Glossary
101 terms covering technique, scoring, and show language.
No term matches.
Abrazo
The embrace of Argentine tango—close or open—through which lead and follow share axis and intention.
Air step
Acrobatic lift or throw historically part of Lindy Hop performance (regulated or banned in some contests).
American Rhythm
U.S. syllabus Latin-adjacent category: cha-cha, rumba, East Coast Swing, bolero, mambo.
American Smooth
U.S. syllabus category allowing open work in waltz, tango, foxtrot and Viennese waltz.
Anchor step
Settling “&-a-3” (or similar) at the end of a West Coast Swing pattern that re-establishes stretch connection.
Appel
A sharp downward stamp/prepare used in paso doble to accent the music and announce a figure.
Assist
Help with the timing or direction of a jump/trick while not fully carrying both feet off the floor as a lift.
Ball-change
Quick transfer ball-to-ball of the feet, often paired with kicks in jive and jazz.
Body flight
The continuous traveling momentum through the body in Slow Foxtrot, as if gliding rather than stepping in place.
Boleo
A whipping free-leg accent, often at the end of an ocho, in Argentine tango.
Botafogo
Samba figure with a crossing action and opposing arm line, traveling or turning.
Bottom two
The two couples with the lowest combined judges’ and viewers’ percentages, at risk of elimination that week.
BPM (beats per minute)
Beats per minute; convert from MPM by multiplying by beats per bar (×3 for waltz, ×4 for most 4/4 dances, ×2 for samba/paso when counted that way).
Call-out order / results show
Segment revealing safe couples and eliminations; historically sometimes a separate results episode.
Cape position
Paso doble shaping where the follow’s dress/body is presented like a matador’s cape.
Chassé
A step–close–step pattern; in cha-cha it becomes the triple “cha-cha-cha” on 4-&-1.
Checked forward walk
Part-weight forward step used in International cha-cha basics so the free knee stays soft and rotation can occur.
Choreography
Pre-set sequence of steps and formations; on DWTS created by pros (and sometimes guest choreographers) for TV.
Clave
The underlying 2-3 or 3-2 rhythmic pattern that organizes much Afro-Cuban and salsa music.
Closed position
Partners face each other in a connected ballroom embrace, typical of International Standard throughout the dance.
Combined score
Blend of judges’ points share and public vote share used to rank couples; exact scores matter from season 3 onward.
Connection
Physical and musical communication between partners via frame, hands, or shared axis.
Contra body movement (CBM)
Rotating the opposite side of the body toward the moving leg to initiate turns smoothly.
Core ten dances
On DWTS: waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, foxtrot, quickstep, cha-cha, samba, rumba, paso doble, jive—the styles that forbid lifts.
Corte
A checked or lunging figure often associated with tango’s dramatic stops.
Cross-body lead
Lead that sends the follow across the slot or circle past the lead—core to salsa and related dances.
Cuban motion
Hip action created by alternating bent and straight knees / delayed weight transfer, foundational to rumba, cha-cha and related Latin dances.
Dance-off
Format twist (notably season 8) where couples re-perform to improve a judges’ score; later discontinued as a regular device.
DanceSport
Competitive ballroom dancing as an organized sport under bodies such as WDSF and WDC.
Dedication Night
Theme night where dances honor a person or cause chosen by the celebrity.
Delayed weight transfer
Settling full weight late in the beat so hips finish after the foot—central to International rumba.
Disney Night
Theme night using Disney songs and characters—often major ratings/event weeks.
Double elimination
Week sending two couples home; with judges’ save eras, a bottom three could see one auto-out and a judges’ choice between the other two.
Downbeat
The primary accented beat of a bar (beat 1); cha-cha’s history includes making downbeats clearer for social dancers.
Fan
Rumba/Latin figure that opens the follow to the side on an extended line before a hockey-stick or similar continuation.
Fleckerl
Spot-turning figure in Viennese waltz danced in place with continuous rotation.
Floorcraft
Awareness of other couples and intelligent travel on a shared floor—critical in Standard progressive dances.
Floorwork
Movement in and out of the floor (knees, rolls, seated work), common in contemporary specialty numbers.
Frame
The toned shape of arms, shoulders and upper body that lets partners communicate lead and follow without collapsing.
Freestyle (finale)
Open-rules showcase dance in the finals where lifts and mixed styles are expected.
Gancho
A hooked leg wrap around the partner’s leg in Argentine tango.
Guest judge
Extra scoring panelist for a week or season arc (e.g., Paula Abdul, Mandy Moore), adding a fourth (or more) mark.
Half-point scoring
Season 15 (All-Stars) allowed 0.5 increments from 0.5 to 10 instead of whole numbers only.
Halloween Night
Costume-heavy theme week with spooky song choices and theatrical staging.
Heel lead
Forward step that contacts the floor first with the heel, then rolls through the foot—standard on many Slow Waltz and Foxtrot walks.
Hockey stick
Latin figure in which the follow travels past the lead on a curved path after a fan-like preparation.
Hold
How partners connect—closed Standard hold, Latin open holds, or specialty embraces such as Argentine abrazo.
Hover
A suspended, almost floating moment at the top of a rise before lowering, used in waltz/foxtrot phrasing.
Illegal lift deduction
Point penalty when judges (notably Carrie Ann Inaba) rule that a core-style routine included a lift.
Instant Dance Challenge
Format (highlighted on the 500th episode) giving couples minutes to learn a new dance live before performing.
International Latin
The five Latin competition dances: Cha-cha-cha, Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble, Jive.
International Standard
The five closed-hold competition dances: Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Slow Foxtrot, Quickstep.
Isolation
Moving one body part independently—key in jazz, hip-hop and some Latin styling.
ISTD
Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing—UK society whose Ballroom Branch helped codify English Style in the 1920s.
Judges' save
Rule (seasons 28–31) letting judges choose which bottom-two (or similar) couple to keep; removed for season 32 so America/viewer votes weighed more cleanly.
Judges' scores (1–10)
Each DWTS judge awards a whole-number score from 1 to 10 (except season 15 half-points), typically three or four judges.
Kicks and flicks
Sharp, pointed leg accents on the “&” counts that define International jive character.
Latin walk
Compact forward or back step using ball-flat footwork and hip settlement rather than Standard heel leads.
Lead and follow
Partnership skills where one partner communicates direction/timing and the other responds in real time.
Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy
Official name of the championship trophy from season 32 in honor of longtime head judge Len Goodman.
Lift
Partner-assisted move where both of a dancer’s feet leave the floor; distinct from an “assist” on a jump.
Lift rule
On DWTS, lifts are banned in the ten core ballroom/Latin styles and allowed in specialty styles (jazz, contemporary, salsa, Argentine tango, Charleston, freestyle, etc.).
Line of dance (LOD)
Anti-clockwise traffic lane around the ballroom used by progressive Standard dances.
Lock step
Crossing one foot tightly behind or in front of the other in a syncopated chasse—signature of quickstep.
Marathon
Endurance-style or multi-segment swing/freestyle event night reflected in labels like Swing Marathon in our data.
Mirrorball Trophy
The championship trophy awarded to the winning DWTS couple; renamed the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy from season 32 after Goodman’s death.
MPM (measures per minute)
Bars per minute—the unit WDSF and many syllabi use for competition tempo.
Musicality
Dancing that expresses phrasing, accents and character of the specific music, not just counts.
Ocho
Figure-eight pivoting steps for the follow (and sometimes lead) fundamental to Argentine tango.
On-1 / On-2
Salsa timing families: breaking on beat 1 (often LA style) versus breaking on beat 2 (often NY mambo style).
Open choreography
Choreography not limited to student syllabus figures—normal for DWTS TV numbers even in “ballroom” styles.
Partnering (weight sharing)
Techniques for shared balance, counterbalance and lifts between two dancers.
Perfect 10
Individual judge mark of 10; a “perfect night” usually means every judge awarded 10 for that dance.
Poise
Upright, lengthened posture through the spine and head—judged heavily in Standard.
Pro (professional partner)
Trained dancer paired with a celebrity contestant for the season.
Progressive dance
Dance that travels around the floor (typically anti-clockwise), such as waltz or foxtrot, versus spot dances like jive.
Promenade position
Partners open into a V-shape, traveling in the same direction while still connected—common in waltz, foxtrot and tango.
Relay dance
Segmented routine where celebrities rotate through pros or sections—labeled with “Relay” in our dataset (e.g., Cha-cha-cha Relay).
Rise and fall
Continuous elevating and lowering through ankles and knees that creates the pendulum swing of waltz and the swing of foxtrot; absent in tango.
Sacada
Displacing the partner’s free leg by stepping into its space in Argentine tango.
Samba bounce
Continuous flex-and-straighten action through ankles and knees on the “a”-counts that gives ballroom samba its pulse.
Shine
Breakaway solo footwork within a partnered salsa or mambo number.
Slot
The imaginary narrow lane the follow travels along in West Coast Swing and some salsa styles.
Spiral turn
Turn where the free leg crosses tightly, winding the body before unwinding—common in rumba and cha-cha.
Spot dance
Dance performed primarily in one area of the floor (e.g., jive, rumba) rather than continuously traveling LOD.
Strictly Come Dancing
BBC parent format from which DWTS and international local versions descend.
Sugar push
Basic West Coast Swing “push break” pattern staying mostly in place within the slot.
Sur place
Paso doble marking time in place with strong posture before launching into traveling figures.
Sway
Lateral incline of the body used in waltz and foxtrot to shape turns and swings.
Swing-out
Signature eight-count Lindy Hop figure sending the follow out and back in on a circular/slot path.
Syllabus
Graded list of permitted figures for student and medalist exams; competition “Open” levels allow freer choreography.
Syncopation
Accenting off-beats or unexpected subdivisions—central to cha-cha chassés, quickstep locks and Charleston.
Team dance
Multi-couple routine scored for a team; freestyle team variants appear in our style list.
Theme night
Episode built around a concept (Disney, Halloween, Dedication, etc.) that shapes song choices and sometimes style picks.
Time signature
How beats group into bars—waltz in 3/4, most Latin/Standard social dances in 4/4, samba/paso often taught as 2/4.
Toe lead
Step that begins on the ball/toe of the foot, common on backward Standard walks and many Latin steps.
Trio dance
Number in which a celebrity–pro couple is joined by a third dancer (often another pro) for a featured routine.
Troupe
Ensemble of professionals who perform group numbers without a fixed celebrity partner (introduced season 12; absent some later seasons).
Volta
Crossing, turning samba family of steps often used in progressive or spinning sequences.
WDC
World Dance Council—professional DanceSport governing body with its own rulebooks and tempi.
WDSF
World DanceSport Federation—governing body publishing amateur DanceSport competition rules and tempi.