alice norris-btec: Ballroom and Latin

Ballroom dance is a partner dance. As a style of dance it was most popular in the early 19^th century but it lost popularity towards the end. The programmes such as Strictly Come Dancing have brought Ballroom back to life.

Ballroom is popular as a social dance but in these days it’s more of a competition dance. It’s also sometime done by dance groups and group dances. Originally ballroom dancing was for the upper classes while the lower classes did folk dancing. The word ball came from the latin ballare which means to dance. Large houses had ballrooms which is where the phrase ballroom dancing came from.

The first record of ballroom dance is in the 16^th century. Many of the dancers were developed to entertain royalty. The original movements were based on ballet steps. This lasted until the 1800’s when it was decided that ballet should be left to professional dancers.

The Waltz was the most popular dance in England in the early 1800 until other dances became popular such as the Polka and Mazurka. At that time everybody danced around the room in formation. Modern ballroom changed in the 20^th century and couples danced interpedently. The most popular era was the 1930s when ballroom dance was featured in many major movies. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were probably the most well known ballroom dances in film.

Around this time ballroom dancing was popular for the public as well. People would go to dance halls in the evening to do ballroom dancing. Ballroom was originally for royalty but over time it became popular with everybody. In the earlier part of the 20^th century Latin dance became popular along with the more traditional styles of ballroom. During the Second World War years when the American forces were in England Latin American dance become more popular.

Ballroom and Latin dancing is now a very popular competitive sport. The dances that are used in competition come into two categories.

Dancers in competition are marked on -
- Poise
- The Hold
- Posture
- Musicality and Expression
- Timing
- Body Alignment and Shape
- Floor Craft
- Foot and Leg Action
- Presentation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cYAOskFoBY – This is an example of a ballroom competition.
People used to enjoy ballroom dancing as just an evening activity. There didn’t practically wear anything special although they may have had a pair of dancing shoes. However with the rising competition and TV shows such as Come Dancing and more recently Strictly Come Dancing have made amazing costumes a part of ballroom dancing. Traditionally the costumes were very long and elegant but as time has passed the costumes have got smaller and sexier. This has brought around the argument that people should focus more on the dance than the costume.

Anton and Erin
Due to the popularity of Strictly Come Dancing most people can name someone from the world of ballroom. Probably the most famous ballroom dancers in the country at the moment are Anton Du Beke and Erin Boag. The couple have been dancing together since 1997. Erin is originally from New Zealand but moved over to England in 1997. They are international dance champions. They were one of the first couples invited to create the programme Strictly Come Dancing which started in 2004. Erin was the winner of the 2006 Christmas special with Colin Jackson. They then went on to do a series with Sky 1 called Ballroom High. In this series they thought teenagers from a poorer part of London how to ballroom dance. Other performances include -

- 2004 Royal Variety Performance,
- BBC TV’s Test the Nation,
- Celebrity Star Spell,
- The Weakest Link
- ITV’s Loose Women
- GMTV

They have both been so successful that they have done a sell out tour in major venues throughout the UK. They both also have DVDs on sale. Anton is quite an encouraging figure in the dance world because he didn’t start dancing until he was 14 whereas, Erin started dancing at the age of 3. She is the longest running female in the series of Strictly Come Dancing.

I chose to do this style for my project as it’s an interesting style to research. Ballroom dancing has been around for many years and there is a lot of information about it. It’s a style I would like to try but I think it would be difficult to learn all the steps. I think I would probably enjoy watching it more than taking part.

alice norris-btec

Sunday, 4 December 2011

Ballroom and Latin

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