Rumba is a Latin Ballroom dance which is very sensual. In Rumba, you can find lots of sexy hips, quick turn and stops, body actions, which all are intermixed with slow movements. Learning Rumba is fun and easy since its tempo is slow but still considered normal. Rumba may be danced both in dance floors or small spaces.
First, keep your feet balls towards the floor and do not step or put your feet up with your heels first. Then, bend your knee when moving your foot and then straighten it when putting your weight towards your foot. Always keep your steps small, it must never exceed your shoulder with. By doing this you will be able to maximize motions of your hip and can dance in small spaces.
You will usually start dancing in a closed stance position. First, the male partner takes the female’s right hand in his left, elbows nearly touching and in front of the body, therefore there is still space among the partners which allow free movement. The male partner then places his right arm right under the left arm of the female and then put the other hand on her shoulder blade. The female will place her left hand behind the shoulder of the male, remember to put the hand his back flat. The patterns will then go into open and side by side positions.
Rumba in America is counted in three beats, also recognized as “slow, quick, quick”. Slow means two beats of music step which is for the first count and old, settling into your hip on the second count. Then the quick count which takes one beat of music step.
Although there are many steps in Rumba, we will cover the box step. This is because this is the first step which most people will learn and many patterns will start or end with a box. This is similar both for men and women, therefore, only the male part is noted here. The female need only to do each step in the opposite manner, starting on the right foot and then following the man, moving with him.
Box Step for Man
Slow (counts 1,2): Step forward with left foot. Don’t move your right foot.
Quick (count 3): Step sideways with right foot. Don’t move your left.
Quick (count 4): Bring left foot to meet right. Change your weight to the left.
Slow (counts 5,6): Step back with right foot. Don’t move your left.
Quick (count 7): Step sideways on left foot. Don’t move your right.
Quick (count 8): Bring right foot to meet left foot. Change weight to right foot.
The key to mastering the art of Rumba is simple: Practice, Practice, Practice!