The Various Types Of Ballroom Dancing

It's amazing how so many people today want to learn ballroom dancing. Time was when it was the older people who danced it and it was also a preserve of the well-off. Who really had the time to learn? But with the breaking down of this class system, ballroom dancing has become accessible to everyone and even better, people seem to be enjoying it. It is no longer something you have to know if you belong to a certain class of society – you now learn it if you want to, because you love it.

There are so many different types of ballroom dancing so let us take a look at some of them. Let's start with the old favorite – the waltz. It was a dance form that has its roots in seventeenth century Germany. It is still very much a favorite in many places. Slow, precise and performed with circular and side to side movements, it evokes romance and is a great favorite at weddings and special functions.

It is probably hard to believe but the jive and the swing are also ballroom dances but much more energetic than the waltz or the foxtrot. The swing has a lot of twirling around, with the girl being lifted up and it also involves intricate footwork. It was born in New York at the Savoy Ballroom in the 20s and is still very popular, especially when there is jazz being played. It hasn't changed at all over the years and still has the same steps as when it began.

The jive is very like the swing but is even faster and the arms move even more than the legs and the feet. It was originally a Latin dance but it was in America that it became popular in the rock and roll time of the 50s. The jive needs music that is upbeat and the footwork involves the weight going from one foot to the other.

Then comes the Rumba which is an expression in dance of a woman pursuing the man and it often has movements of the woman around the man. It represents the attraction between the sexes and the steps are small and quick, with the man sometimes pursuing and sometimes the woman. This is one of the sensual ballroom dances and originates from Latin dancing.

The Spanish dance, paso doble is also a favorite today. It is a very sentimental dance and has a lot of meaning behind every move. In this ballroom dance, the woman represents the cape and the man the matador or Spanish bullfighter. Through the dance emerges just how brave and agile the bullfighter is. The steps are swift and forceful.

Then of course, you have the tango, Argentina's cowboy dance. The real reason behind the woman in the dance being held in the crook of the man's arm was because very often, the cowboys came in to the clubs at night straight from riding, without showering and it was easier for the woman in this position. This is a quick dance with a lot of head turning.

Good MONDAY! Take some ballroom dance lessons today.

• Ballroom dance lessons ; with Tiffany Steineck; beginners, 6 p.m.; intermediates, 7 p.m. Mondays through April; Rafters Bar and Grill at Meadowlake Golf Course, 1211 39th St. NE, Canton; 330-492-2010.

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