In order to fully appreciate ballroom dance, we should first know a little bit about its history. This page will inform you of a brief history of modern ballroom dancing.
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| Picture 1: Victorian Era |
Ballroom dance is partner dance which means it is performed by two people, usually a man and a woman. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, ballroom dancing began in Europe. The upper elite classes performed these dances at balls and parties. The picture on left of this page shows a social event in the Victorian era that involved ballroom dancing. As time goes on, ballroom dancing became more popular with the working and middle class. The Waltz and the Foxtrot were the first to gain popularity. Many different dance styles were created, for example, the Tango, the Quick Step, and the Swing. America was introduced to all these different styles by the 1970s.
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| Picture 2: Dance Attire |
Ballroom dancing can be executed in a social environment or a competitive environment. In order to have a set of standard rules for each dance, organizations like the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing and the Arthur Murray group were formed. These basic rules are created so that dancers could perform with any new dancers that they meet. Ballroom dancing as a competitive sport started in the early 1920s but it became more popular in the 1980s. There are two main styles for competitive dancing, the International style and the American style. The International style does not allow dancers to have open hold, which means that the dancers need to be in close proximity with each other throughout the dance. The American style does allow open hold and it also allows separate dance movements. Many countries around the world hold their own dance competitions. However, dancers from about 30 countries participate in international competitions.
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| Picture 3: Dance Competition |
Ballroom dancing has gained more popularity through the media in recent years. One popular show in the United States is Dancing with the Stars. This show has reminded people that ballroom dancing is a fun activity for all ages and probably the reason I became interested in ballroom dancing. I will be including several different clips from it in the different pages of this blog. That’s it for the brief history, now let’s move on to the other aspects of ballroom dancing.
