Paso doble

Category: International Latin
Also known as: Paso Doble, Pasodoble
DWTS performances in dataset: 243
Average total score: 26.58
First appearance: Season 1, Week 5 — John & Charlotte (España cañí)
Lift rule on DWTS: Not allowed (core ballroom/Latin style on DWTS).

Origins and history

Paso doble takes its character from the Spanish bullfight and from French/Spanish military marches. As a ballroom dance it became one of the five International Latin dances, with dramatized roles and music often built around famous paso themes.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Pasodoble — Bullfight / march character
• World Dance Foundation: History of ballroom dance — Spain & France; matador/cape imagery
• WDSF: WDSF Competition Rules — 60–62 bars/min

How it is danced

Aspect	Detail
Time signature	2/4
Tempo (MPM)	60–62 (WDSF)
Tempo (BPM, approx.)	120–124
Character	Martial, theatrical; the lead as matador, the follow often as cape; strong shapes and accents.
Hold / frame	Often in a more upright, parade-like hold; many figures use open shapes and Cape position.
Basic steps & figures	Sur place, basic movement, chassé cape, sixteen, promenade, torsion, appels. Accents on the marches of paso music (e.g., “España Cañí”).
What judges look for	Character and storytelling, sharp appels, strong posture, cape work, musical highlights; no lifts (core Latin).

Competition tempi cite WDSF Competition Rules E.3.2 and related DanceSport charts where applicable; theatrical styles are song-driven.

History on Dancing with the Stars

Statistics below are computed from the Data with the Stars SQLite performance and score tables (not invented).

• Times danced: 243
• Score range: 8.0 – 40.0 (total judges’ score as stored)
• Perfect nights (every judging mark = 10): 28

Average score by era

Era	Performances	Average total
S1-10	74	24.53
S11-20	65	27.13
S21-30	74	27.55
S31+	30	28.18

Best scores

• 40.0 — S19 W9: Alfonso & Witney — Turn Down for What (DJ Snake & Lil Jon)
• 40.0 — S19 W10: Janel & Val — Blame (Calvin Harris feat. John Newman)
• 40.0 — S20 W8: Rumer & Val — Scott & Fran's Paso Doble (David Hirschfelder & The Bogo Pogo Orchestra)
• 40.0 — S20 W10: Riker & Allison — He's a Pirate (Klaus Badelt)
• 40.0 — S30 W8: Melora & Artem — ?

Lowest scores

• 8.0 — S2 W4: Master P & Ashly — Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
• 11.0 — S29 W1: Carole & Pasha — Eye of the Tiger
• 12.0 — S35 W2: Guillermo & Witney — Where Have You Been
• 13.0 — S30 W1: Martin & Britt — You're the Best
• 15.0 — S7 W2: Cloris & Corky — Boléro

First perfect nights (all marks 10)

• S2 W8: Drew & Cheryl — Thriller (total 30.0, 3 judges)
• S3 W10: Mario & Karina — Cancion Del Mariachi (total 30.0, 3 judges)
• S4 W8: Apolo & Julianne — Carnival de Paris (total 30.0, 3 judges)
• S4 W10: Apolo & Julianne — Carnival de Paris (total 30.0, 3 judges)
• S5 W4: Sabrina & Mark — You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) (total 30.0, 3 judges)

Most-used songs

• España cañí — Erich Kunzel (5×)
• Free Your Mind — En Vogue (5×)
• Eye of the Tiger — Survivor (4×)
• So What — Pink (4×)
• Diablo Rojo — Rodrigo y Gabriela (4×)
• The Final Countdown — Europe (3×)
• We Will Rock You — Queen (3×)
• He's a Pirate — Klaus Badelt (3×)

Charts

• Data CSV: data/paso-doble-by-season.csv
• SVG: charts/paso-doble-frequency.svg, charts/paso-doble-score-trend.svg

Watch top performances

• Alix Earle’s Rock Hall Night Paso Doble | Dancing with the Stars — S34 W8, score 39.0, Livin' on a Prayer
• Whitney Leavitt’s Rock Hall Night Paso Doble | Dancing with the Stars — S34 W8, score 39.0, No More Tears
• Robert Irwin’s Rock Hall Paso Doble | Dancing with the Stars — S34 W8, score 38.0, Icky Thump
• Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy’s Super Bowl Night Paso Doble | Dancing with the Stars — S35 W5, score 36.0, Bad Romance
• Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas’s Dedication Night Paso Doble | Dancing with the Stars — S35 W6, score 35.0, I'm Shipping Up to Boston

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Educational fan reference. Dance histories paraphrased from cited sources; DWTS stats from project data. Not affiliated with BBC Studios or Disney.