The dances that make up the list of DanceSport dances are performed competitively at amateur and professional levels throughout the world. Ten international style ballroom dances—five Standard and five Latin—are defined by the World Dance Council (WDC), which has world-wide membership of all countries taking part in ballroom competitions.
The WDC incorporates various groupings and former titles, such as the World Dance and DanceSport Council (former title). The WDC is the governing body for international professional and amateur DanceSport. The World DanceSport Federation is, to some extent, a rival body which issues rules for amateur competitions.[1] The list is supplemented by nine American style dances—four Smooth and five Rhythm—which are defined by United States dance organizations, such as USA Dance, (formerly USABDA, the United States Amateur Ballroom Dancers Association).
Besides determining which dances are performed, these organizations specify many other aspects of their competitions, for instance, the tempo of music allowed and the duration of each competition round.