One Step Forward, Two Steps Back Quiz

Answer: Johann Strauss II

The waltz is the oldest ballroom dance. It probably originates from a German folk dance, the Landler. Napoleon's soldiers spread it across Europe and from there it made its way to England. At first it was greeted with outrage, as it was the first dance where the man actually made close contact with his partner, but then, in the 1830s, came Johann Strauss I, and the Viennese Waltz.

However it was Johann Strauss II who wrote wonderful waltz music, such as "The Blue Danube", that took Vienna by storm and popularised the dance throughout Europe.

Answer: The Charleston

The Charleston became popular after featuring in the musical "Runnin' Wild" in 1923. Danced to the ragtime jazz so popular in the 1920s, it can be done with a partner, alone, or in a group. The dance is actually older than the 1920s, having been popular in black communities in and around Charleston, South Carolina (hence its name) since around 1903.

Answer: Samba

The Samba is a very old dance, possibly African in origin and it is the dance of festival. During festival time in Rio Samba, "Schools" with many thousands of performers dance through the streets. It was introduced into the movies by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in "Flying Down to Rio" in 1933, and was later danced by Carmen Miranda in "That Night In Rio".

Answer: The Bolshoi Ballet

The Bolshoi Ballet Company is one of the oldest in the world. The Bolshoi Company was founded in 1776 to produce opera, plays and ballet. It has always promoted Russian-born writers and musicians and, in 1877, premiered Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake". It has a world-famous ballet school and competition for the very few places available to non-Russian students is fierce.

Answer: Spain

Flamenco is considered an integral part of Spanish culture, but it is indigenous to only one region of Spain - Andalucia. Both the original music and dances come from Andalucian gypsies, but over the years other influences have crept in, notably from Cuba and Latin American. Flamenco dancing involves strong, sensual movements of the entire body and takes many years to master properly.

Answer: Tango

The Argentinian tango should not be confused with ballroom tango. The Argentinian version involves maintaining contact with your partner at all times, often in a very close embrace, whilst the ballroom version is more open. Argentinian tango is essentially a walking dance where the interpretation of the music is the most important element.

Answer: Quadrille

Before the arrival of the waltz, the majority of dances in England were based on country dances and were done in either long lines or sets, with partners facing each other and having little contact other than their hands. The Quadrille was performed by four couples in a square and could be quite intricate.

Answer: The Twist

Imagine putting out a cigarette with your feet whilst drying your behind and back with a large towel, and you have the basics of how to do the twist. The craze swept the world in the 1960s fuelled by records such as "The Twist", "Let's Twist Again" and "Peppermint Twist". Other crazes, such as The Mashed Potato, The Monkey and The Funky Chicken, grew out of it.

Answer: Mambo

The birth of the Mambo is credited to Perez Prado, who introduced it at La Tropicana night club in Havana in 1943. Musically, it is a fusion of swing and Cuban music which was born out of American jazz musicians being hired to play in Cuban night clubs to entertain tourists.

After Perez Prado other Latin American band leaders such as Xavier Cugat put their own stamp on it. It was a short-lived craze and is rarely danced today other than by advanced competition dancers.

Answer: 1937

"The Lambeth Walk" is a song in "Me and My Girl", a 1937 Noel Gay musical. The song gave its name to a dance made popular by Lupino Lane. A walking dance done in pairs, lines, solo, it became enormously popular, with the song and choreography that went with it becoming a show stopper.

The craze even reached royalty, with King George VI and Queen Elizabeth attending a performance and joining in with the audience.