Ballroom dance
European partner dances performed socially and competitively worldwide.
Ballroom dance is a set of European partner dances enjoyed socially and competitively worldwide, primarily for performance and entertainment. It is also widely featured on stage, film, and television. The term may refer broadly to any recreational partner dance, but competition has narrowed it to dances recognized by two principal schools: the International School and the American School.
- origin
- Europe, with formal development in England and the United States
- schools
- International School and American School
- governing_bodies
- World Dance Council (WDC), World DanceSport Federation (WDSF), USA Dance, Canada Dancesport
- categories
- International: Standard and Latin; American: Smooth and Rhythm
Lore & Background
Ballroom dance derives from the word 'ball,' from Latin 'ballare' meaning 'to dance.' Historically, it was social dancing for the privileged, while folk dancing was for lower classes, though these boundaries have blurred. The definition depends on era; balls once featured dances like the Minuet, Quadrille, Polonaise, Polka, and Mazurka, now considered historical dances. Louis XIV later founded the Académie Royale de Musique et de Danse, which formulated rules for dance execution and the five positions of the feet, marking a split between ballet and ballroom.
Reader's Guide
Modern ballroom dance emerged in the early 20th century through a shift from sequence dances to independent couple dancing, the rise of jazz music, and efforts to codify dances for wider teaching. Figures like Vernon and Irene Castle, Josephine Bradley, and Victor Silvester standardized dances, while organizations like the Arthur Murray organization and the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing promoted them. The on-screen partnership of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the 1930s further influenced ballroom dance globally. Competitive ballroom dance, or dancesport, is regulated by the World Dance Council and the World DanceSport Federation, with the International Olympic Committee recognizing the latter. The International School, prevalent outside the U.S., includes Standard and Latin categories with five dances each, while the American School, common in the U.S., includes Smooth and Rhythm categories with four and five dances respectively. Both schools share core elements like control and cohesiveness, though dances with the same name may differ in technique and styling.
Did You Know?
- The term 'ballroom' comes from the Latin 'ballare,' meaning 'to dance.'
- The International School includes ten dances: five Standard and five Latin, while the American School includes nine dances: four Smooth and five Rhythm.
- Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers' on-screen dance sequences in the 1930s significantly influenced ballroom dance in the U.S. and elsewhere.
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