Actually,
in many circles, the term "
Ballroom Dance" has come to include all dances where two partners dance together. These do include dances such as the
Lindy,
Mambo,
Salsa and
Cha-Cha. But the
subdivisions make it clear that the above mentioned dances like
Foxtrot,
Waltz and
Viennese Waltz are called
smooth dances and dances like
Jive,
Mambo,
Cha Cha,
etc are called
Latin dances, even though
Jive really shouldn't be considered latin. It wasn't until
recently when the term Ballroom Dance was changed to
DanceSport which in my opinion is just
ridiculous, I've competed throughout almost all my childhood and I still don't think it's a real sport.
Even among those different dances there are subdivisions of style. The two main styles are American Style and International Style.
The international style of dance is what people see on TV on DanceSport competitions. It has been developed and perfected for use in competition. There are compulsory movements one must perform in each division, the divisions being Bronze, Silver and Gold.
What is called American Ballroom is what you would probably see if you went to a ballroom dance school in the US on one of their open nights. Its a much less stylized and rigid form of each dance and it's main purpose is for the enjoyment of the dancers. Although there are many many competitions in American Style Ballroom. American Style competitions also have compulsory movements and are again broken down into the divisions of Bronze, Silver and Gold. I myself have competed in American Style many times and I highly prefer it.