Jazz » Big Band/Swing » Ballroom Dance

The Ballroom Dance form, which is actually a relatively loose term and not as strict as many think, became prominent in 1812 and continued to develop throughout the intervening century. The waltz helped develop ballroom dancing and can easily be discerned as constituting two-thirds of these dance and musical forms. The waltz itself developed in Austria and was eventually surpassed in practice by the U.S. and Britain. In fact, most ballroom innovations and continuities are to be found in the British Isles. Ballroom dances may seem more serious than other forms of dance, and to some extent they are. The major characteristic of the ballroom dance, however, is not the serious nature of the music but rather the fact that the couples continue dancing together, arm in arm (or touching), and remain together throughout the dance -- there is no switching of partners unless someone "cuts in." One partner is generally held and guided by the other. Until the development of the waltz, couples were often apart on the dance floor or switched partners in the course of the dance -- even in such renowned forms as the minuet.