A History of Modern Ballroom Dancing

Passionate Partners:A History of Modern Ballroom Dance

Ballroom dancing is a world of class, tradition, and passion. There is a great history behind ballroom
dancing, both competitively and recreationally speaking. "Ball" is derived from the Latin word
“ballare” which means “to dance.” Modern ballroom dancing comprises of the five dance styles, and
they are slow foxtrot, Viennese waltz, modern waltz, tango, and quickstep. These dances are famous all
over the world, and they are not only performed in social gatherings, but in competitions as well.

The Origins

Ballroom dancing traces its origins to the early 20th century, when the West End establishments were
developing the art of ballroom dancing. The world’s leading board for ballroom dance examinations,
the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD), was established in 1904. There were some notable
people who were instrumental in the development and promotion of modern ballroom dance including
Josephine Bradley, the 'First Lady' and world class champion of ballroom dance; GK Anderson who
founded the English style; Lady Humphries who helped establish the Modern Ballroom Dance Faculty
of the Imperial Society; and Alex Moore who contributed to the writing of Technique of Ballroom
Dancing.

The Closed Hold

The dance moves in modern ballroom dancing have now been standardized, and presently, a dancer
needs to pass several levels to be considered a master of ballroom dance. This is because ballroom
dances are intricate, and they contain specific techniques, tempos, vocabularies, and rhythms, which
take time to learn. Although every ballroom dance style has its own particular aesthetics and rhythms,
they still have a commonality that makes them somewhat similar. One commonality is that they are all
performed by a pair of dancers, and they are danced in “closed hold”. In the closed hold dances, the
couples are required to maintain five areas of contact with each other, with the man’s left hand holding
the woman’s right hand, the woman’s left elbow resting on the man’s right elbow, the woman’s left
hand on the right upper arm of the man, the man’s right hand on the woman’s shoulder, and the right
parts of their chests touching.

The Waltz

The Waltz is one of the dances that are included in the International Style ballroom dance category. It
follows a slow rhythm, and it is danced to about 30 bars or 90 beats per minute. Usually, one step is
taken for every beat, or three steps for every measure. Despite having a slow tempo, the waltz can have
advanced figures that may require six steps per measure, which may be complemented with various
turns. In dance sport competitions, waltz features as the first singles dance in the standard category. It
was previously called slow waltz.

The Tango

Tango is a ballroom dance that originated from Argentina. There are two broad styles of modern day
ballroom tango, which are the American Style and the International Style. Even though both styles are
very popular, the International style is preferred in dance competitions. The American style, on the
other hand, gives the dancers more freedom, whereby open moves such as alternate hand holds,
underarm turns, and side-by-side choreograph can be executed.

History of Swing Dance. ... Swing dance is a broad term to describe a variety of
partner dances evolving from the 1920s to the present day. An exciting evolution in jazz
music broke out of New Yorks Harlem district in the late 1920s. With this new sound, a
new dance was created, called the lindy hop.

The cha-cha-chá, or simply cha-cha in the U.S., is a dance of Cuban origin. It is danced to
the music of the same name introduced by Cuban composer and violinist Enrique Jorrin in the
early 1950s. This rhythm was developed from the danzón-mambo.