Ballroom dance

The two styles, while differing in technique, rhythm, and costumes, exemplify core elements of ballroom dancing such as control and cohesiveness.

Note that dances of the two schools that bear the same name may differ considerably in permitted patterns (figures), technique, and styling.

Among the dances described were the solemn basse danse, the livelier branle, pavane, and the galliarde which Shakespeare called the "cinq pace" as it was made of five steps.

Ballet technique such as the turned out positions of the feet, however, lingered for over two centuries and past the end of the Victoria era.

The dance was initially met with tremendous opposition due to the semblance of impropriety associated with the closed hold, though the stance gradually softened.

In the meantime a strong tendency emerged to drop all 'decorative' steps such as entrechats and ronds de jambes that had found a place in the Quadrilles and other dances.

Modern ballroom dance has its roots early in the 20th century, when several different things happened more or less at the same time.

Here Vernon and Irene Castle were important, and so was a generation of English dancers in the 1920s, including Josephine Bradley and Victor Silvester.

It was essential, if popular dance was to flourish, for dancers to have some basic movements they could confidently perform with any partner they might meet.

Finally, much of this happened during and after a period of World War, and the effect of such a conflict in dissolving older social customs was considerable.

Although both actors had separate careers, their filmed dance sequences together, which included portrayals of the Castles, have reached iconic status.

Such variations in dance and competition methods are attempts to meets perceived needs in the local market-place.

In competitive ballroom, dancers are judged by diverse criteria such as poise, the hold or frame, posture, musicality and expression, timing, body alignment and shape, floor craft, foot and leg action, and presentation.

Medal evaluations for amateurs enable dancers' individual abilities to be recognized according to conventional standards.

Societies such as the ISTD and UKA also offer medal tests on other dance styles (such as Country & Western, Rock 'n Roll or Tap).

One example of this is the subcategory of cajun dances that originated in Acadiana, with branches reaching both coasts of the United States.

In competitions, competitors are costumed as would be appropriate for a white tie affair, with full gowns for the ladies and bow tie and tail coats for the men; though in American Smooth it is now conventional for the men to abandon the tailsuit in favor of shorter tuxedos, vests, and other creative outfits.

Viennese waltz originated in Provence area in France in 1559 and is recognized as the oldest of all ballroom dances.

It was introduced in England as German waltz in 1812 and became popular throughout the 19th century by the music of Josef and Johann Strauss.

The tango's technique is like walking to the music while keeping feet grounded and allowing ankles and knees to brush against one another during each step taken.

Ballroom tango, however, is a dance with a far more open frame, often utilising strong and staccato movements.

The foxtrot can be danced at slow, medium, or fast tempos depending on the speed of the jazz or big band music.

The Spanish bolero was developed in the late 18th century out of the seguidilla, and its popularization is attributed to court dancers such as Sebastián Cerezo.

A Cuban music genre of the same name, bolero, which became popular in the early 20th century, is unrelated to the Spanish dance.

Modern bolero is seen as a combination of many dances: like a slow salsa with contra-body movement of tango, patterns of rhumba, and rise and fall technique and personality of waltz and foxtrot.

International Ballroom Samba is danced with a slight bounce which is created through the bending and straightening the knee.

[19] It includes Cuban motions through knee-strengthening, figure-eight hip rotation, and swiveling foot action.

Mambo was developed as an offshoot of danzón, the national dance of Cuba, in the late 1930s by Orestes López and his brother Cachao, of Arcaño y sus Maravillas.

In the 1940s, Dámaso Pérez Prado transformed the mambo from the charanga into the big band format, and took it to Mexico and the United States, where it became a "dance craze".

The East Coast swing was established by Arthur Murray and others only shortly after World War II.