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. They are composed of different forms of steps such as the slow motion waltz, the lively fox trot or the passion of Tango.
Webster defines ballroom dancing as simply “Any of various, usually social dances in which couples perform set moves”. The word “ball”, when referring to a social gathering as opposed to a child’s toy, comes from the Latin “ballare” meaning to dance. The word ballerina and ballet has the same origins as well.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries dancing was very popular among the upper classes of England. This is not a common practice of the working class until late 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. Here are some Latin American ballroom dances if you are inclined to know Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble, Cha-Cha and the Jive. The word Latin America refers to the word Latin and America.
There is much similarity in the modern day ballroom dance as it was in the past and all consists of moves in predetermined rhythm and tempo. Basically, there are five main points of contact between the couples. 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 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.
This right side-to-right side contact of the closed hold may have originated from a time when men danced while wearing their swords, which were hung on their left sides. 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. The posture varies for different dances in the American Latin ballroom. Like the Modern Ballroom dancing, the Latin American Ballroom has been standardized for instruction purposes and has a set, internationally recognized vocabulary, technique, rhythm and tempo.