Classic Ballroom Dance

Everyone can cut a rug or two on the dancefloor when required, but to make an impression in the Classic Ballroom arena — well, your moves really need to be special. Technique, interpretation, poise . . . go awry in any one of these departments, and you risk looking like you replaced your right foot with another left one. These Essentials are for those dance-aholics who are glued to every episode of today's reality-TV dance shows, and prefer the old-school end of things — if you're already shuffling your feet in excitement at that idea, try some fancy warm-up footwork to the jazzy rhythms of Woody Herman's "Woodchopper's Ball" before heating up the parquet with "Mambo Italiano". Kicking it old-school takes on a whole new meaning, in Next Steps.

If you want to get a grip on classic ballroom dancing — with the emphasis on classic — start swooping and sashaying to the sounds that started it all. You'll be seized by an unnatural urge to don a powdered wig when the delightful strains of Strauss's "Emperor's Waltz" start tingling in your ears. Then, you can move through the centuries in elegant fashion, as you find yourself swishing stylishly across the floor like Fred and Ginger to "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails", and when you find yourself in the mood for a little Latin spice, hurl yourself into the paso doble of "Espana Cani" or go for it merengue-style to "Todo Me Gusta de Ti". In ballroom dancing, you can't bring it until you swing it. Find out how, in Deep Cuts.

Feel like a bit of swing? You'll start to feel that jazzy beat in your feet when you leap into the action with the brassy, bluesy, big-band bash of "Jump, Jive an' Wail" by Tony Burgos & his Swing Shift Orchestra. If a slow foxtrot is more your tempo, line up a cuppa and cue up "Change Partners" while you're waiting for the kettle to boil, then bridge the gap between the racy and the romantic with a splendid Latin interpretation of "I Could Have Danced All Night" by the Columbia Ballroom Orchestra. Whether you prefer to drift along to the serene elegance of "Moon River" or shake up your bones with a bit of "Bamboleo" we've got all the best Classic Ballroom Dance tunes right here.

You've slo-mo'd every episode of Strictly and now even your dog knows all the steps by heart, but nothing rings your chimes with as much charm as boning up on all those classic clips of Fred and Ginger in black-and-white — the film stock and the clothes. Well, you're in luck, because we've gone through not just decades, but also centuries of songs tailor-made for tripping the light fantastic, and we've stacked them all up in one spot for your fleet-footed frenzy. Whether you want a steamy mambo or a sophisticated waltz, some bold, brassy swing or an up-close-and-personal tango, just direct your feet to this side of the street, where the most crucial cuts in classic ballroom dance await you.