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Sunday 5 February 2012

Ballroom Dancing

Ballroom dancing encompasses several different styles, including the Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango, Quickstep, Viennese Waltz, Rumba, Cha-Cha, Samba, Paso Doble, Jive, and more.

The 1385 marriage of Charles VI of France and Isabella of Bavaria-Straubing is recognized as the first French court ball.

The term "ballroom" originally referred to a large room in which balls and dances were held, typically in palaces or grand residences.

The waltz, a dance in 3/4 time, was first introduced to the Austrian court in the 17th century. It probably evolved from an old Austrian-German peasant dance, the Landler.

Some people, however, found waltzing undignified, and in 1760 the performance of waltzes was banned by the church in parts of Germany.

The waltz became fashionable in Vienna around the 1780s, spreading to many other countries in the years to follow.

Its entry in the Oxford English Dictionary shows that the waltz was considered "riotous and indecent" as late as 1825 in England.


Polka, a sprightly, hopping, round dance in 2/4 time originated in Bohemia about 1830. It became a ballroom craze in the mid-19th century, spreading throughout Europe and the Americas in many versions

The Rumba evolved in Havana, Cuba in the 1870s. It became an internationally popular ballroom dance for couples in the 1930s.

The immense popularity of dancers Vernon and Irene Castle in the years before World War I led to the popularity of social dancing in the US. Ballrooms and nightclubs for dancers began to appear across the country, and from Argentina, the tango, were danced by many.


In 1914 Harry Fox and his Orchestra introduced a new dance at the New Amsterdam Roof Garden in New York City. The word 'foxtrot' describing the dance appeared for the first time in the 1915 Victor record catalogue.

Dancing to jazz music and tango bands was criticized in Paris in the early 1920s. It seems that dancing was detracting the French from their postwar reconstruction, according to La Revue Mondiale.


Ballroom dancing was popularized through various mediums, including movies. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are renowned for their elegant ballroom dance routines in classic Hollywood films.

Ballroom dancing offers numerous physical and mental benefits, including improved coordination, cardiovascular fitness, balance, flexibility, and social interaction.

Ballroom dancing for an hour will burn around 352 calories.

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