Drunk of the Day

Perhaps when the word ballroom dancing is mentioned, you can see some images of women in flowing gowns with handsome men dancing the night away on the dance floor. These types of dance can be slow and fast according to the kind of move they are doing.

This is the definition from the Webster dictionary, for ballroom dancing: “any of various, usually social dances in which couples perform set moves”. The word ball does not originate from the toy “ball” but from the Latin word “ballare” which means to dance. This is the base for ballroom (a room for dancing), ballet (a dance), and ballerina (a dancer).

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries dancing was very popular among the upper classes of England. It didn’t really catch on with the working class until the late 19th and 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. When American Latin ballroom Dance comes to mind, here are some names of famous dances Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble, Cha-Cha and the Jive. The word Latin America refers to the word Latin and America.

Ballroom dancing consists of couples moving in specific set of moves in predetermined rhythm and tempo, dancing closely together. The couples come close through five points of contact. Three points involve the hand, where his left hand holds her right and her left hand will be on the top of his right upper arm, and the Tango would need her hand to go hand his arm while other right hand will rest on her left shoulder blade. The other points come in contact through elbows and chests which rests comfortably on each other as they glide through the dance floor. 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.

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. 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.

The bevy of beautiful women and men in formal suits may be the image you see when ballroom dance is mentioned. For steamy passionate night, one may perform the Tango and for those searching for some liveliness Fox trot would be appropriate.

The definition by Webster for ballroom dancing is “any of various, usually social dances in which couples perform set moves”. The word ball does not originate from the toy “ball” but from the Latin word “ballare” which means to dance. Interestingly, 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. It is not common among people from the working class until the arrival of the 20th century. Later the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing created a Ballroom Dance Branch, whose sole purpose is to create a standard for the modern day version of ballroom dancing.

There are five major moves that make up the modern day ballroom: the Waltz, the Viennese Waltz, the Slow Foxtrot, Tango and the Quickstep. The Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble, Cha-Cha and the Jive are some names that come to mind when you talk about American Latin ballroom dances. The word Latin America actually refers to Latin and America and not in reference to the Latin countries.

Modern day ballroom dances do vary considerably in tempo, and rhythm and still they all consists of couples dancing closely together. Basically, there are five main points of contact between the couples. There exists three main points of contact during the dance-her right hand holding his left, and her left resting on top of his right arm. Other point come close as her right side of the set touches his left chest and the elbow, her left touches his right touch each other as they glide round the dance floor. This is the posture that the European Royal Court had been graced as couples float endlessly on the dance floor during grand social gatherings.

The strange right to right contact comes from an era when men danced while wearing their swords which was placed on the left side. The counter clockwise movement is also explained this way, it actually prevents the weapon from hitting any of the dancers while he dance. The posture changes in the American Latin dances. The American Latin version has been standardized as much as the Modern ballroom dances.