The Origins of Ballroom Dancing

Where and when exactly did Ballroom Dance originate you may ask?  That my friend, is a good question.

It all started back sometime in the 16th century.  The peasants at the time developed some partner dances involving a man and a woman, and they would dance these at social occasions.  Soon the higher classes of France and England adopted this custom, and they formed balls at which there was much fanfare and much ado about clothing.

Over the next hundred years or so, Ballroom continued to grow in popularity, and certain rules were formed for the execution of each dance.

Around the 18th century, it became common practice for nobility to entertain their guests with elaborate balls.

In the 19th century, you would have started seeing the lower classes influence the world of Ballroom Dance again, as dances like the Polka surfaced.

Eventually America discovered Ballroom in the early 20th century, and Ballroom started taking off in popularity.  Despite its popularity, the interest in Ballroom slowed a bit in the mid 20th century, but it maintained a good crowd of people who really enjoyed it.

Recently there has been a resurgence in the popularity of Ballroom, much to the thanks of some popular TV shows like Dancing with the Stars.

So at the beginning of the 21st century, Ballroom is alive and well!

This is a very very brief history of Ballroom Dancing, I hope you enjoyed the fruits of my research!

-Aaron Mullen