Ballroom dance may well conjure up some romantic images of beautiful women in flowing gowns dancing in the arms of tall handsome men in tuxedos. The sheer elegance and gracefulness of the Waltz never fails to impress anyone and the passion of Tango definitely appeals to those who are burning with adventure and passion.
The definition by Webster for ballroom dancing is “any of various, usually social dances in which couples perform set moves”. The phrase ballroom dancing has its root from the Latin word “ballare†which literally means to dance. Obviously the word ballet and ballerina has the same origin.
History books tells us that the people from the upper class in England used this fro of dance in social gathering backs in the late 18th and 19th century. This is not a common practice of the working class until late 20th century. The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing is set up with the purpose of standardizing the modern day ballroom dance.
Modern dancing revolves around five dances, the Modern Waltz, the Viennese Waltz, the Slow Foxtrot, Tango and the Quickstep. Here are some Latin American ballroom dances if you are inclined to know Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble, Cha-Cha and the Jive. Make it a point to note that the word Latin America actually refers to the Latin and American styles, not just the South American countries.
The modern day ballroom dancing consists of specific steps and tempo with couples dancing together. There are five points of contacts between couples. Three points of contact involves the hand-his left holding her right, her left hand on the top of his right arm, and his right hand would be behind her shoulder blades. 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. The member of the European Royal Court had long used this posture to dance.
many years ago, the men danced while wearing their swords and this helps to explain why the strange right to right chest contact between the man and the women. The strange counter clockwise movement is also explained this way, and it helps prevent the sword stabbing any of the people watching or the dancers as he gracefully waltzes by. It would be interesting to note that the posture change from one dance to another in the American Latin ballroom. The Latin American version of ballroom dance has been very much standardized for the purposes of teaching.