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Ballroom Dancing, which was earlier considered as an old- fashioned form of dance, has now become popular with the youngsters given the advent of television shows and movies featuring this dance. Youngsters show their interest in learning this form of dance, when there is an occasion in the family or with friends or they just want to perfect their dance skills. Besides being a social skill, Ballroom dance is now also has become a sport and offers significant health benefits.

Ballroom dancing is not an age-specific or gender-specific activity. That is what makes it so popular among masses. People looking for friends or serious partners for love, turn to ballroom dance classes. In addition, people who are despaired because of a misfortune in their personal lives, get an outlet for their emotions when they come for dance. It works like a cure for them, without taking any medicines. It is also a great family pastime. Families can meet over a ballroom dance on weekends and form stronger family bonds. It fosters elegance, self-confidence and balance in you. It is enjoyable and gives immense pleasure.

International Olympic Committee recognizes Competitive Ball Dance as a sport and therefore it is famous as a dance sport. It is very popular in Australia and the United States. People in Australia devote a good part of their free time in learning ballroom dancing skills. Competitions take place all round the year, all over the country and people take part with great zest and enthusiasm.

Ballroom dance has innumerable health advantages. It has an edge over other gym workouts or aerobic exercises, while burning the same amount of calories it will not tire or strain out the dancer as much as other exercises would. It will tone your muscles and make your body more supple, energetic and fit while helping you to lose extra weight. It will develop resistance and benefit your heart and circulatory system.

Dance also benefits our mental health. A person who regularly practices ball dance is: more alert, sleeps better and has an optimistic attitude towards different situations. It is a great stress reliever as well. It has also shown positive results in delaying the progress of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of illness among the aged people. The difference dance makes to our bodies is evident clearly, if you compare the results before and after starting practicing it.

An impulse drives you when you decide to learn something new or vow yourself to remain fit. And it is a great inspiration if you can achieve this with music, fun and frolic.

The explanation of Ballroom Dance cannot be restricted to an exact description or any particular moves. It keeps on changing and growing with time and location and that is the splendor of ballroom dance.

Ballroom dance probably came into being, about two hundred years back, in early nineteenth century in the form of Waltz. About a hundred years later, in early 20th century, the Fox Trot, Tango and Two-Step came. In this century, very frequent variations took place. Rock-n-roll, which is also a kind of Ballroom Dance, came in the 1950s. 1970s saw a huge wave of Disco and partner dancing after the success of ‘Saturday Night Fever.’ Following this, various disco clubs opened all over the country. Completing a full circle of change, ballroom dance is seeing a renewed interest and revival of its ancient form of Country Line and Latin Rhythm Dances.

Ballroom dance has made a comeback in a big way. One can see that these dances are hot favorites at nightclubs and other parties. People now prefer these old ‘couple dances’ with added steps of their own, to make them distinguished dances of their own time. The rules of conventional Ballroom Dance do not apply to these dances.

Professional dance schools and colleges all over the United States teach ballroom dance. Hundreds of students enroll for these classes. Modern teenagers as well as older people consider it hip and trendy. Neighborhood clubs, academies and even churches teach ballroom dance to people of varied age groups and aptitude. The performance of a group will depend upon the skill level and the style the individuals.

There is always a first time, so everyone should go ahead and try it. You will realize that once you are into it, you will want to learn other styles also. If you decide to extend your dance program, it will be a good idea to switch to a different institute with a new set of instructors. This is especially beneficial to enlarge your dancing horizon.

Such social dances provide a romantic and secure social environment. People take pleasure in making new friends in such a surrounding. Youngsters do not prefer the deafening music of nightclubs any more. If one is looking for his or her soul mate, a ballroom dance may be the perfect one. The slow and soothing music also encourages conversation among people, who are trying to know each other. Moreover, it makes for a good source of recreation and physical exercise.

Ballroom Dance is an age-old practice and hence is a vital part of our society and everyday lives of people. Therefore, you can also call it a social dance. It promotes societal relations between the participants, allowing everybody to enjoy and to form friendly relations.

Some typical ballroom dances have been around, since the time they came into being. Like any other dance, ballroom dance has the same basic principles, which vary depending on the kind of music. Once you learn these basics, you will find that many songs that we hear everyday have the perfect music for a ball dance, like Waltz, Fox Trot or Swing. The music in a ballroom dance works on a regular rhythm. It can be slow, quick or triple rhythm. Let us understand about these rhythms.

The first is the slow rhythm, which is equal to two beats. In ‘slow,’ you take a step on the first beat and wait for the second beat. You have to perform it by taking a step with one foot and then completing the step by placing the other foot along the first one. The next comes the ‘quick’ rhythm, which is equal to one beat. Its pace is double than that of ‘slow.’ You take one full step at each beat. You can form a pattern by combining a particular number of ‘quicks’ and ‘slows.’
Finally comes the triple rhythm. When you take three steps quickly, one after the other, you can call it a ‘triple.’ A ‘triple’ is equal to two beats, just as in ‘slow.’ You have to accommodate an extra step between the two steps of ‘slow.’

One must also be familiar with some necessary dance poses in order to be stable on the dance floor and move with fluency. You can learn various positions like closed position, promenade position and Right and Left Parallel Positions in Waltz. After learning the basics, you can practice ballroom dance by playing some music albums. You can choose from a host of options like Latin dancing music, swing music, waltz music, samba music and tango music or wedding music according to your taste.

Same dances emerge in a new form every now and then. There are gradual changes in the forms and therefore not everybody is able to make out the difference. An efficient dancer comprehends the variations and adjusts to the new form very easily.