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| SCD 3: Ballroom Dances |
| Written by Administrator | |
| Saturday, 01 October 2005 | |
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This press release about Strictly Come Dancing has been taken from the BBC website. Strictly Come Dancing's Ballroom Dances The Waltz The waltz has its history rooted in a peasant dance from the Provence area of France in 1559, from a piece of folk music called The Volta. Partners had to hold each other in such a close embrace that many declared it immoral. Louis XIII (1601-1643) even had it banned from court on this account. The Viennese Waltz The Viennese waltz is said to be a derivation of The Landler – a dance developed in Bavaria during the 12th & 13th centuries. The French dispute this saying that, like the traditional waltz, the Viennese waltz was also developed from The Volta. The Tango The gauchos (cowboys) of Argentina wore chaps that hardened from the foam and sweat of the horse's body, causing them to walk with flexed knees. At night they would go to crowded night clubs and ask prostitutes to dance but since the gaucho hadn't showered, the lady would dance in the crook of the man's right arm, holding her head back. Her right hand was held low on his left hip, close to his pocket, looking for a payment for dancing with him. Foxtrot During the summer of 1914, actor Harry Fox was appearing in shows in New York with Yansci Dolly. People at the Jardin de Danse on the roof of the New York Theatre soon started to copy the act that Harry was putting on downstairs, leading them to refer to the dance as Fox's Trot. Quickstep During the Twenties many bands played the foxtrot too fast and some couples couldn't keep up. Over time, a faster version was born, absorbing extra elements of ragtime such as the charleston. This led to the creation of what today we call the quickstep. |
