Ballroom dance means kind of social dances where a couple would dance together following very common steps. Ballroom dance derivates from the word ‘ball’ (early 18th century social events patronized by the high class people that successively comes from the Latin word ‘ballare’ with the meaning ‘to dance’. The most widely found types of ballroom dance could be mentioned as Quickstep, Tango, Slow Foxtrot, Modern Waltz, Viennese Waltz and numerous forms of Latin dances.
Ballroom dance has its origins in England, sometime between the late 18th century and early 19th century, and was performed by the elite classes of society in balls and parties. Gradually over time and during the 19th century, ballroom dance became a trend amongst the middle classes and the working classes who participated in event gatherings at public dance halls. In the 1920’s, ballroom competitions rose in popularity which led to the formation of the Ballroom Branch of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing in 1924 that bore the vision to standardize the steps, music, and technique of ballroom dance. Today, ballroom dance is performed not only in Europe, but in the Asian-Pacific and the Americas as well. Official ballroom dance contests referred to as DanceSport are commonly available for ballroom exponents with various degrees of skill levels.
The various ballroom dance forms come from various settings and boast of exclusive artistic values, tempos, techniques and beats. In spite of these discrepancies, all ballroom dance forms have common related characteristics. Executed by a couple (generally by a male and a female, these dances demand that they perform in a set pattern which is prominently referred to as the ‘Close Hold’. This posture demands that the 2 people uphold 5 regions of contact, i.e. 3 hand contact spots where the male’s left hand holds the female’s right hand, the female’s left hand is placed on the male’s right upper arm and the male’s right hand is positioned below the left shoulder blade on the female’s back; 1 elbow contact spot where the female’s left elbow is positioned on the male’s right elbow and both arms are positioned in a horizontal line facilitating the easy movement; 1 chest contact spot where the right area of the chest of the male contacts the right area of the female facilitating the manifestation of feelings and sentiments betwixt the couple.
To conclude, being one of the finest expressions of love, joyfulness and pain between two people, ballroom dance is a fad that will never fade away.
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