Ballroom dancing videos and lessons

Though ballroom dance is as old as the middle ages, its modern variations are still enjoyed all over the world. In this style, the symbolic union of two partners who perfectly complement and mirror each other showcases a unique grace and beauty. Ballroom offers the poise of ballet, the excitement of disco, and the romance of the "golden age" of Hollywood. With the exception of the tango, all of the ballroom dances known today originated in the royal courts of Europe, where they emerged from highly stylized folk dances. The tango came from Buenos Aires, Argentina, where it was originally considered a dance for the lower classes.

In the thirties and forties, ballroom dance was popularized by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Their glamorous films depicted well-dressed couples having the times of their lives gliding around vast ballroom floors and prancing down sweeping double staircases. In these movies, ballroom choreography was often paired with tap dancing, which was purely a Hollywood invention. The two dance forms are not typically practiced together.

Today, ballroom is primarily practiced internationally as a competitive sport, sometimes referred to as DanceSport. Competitions are monitored in the United States by USA Dance and internationally by the International DanceSport Federation. Competitions judge participants in the basic dances—waltz, foxtrot, and tango—as well as in their variations: Viennese waltz, slow foxtrot, quickstep, and Argentine and American tangos. "Gold, silver, and bronze" skill levels enable dancers of all levels to participate, and the competitions typically include "Latin" dances as well, which is a classification that encompasses numerous dances ranging from salsa to swing. England's Blackpool Dance Festival is the first and most famous annual competition of this type, although hundreds more are held regularly around the world.

In each type of ballroom dance, a man and woman move together while holding each other in a specific, very rigid, embrace. There are five points of contact between the partners. The man's left hand holds the lady's right at about shoulder level. The lady's left hand rests on top of the man's right upper arm, and the man places his right hand on the lady's left shoulder blade. The lady's left elbow should rest very lightly on the man's right elbow, and the right front area of the partners' chests should touch. The lady stretches her upper torso back and to the left; creating a regal, erect appearance. The man steps forward, counter-clockwise around a large floor space, while the woman steps backward simultaneously, following his lead. Typically, they break contact only momentarily in order to perform certain "open" steps, which serve the purpose of showing off the woman's grace and the beauty of her gown.

The "lead and follow" nature of ballroom dance is the aspect that makes this style particularly intriguing as well as uniquely difficult. Contrary to what many traditionalists believe, most ballroom dancers will tell you that men are not natural leaders and women natural followers. Both skills are difficult to develop, and involve partners becoming sensitive to very subtle signals. The man may indicate his intentions by twisting his torso, turning his head, or stepping forward into the lady's space, while the lady must sense his signals, almost before they are given, in order to appear to move simultaneously. Meanwhile, the man must intuit how long a step the lady is capable of taking, whether she is comfortable with certain turns, and what level of skill she has mastered, so that he does not lead her to do steps she will be unable to follow.
As he dances, he must then spontaneously, yet intelligently, determine the best combination of steps to navigate the turns and straight-aways of the dance floor.

Offering romance, exercise, competition, and intellectual stimulation, ballroom dancing is practiced today at black-tie sporting events, during lessons at studios, and in the private living rooms of honeymooners all over the world.