Prerequisite: Dance 383 Gold I Latin. This is an advanced-level course in International Style Latin Dance.
Mission Alignment: This course supports BYU’s mission to educate students spiritually, intellectually, physically, aesthetically, artistically, and emotionally.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will have developed foundational technical skills at an advanced level in three International Latin dances, including the ability to:

• Maintain correct posture and dance position
• Demonstrate accuracy in timing and rhythm
• Use the feet with proper placement, rise and fall, and articulation
• Transfer weight clearly and fully support balance, control, and movement flow.
• Apply partnering skills, including maintaining frame, leading, and following.

• Participation: Engage professionally in class exercises and replicate demonstrated techniques.
• Video Critiques: Submit three self-evaluations analyzing dance performance and areas for improvement.
• Practice: Complete three documented practice-hour assignments outside of class.
• Competition Labs: Participate in required International Competition Lab.
• BYU Dancesport: Participate in BYU Dancesport Championships class event.

• Students must follow BYU Dress & Grooming Standards.
• Dance shoes appropriate to style are required at this level. Additional attire as required by instructor.

• A minimum of 80% attendance is required to pass the course.
• Exceeding 20% absences will result in automatic failure.
• Up to 3 unexcused absences are permitted; each additional unexcused absence will result in a 1/3 letter grade deduction.

• September 3 | Ballroom Dance Company Auditions
• September 15 | Practice Labs Begin (held weekly on Tuesday nights)
• September 23-26 | World of Dance (extra credit)
• October 7 | Competition Lab (required)
• November 13-14 | BYU Dancesport Championships (required)
• December 1-3 | Medals Exams (optional)

Ballroom dance requires appropriate physical contact to ensure correct execution, technique development, and safety. At times this includes light torso-to-torso contact as well as contact through hands, arms, shoulders, and back. The course also includes regular partner rotation. Students who have concerns should speak privately with the instructor.

• Cha-Cha: Emerged in Cuba in the early 1950s and known for its distinct rhythm with a playful, syncopated character. Later standardized in Europe and the United States into a more structured form characterized by precise timing, strong leg action, and rhythmical body movement.
• Samba: Brazilian roots with African diasporic rhythmic influence; competitive form features a standardized bounce and choreographed figures.
• Rumba: Afro-Cuban origins; competitive style emphasizes romantic storytelling and technical hip action over traditional folk rhythms.
• Paso Doble: Developed in France but inspired by Spanish bullfighting traditions, was later codified as an International Style ballroom dance characterized by its dramatic, march-like quality.
• Jive: Retains swing-era energy; competitive form is faster, more choreographed, and less improvisational.

The department, in consultation with the University Accessibility Center (UAC), has carefully considered the role of attendance in certain courses. It has been determined that, for some classes, regular attendance constitutes an essential component of the learning process and cannot be substituted without compromising the pedagogical or accreditation standards of the program.
The department remains committed to supporting students with documented disabilities, including those whose conditions may involve episodic or unpredictable flare-ups. However, in the courses where attendance is identified as an essential requirement, the accommodation of flexible attendance may not be feasible.
Therefore, the attendance policy outlined in the course syllabus will be applied as written. Students who wish to request consideration for individual circumstances are encouraged to consult with your UAC coordinator promptly to discuss possible options. The attendance provisions described in the syllabus will remain available to all.

I acknowledge and assume all inherent risks associated with participation in this class. These risks may include, but are not limited to: injuries or death resulting from dance movements, injuries from collisions with other participants, objects, or equipment, blows to the body, face, or head, exhaustion, dehydration, physical or emotional distress, injuries from misuse, failure, or malfunction of equipment, damage to clothing or personal items, risks arising from the actions or inattention of myself or others, and other hazards, whether foreseen or unforeseeable.

BYU Honor Code
BYU Academic Honesty Policy
Aims of a BYU Education
BYU Dress and Grooming Standards

BYU Title IX Office
University Accessibility Office