Ballroom dancing
basically means any couples dance. Although today it would be considered just ten dances
such as Tango, Foxtrot, Waltz, the Latin dances and Jive. It started in the private ballrooms
of the well to-do in the early 19th century. The dance masters over those years started
associations and turned it into more of a studio business.
In the early twentieth century, dancers such as Vernon
and Irene Castle made Ballroom Dancing very popular with the public, the dance halls
were becoming more and more crowded. This new style would be called 'Modern Dancing'. As
dance halls gave way to more upscale,
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luxurious money producing Ballrooms, those dances being done
by these couples eventually would become known as the Modern Ballroom Dances, separating
them from the old. Many countries not liking the more modern Western civilization (namely
USA), outlawed this form of dancing into it's culture. Today, most of these countries have
changed their views. In China, Karaoke changed this for them.
After the Castles
time, the already well established dance masters turned it into a very lucrative business
and started teaching just the ten dances for use in the ballroom, while introducing the
Ballroom (aka fad) dances each year, many where just offshoots or variations of previous
originals. Today, other couples dances, outside of the ten dances, are seen by the ballroom
community as 'Street Dances', such as Swing, Country Western, Argentine Tango, The Hustle,
etc. An accomplished ballroom dancer earns the same knowledge as a college degree in dance.
Ballroom dance training can be very valuable in ability to any partner dancer in any style
of dance, 'street' or otherwise.
Many dances of years gone by have helped to form today's
modern ballroom dancing, such as the Peabody, Charleston, Castle Walk, Foxtrot, Quick-Step,
Paso Doble, One-Step, Two-Step, Tango, The Boston, Apache Dance and many more. Some of these
dances merged together to make a new, like the Quickstep, or stayed the same with only refinements
like the Foxtrot. Some dances being introduced at a later time like the Jive and Cha-Cha.
Ballroom dancing comes and goes out of style, but there
is always ballroom dancing. New fads may come and go like Dirty Dancing, the Macarena, Lambada
etc. But ballroom dancing is always there. When it seems like the whole world is doing a
particular Fad dance, Ballroom dancing is still there. People dancing together will always
be popular, just as people dancing separately will never go away.
With the interest for dancing to become an 'Olympic
Sport'. The international dance community has opted for the name 'Dance Sport' with the
International style - or ten dances being taught in every ballroom dance studio in every
country, the same way. This will provide a universal language in ballroom dance which will
make it more 'Olympic friendly' for all countries participation.
Television and Movies are also adding to a resurgence
in ballroom dancing with such shows as "So You Think You Can Dance", "Dancing
With the Stars" and films like "Shall
We Dance", "Strictly
Ballroom", "Take The Lead" and others. More to come...
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Ballrooms