I am a ballroomdancer for over 25 years. In my opinion there was only one single style with Alex Moore and Walter Laird as the writers of the respective 'dance-bibles'. Shortly I discovered this site and I was surprised to learn about 'American Style' ballroomdancing. Also, the (excelently executed)video-clips looked very surprising to me.
Can anyone please tell me more about the 'American Style'?
PS If someone has questions about dancing in Western Europe do not hesitate to ask. But do not laugh at my text-mistakes, knowing that English is for me a strange language.

The easiest way to describe it would be to think of Classic Showdance style, when people who usually dance Standard break apart and do other things. That's sort of like American Style, except American Style goes so much further than that, incorporating elements of jazz, ballet, and the kind of dancing you'd see in old Fred Astaire & Ginger Rodgers musicals.

I began dancing 6 years ago in a small town in upstate New York. The teacher was excellent, but I knew nothing about American vs International style, and my wife and I learned American.

Now we dance at a large ballroom near Philadelphia and many of the dancers dance International style; one couple has competed at Blackpool. I find myself wishing I could do some of the things the International dancers do, and perhaps I'll learn to do so, but I'm enjoying myself doing American style.

Some dances are very different in the two styles, I think: tango and FoxTrot. Others are very much the same: American Bolero and Intl Rhumba? And there is only one Quickstep.

Jerry

You can do the things the international dancers do, as American Style ultimately adopts all of the international style's possibilites once it moves past strict step lists. Virtually everyone cross trains with international coaches.