For as long as there has been life, there has been dancing in one form or another. Be it as a way of socializing, a ritualistic form of celebration, telling a story, entertainment or a way of stirring up the emotions of unifying people before going to war, dance has diversified and evolved throughout the ages along the length and breadth of the world.
Originally (late 16th, early 17th century) dancing ballroom was considered to be the social pastime of the upper classes where you would dance in sequence with either a partner or partners, taking place within the confines of a large ballroom specially designed for the occasion.
Modern dance evolved in the early 20th century, with a movement away from the traditional sequence dances towards dances where the couples moved independently, helped by the introduction of popular music. The basic movements for particular dance routines such as the Waltz, Salsa, Quickstep, Rumba, Tango, Cha Cha and Jive also became more standardized resulting in ballroom becoming more readily available to people from all walks of society.
Following on, dancing also became more competitive with dancers being judged on such things as poise, the hold or frame, posture, musicality and expression, timing, body alignment and shape, floor craft, foot and leg action, and presentation, culminating in highly popular TV shows like “Dancing with the Stars”
Dancing Health Benefits
But dance is not just a simple matter of learning where to move your feet. It can be the equivalent of an aerobic workout strengthening your cardiovascular system, whilst improving your muscle tone sense of balance and coordination. The result is greater confidence and self esteem. In fact these benefits have led to a whole new science known as dance therapy which uses dance movements in the treatment of physical ailments such as arthritis and behavioural conditions such as ADHD.
Social Ballroom Dance Benefits
For the majority of dancers, the appeal is the social interaction that comes with it; the ability to meet new people and forge new friendships through a common interest. The closeness of the dances can help maintain the romance between couples, while for single people, what better way to introduce oneself to that certain person without the embarrassment of trying to stimulate and maintain interesting conversation than asking them for a dance.
Plus dress for dancing in any of a range of dancewear clothes ranging from leotards to sexy belly dance apparel to costume dresses, then not only will you feel fantastic, but your confidence will soar.
With so many different types of dances ranging from a waltz to a quickstep or a rumba to a salsa there is a dance to appeal to everyone irrespective of their ages or abilities, not to mention a dance for those special occasions such as weddings.
