When the word ballroom dancing is mentioned, what are the images that come to mind? The type of dance can be elegant and sophisticated like Waltz or it can be passionate and sultry like Tango or even lively like in Fox Trot.
This is the definition from the Webster dictionary, for ballroom dancing: “any of various, usually social dances in which couples perform set moves”. The term ballroom dancing has its root in the Latin word “ballare†which literally means to dance. This is also the base word for ballerina and ballet.
This is a form of dance common to the members of the English upper class in the late 18th and 19th century. The working class really didn’t catch fire with this form of activity until the early 20th century. The Ballroom Dance Branch was set up by the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing with the sole purpose of standardizing the modern day ballroom dancing.
One can enjoy the elegance of Waltz, the passion of tango and the liveliness of the Quickstep, the slow Fox trot and the Viennese Waltz as forms of modern day ballroom dancing. The Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble, Singorama, Cha-Cha and the Jive are some names that come to mind when you talk about American Latin ballroom dances. The Latin American refers to Latin and America not to countries of latin origin.
Ballroom dancing consists of couples moving in specific set of moves in predetermined rhythm and tempo, dancing closely together. There are five main points where the couples come in contact. Her right hand would be holding his left hand obviously while her left hand would rest on the top of his right arms. The other two points of contact are her left elbow resting on his right elbow and the right side of her chest touching the right side of his chest. This dance posture goes all the way back to the dancing in the European royal courts and makes for a very elegant look as the couples float around the dance floor.
The time when men danced while still wearing their swords placed on their left side will help explain why the strange right to right point of contact between the women and the men. This is also the obvious reason for the counter clockwise movement, that serves to prevent hitting any of the people watching as he dances past them. In American Latin dancing, posture changes from one dance to another. Just as the modern ballroom dance has been standardized, the Latin American dances have been programmed with a similar standardization for easy teaching.
