In its oldest forms, the prehistoric roots of ballroom dance probably first emerged in campfire rituals, fertility rites and spiritual ceremonies.
Little else is known for certain until one fast forwards to fifteenth century Europe. Around that time, dance split into folk dancing for the masses, and stylized and formalized versions of those folk dances that took place in ballrooms in the courts of Italy, England and France.
Modern ballroom dancing as we think of it now first began in the late 1700s with the invention of the Waltz in Vienna, spreading to England in the early 1800s. The waltz represented a monumental shift in dance as it was the first time dancers remained in the closed position for any extended amount of time. The popularity of the dance trumped the scandal of denunciations from the church. As music written for the waltz abounded in Vienna, other dances continued developing elsewhere in Europe, such as the Polka and Tango.
When ballroom dancing hit America, the trend spawned the first truly American variations in the early 1900s – the fox trot, swing and quickstep. Soon to follow were the jitterbug, jive, stroll and twist. The infusion of Cuban and Latin American influence brought the Rumba, Samba, Mambo and Cha Cha.
Ballroom dancing today in America can be found primarily in two types of venues. While formal ballroom dancing has largely fallen out of style in American social dance in favor of freestyle dance or group dance (trends like line dancing or fads like the Macarena, or even "old" standards like the Hustle or Bunny Hop), older generations still mix it up on the dance floor at formal events or higher-end restaurants that offer dancing. The younger generations probably encounter ballroom dance most often as a rite of passage in preparation for wedding celebrations.
On the other end of the spectrum is competitive ballroom dance, also known as DanceSport. This movement is represented nationally by USA Dance (formerly USABDA, the United States Ballroom Dancers Association), which formed in 1965 to lobby for the acceptance of ballroom dance as an Olympic Sport. 1987 marked the formation of the ISDF, the International DanceSport Federation, which was granted official recognition by the International Olympic Committee in 1997 as the official worldwide governing body for DanceSport. While the application has not been rejected, given the trend toward reduction of Olympic events, it seems unlikely that Competitive Ballroom Dance will gain acceptance as an Olympic sport.
 |
