Passionate Partners:A History of Modern Ballroom Dance
Ballroom dancing is a world of class, tradition, and passion. There is a great history behind ballroom dancing, both competitively and recreationally speaking. "Ball" is derived from the Latin word “ballare” which means “to dance.” Modern ballroom dancing comprises of the five dance styles, and they are slow foxtrot, Viennese waltz, modern waltz, tango, and quickstep. These dances are famous all over the world, and they are not only performed in social gatherings, but in competitions as well. The Origins Ballroom dancing traces its origins to the early 20th century, when the West End establishments were developing the art of ballroom dancing. The world’s leading board for ballroom dance examinations, the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD), was established in 1904. There were some notable people who were instrumental in the development and promotion of modern ballroom dance including Josephine Bradley, the 'First Lady' and world class champion of ballroom dance; GK Anderson who founded the English style; Lady Humphries who helped establish the Modern Ballroom Dance Faculty of the Imperial Society; and Alex Moore who contributed to the writing of Technique of Ballroom Dancing. The Closed Hold The dance moves in modern ballroom dancing have now been standardized, and presently, a dancer needs to pass several levels to be considered a master of ballroom dance. This is because ballroom dances are intricate, and they contain specific techniques, tempos, vocabularies, and rhythms, which take time to learn. Although every ballroom dance style has its own particular aesthetics and rhythms, they still have a commonality that makes them somewhat similar. One commonality is that they are all performed by a pair of dancers, and they are danced in “closed hold”. In the closed hold dances, the couples are required to maintain five areas of contact with each other, with the man’s left hand holding the woman’s right hand, the woman’s left elbow resting on the man’s right elbow, the woman’s left hand on the right upper arm of the man, the man’s right hand on the woman’s shoulder, and the right parts of their chests touching. The Waltz The Waltz is one of the dances that are included in the International Style ballroom dance category. It follows a slow rhythm, and it is danced to about 30 bars or 90 beats per minute. Usually, one step is taken for every beat, or three steps for every measure. Despite having a slow tempo, the waltz can have advanced figures that may require six steps per measure, which may be complemented with various turns. In dance sport competitions, waltz features as the first singles dance in the standard category. It was previously called slow waltz. The Tango Tango is a ballroom dance that originated from Argentina. There are two broad styles of modern day ballroom tango, which are the American Style and the International Style. Even though both styles are very popular, the International style is preferred in dance competitions. The American style, on the other hand, gives the dancers more freedom, whereby open moves such as alternate hand holds, underarm turns, and side-by-side choreograph can be executed. The Viennese Waltz Viennese Waltz, or the Wiener Walzer in German, is another version of ballroom waltz. It incorporates various types of rotary dance moves which include turning in clockwise and anti-clockwise directions. When performing these moves, dancers execute non-rotating change steps. The Foxtrot Foxtrot is a ballroom dance that was popularized by actor Harry Fox. Foxtrot was originally performed to big band music. However, after the release of the song “Rock Around the Clock” during the 1950s, foxtrot became synonymous with rock and roll music. In the years that followed, it was split into two forms, namely, the slow foxtrot, which is now referred to as foxtrot, and the fast foxtrot, which is now called quickstep. The Quickstep Quickstep is a ballroom dance which is similar to foxtrot, but the dance patterns are very different. The patterns in quickstep have an extra half measure as well as multiples of measure, and the time beat that is usually followed is 2/4 or 4/4. Since quickstep was developed for jazz music, the tempo of the dance is quite fast.
Resources on Modern Ballroom Dance
The wonderful combination of dance steps, music, and the closed hold is the thing that makes ballroom dancing one of the best activities for dating couples . Ballroom dancing can help establish a close relationship between a man and a woman because it provides an opportunity for them to communicate with each other in a romantic way. This is the reason why dating services encourage singles to practice ballroom dancing to get those sparks flying! Presented by DateHookup.dating Signup for free online dating. Other Links el paso chat line - el cajon dating site - free lincoln online dating - single men in tallahassee - free dating sites - kokomo dating - singles springfield illinois - springfield chat rooms - medford online dating - dalton chat rooms - arlington chat rooms - beverly hills singles - washington chat - dating delray beach fl - hayward dating site - singles bremerton wa - chat savannah - single men in nashville tn - online dating in hagerstown md - online dating in sioux falls sd - singles texarkana texas - renton personals - little rock chat rooms - fort worth single women - singles bloomington il - redding personals |
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