Ballroom Dances

Ballroom Dances

Until recent times, people had not thought much of ballroom dancing. Now it has become a popular pastime worldwide, thanks to the media putting it back into the spotlight with shows like "Dancing with the Stars." It was not long after the very first season that dance madness soon swept across America, with more and more people opting to learn to dance. However, ballroom dances is certainly not something new and has quite an historical background.

Let's begin by discussing the actual meaning behind the world "ballroom". Simply, it means a place where balls may be held. The English language took this term from the Latin word "ballare", which means "to dance". Ironically, this word also serves as a base for words like "ballerina" and "ballad". Ballrooms were a popular source of entertainment, if you can imagine it, before the days of cable television, internet, or satellite radio. Very often couples would congregate socially and to dance with other couples, and it was not very long before dance competitions also gained popularity.

There are many different styles and versions of ballroom dances. Everyone of these unique dances has specific steps and characteristics that make it quite different from other dances - but there is always that one aspect that remains constant throughout all the styles of dancing. It does not matter which dance style is being performed, they are always being performed by a couple. Ballroom dance involves a man and a woman, usually thwy will remain in contact throughout the entire dance routine (there are some ballroom dances where contact can be broken, but the couple will reunite by the end of the dance). As common as it seems, this style of dancing was to develop in Western Europe in the 17th century. Interestingly, ballroom dances were often held the evening before the men left for battle, to help the men to go off to war in good spirits.

Men would often wear their swords while dancing with a lady and it is believed that this led to the lady placing her left hand on her dance partner's right shoulder, while holding his left hand for balance. This is also where the idea of men leading on the dance floor was developed.

As time passed through the centuries, many different styles of ballroom dances were born. Each dance has its own history, but it was the Waltz and Foxtrot to first gain popularity in the area of ballroom dancing. Dancing soon became a growing trend in various countries, and other styles of ballroom dancing began to form based on the different cultures. For example, the paso doble was developed in the 1700's in Spain to demonstrate bullfighter's agility and power. In Italy, the mambo was to become popular dance at weddings and other special events, while the quickstep became the popular trend in America after World War I.

By the 1970's, all of all these different dances had made their way into America's ballrooms and dance competitions became popular. Today, the number one form of dance among adults is ballroom dancing and is widely covered by the media. It is also now being offered as an viable alternative to physical education in high schools and colleges - an indicator that ballroom dancing will continue as a favorite activity for years to come.

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