Instructions

What can you find here

In the first phase we are collecting information that we hope to by helpful for novice dancers. In particular we attempt to answer questions such as (substitute <d> with the name of the dance)

• What are the basic steps of <d>?
• What are the basic figures of <d>?
• How do I distinguish <d>-music from other dance music?
• How do I recognize the correct timing of steps?
• What are the most common difficulties in learning <d>?

The focus is on widely known international dances such as Samba, Rumba, Cha cha cha, Jive, Viennese Waltz and Tango.

In the second phase we plan to collect information that is of interest to more experienced dancers. That might include more figures and little known but interesting dances.

What will you not find here

These pages are not a substitute for dance courses or other types of personal guiding. The net cannot mediate the feel of dance moves, and there is no feedback. You will need guidance from a dance teacher or friends who are experienced dancers. But the material on these pages may help you to digest their advice.

Animations

Control buttons

With the buttons on the left the details of the figure can be inspected more closely.

	Turns the animation upside down. In many figures the inverted view shows the steps from the lady's perspective. A second click returns the original orientation. The setting is persistent: if you select lady's perspective, it becomes the default. Those figures in which the perspectives of the man and the lady are identical are not inverted by default.
	Continues the animation at normal tempo.
	Continues the animation at half tempo.
	Continues the animation at quarter tempo.
	Continues the animation at one eighth tempo.
	Stops the animation.
	Resumes a stopped animation.
	Moves the animation one step forwards. Also shows the written instructions for the step, if they are defined.
	Moves the animation one step backwards.
	Returns the animation to the beginning.
	Turns the music on.
	Turns the music off.
	Opens a panel for tuning the synchronization of image and sound. Each melody can be tuned individully, and settings are persistent.
	Raises the frame rate to 60 frames per second. Higher framerates may produce smoother motion if the platform has sufficient computing power. Some platforms may show a different number. This setting is persistent.
	Resets the frame rate to the default value, usually 30. The setting is persistent.
	Suspends the animation and displays these instructions. Clicking any button resumes the animation.