English Ballroom Dance

English Ballroom Dance

by Benjamin Secino

English Ballroom Dance

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Abstract

This milestone explores modern English Ballroom Dance styles, techniques, and histories. Specifically, the objective of this milestone will be to provide a historical background for International Waltz, to experience this and other International styles through classes, and to generate a video demonstration of an International Waltz routine.

Prior to embarking on this milestone, Benjamin Secino took over one hundred hours of Ballroom classes at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, learning International Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep, American Waltz, Foxtrot, International Cha Cha, Rumba, Jive, Mambo, Bolero, Samba, American Cha Cha, Rumba, East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, and Lindy Hop. Benjamin competed in four collegiate Ballroom competitions, winning five ribbons. Benjamin is also the Treasurer of the WPI Ballroom Dance Team.

Introduction

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Section 1: Background

Starting in the Middle Ages, Ballroom Dance evolved in Europe as a series of court dances. Although these dances were highly formal in nature, and were most often performed facing the throne, they owed many of their steps to folk dances . Indeed, besides location and atmosphere, very little distinction existed between court and folk dancing . In both cases, lines of dancers moved around the floor in lines or circles, joining together and moving apart as a group . One reason behind this style of movement was the constraint put upon dancers by the rooms they occupied. In the Middle Ages, it was common for rooms to have a central hearth, completely blocking the center of the floor . This forced dancers to move in lines around the periphery of the floor, or to dance in compact square or circular arrangements. Even when chimneys and hearths began to move to the sides of dance floors, the contra dance style remained dominant .

Within the overarching contra dance style, new variations were constantly being introduced . Each of these dances needed to be learned and memorized before it could be performed on the dance floor. Learning these dances required either a dedicated instructor or the study of a dance manuel. One of the earliest dance manuels was written by John Playford in 1651, and features instructions and music for one hundred fifty dances . For the next several hundred years, the only major developments in social dancing were these ever-new variations. But while these variations allowed for social dance to take on different characteristics and flavors, they stopped short of delivering anything fundamentally new. This revolution would have to wait until 1812, the year that Waltz entered into the repertoire of English Ballroom dance.

Waltz: Dancing to a New Tune

Waltz differed from all previous English ballroom dances in several fundamental ways. Waltz introduced body contact, a sustained close hold, and a great deal of rapid spinning, all of which came as a shock to English culture. Waltz first entered England in 1812 through an elite dance club in London called Almack's Assembly Rooms. At the time, Almack's served as a "marriage market" for debutantes, a place where aspiring young men and women would search for a match. The dance quickly gained popularity in this atmosphere, and garnered a less-than-savory reputation. Lord Byron was among the early skeptics, releasing a poem in 1813 titled, "Waltz: An Apostrophic Hymn," an excerpt of which appears below.

Waltz—Waltz—alone both legs and arms demands,
Liberal of feet—and lavish of her hands;
Hands which may freely range in public sight,
Where ne’er before—but—pray ‘put out the light.’
Methinks the glare of yonder chandelier
Shines much too far—or I am much too near;
And true, though strange—Waltz whispers this remark;
'My slippery steps are safest in the dark!'

Unfortunately for Byron, the popularity of Waltz quickly spread through the city and even gained a foothold with the Royal Family. Waltz was included in the 1816 royal ball, the Regent's Fête. In reaction to its appearance at the ball, the London Times published an editorial decrying the "voluptuous" dance, stating:

So long as this obscene display was confined to prostitutes and adulteresses, we did not think it deserving of notice; but now that it is attempted to be forced on the respectable classes of society by the evil example of their superiors, we feel it a duty to warn every parent against exposing his daughter to so foul a contagion.

Despite these strong words (or perhaps because of them), waltz became one of the favorite dances of the working and middle classes, who would practice at public dance halls. It is reported that Queen Victoria herself was an admirer of the waltz, and received extensive private lessons. To her regret, though, Queen Victoria could seldom practice the waltz in public because it was considered "undignified for the Sovereign to dance in the arms of a subject."
Waltz continued to grow in popularity through the late 19th and early 20th centuries, gaining in both legitimacy and formality. Waltz had become the primary social dance in England by the mid-19th century, and retained this honor until World War I. It wasn't until the introduction of dances even more salacious than the Waltz in the 1910s that its popularity began to wane.

Read More about the Waltz

American Influence on the English Ballroom

Starting in the early 20th century, America started to have a significant impact on the popular dance styles in England and Europe. The first challenger to Waltz's dominance came just before the start of World War I. Foxtrot "crept in, like a cat, from America" when exhibition dancers Vernon and Irene Castele gave an original performance. Foxtrot became more popular than the Waltz during World War I, and remained a crowd favorite for many years after.

Rag music and jazz first arrived in England from America in 1911, and new dances based on these rhythms were quick to follow. Before this period, popular English dances had almost exclusively come from France. With Ragtime, dances were suddenly coming from New York. These dances were far less restricted than anything seen previously, appealing to the younger generation. Many of these were the Animal Dances, a category that included The Grizzly Bear, Foxtrot, Duck Waddle, Bunny Hug, and the Turkey Trot. Dances in this category were comprised of walking, trotting, or swaying around the dancefloor in an imitation of a certain animal. The majority of these dances were short-lived crazes, but they did influence later dances like the Quickstep.

During this period, Ballroom was democratized. The Animal Dances and their descendants were highly syncopated to the beat of the music and could be easily learned by the public at large. This allowed ballroom to expand in popularity.

Competitions and Standardization

Starting in the early 1920s, dance clubs in London began to hold Ballroom Dance Competitions. These early competitions tended to each showcase a single style of dance, such as the tango, waltz, or foxtrot. As the popularity of competitions increased, larger competitions were organized. The first competition featuring multiple styles was held in March of 1922. A decade and a half later in 1936, the first World Championship took place in Bad Nauheim, Germany, bringing together competitors from fifteen nations and three continents.

As the popularity of competitive Ballroom grew, so did the standardization of the different styles. In the 1920s, the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing formed a Ballroom branch focused on creating standards for each of the styles. These standards made it easier for judges to rank competitors on the dance floor. A major component of this standardization was the development of the Syllabus, an internationally-recognized document which contains the legal moves for each dance. The Syllabus is still in use today.

Recent History

In the latter half of the 20th century, Ballroom dancing experienced a decline in popularity. This follows the trend of partner dancing, which has been in decline since the early 1960s. The cause of this trend is believed by many to be the growing inaccessibility to the public of partner dances, which require some foreknowledge of steps and figures. The initial decrease in popularity was most likely caused by dances like the twist, which appeared in the early 1960s. The twist is not danced with a partner, and requires much less training than any Ballroom dance.

Ballroom dance experienced a partial revival in the 1980s with the popularization of televised competitions. Popularity again increased with the 2004 television series Strictly Come Dancing, and again with the ongoing television series Dancing With The Stars . Today, likely because of the influences of these shows, modern Ballroom dance is largely centered around the competitive arena.

Section 2: Deliverable

Additional Image

An overview of the classes taken and the routines learned.

International Waltz

An explanation of the Waltz routine and a video of a performance.

Gallery

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Conclusion

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External Links

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Image Gallery

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