authentic rolling action of the hips known as "Cuban motion" which is created by an alternate bending and straightening of the knees. The Swing dances, although danced with a hip action, are noted for their carefree and relaxed styling as well as their adaptibility to a wide variety of musical styles and tempos.

International Style Latin-American - The International style of rhythm dancing consists of the Cha-Cha, Rumba, Samba, Paso Doble and Jive. Again, this style is standardized through the use of the same multi-level syllabus on an international basis and is generally taught as a competitive rather than social style of dance. Although the Latin dances are characterized by "Cuban motion", the technique utilized for the legs and feet is different than that used in the American style.

Authentic Style Dances - These are the dances that have gained popularity as a result of people dancing them just for fun and are sometimes attributed to specific regions of the globe. Some of these include Hustle, , Salsa. These dances are taught "club style" without emphasis on technique and vary from one area to another. New patterns are continually being developed and passed on to dance enthusiasts world wide. d your content here