Ballroom dance refers to types of social dances that require two people to dance together following a few standard steps. Ballroom dance is a derivation from the word 'ball' (social events attended by elites in the early 18th century), that consecutively originates from the Latin word 'ballare' meaning "to dance" that successively comes from the Latin word 'ballare' with the meaning 'to dance'. The most common ballroom dance forms can be distinguished into Viennese Waltz, Modern Waltz, Slow Foxtrot, Tango, Quickstep and the various forms of Latin Dances.
Ballroom dance has its origins in England, sometime between the late 18th century and early 19th century, and was performed by the elite classes of society in balls and parties. By degrees over time and during the nineteenth century, ballroom dance became a fad among the working classes and middle classes who took part in social dance events. In the nineteen hundred twenties, the reputation of ballroom dance contests rose dramatically with the result of the setting up of the Ballroom Branch of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing in Nineteen twenty-four that was instrumental in standardizing the steps, music and performance of ballroom dance. Presently ballroom dance is practiced in Europe, the Asian-Pacific and The Americas too. Official ballroom dance contests referred to as DanceSport are commonly available for ballroom exponents with various degrees of skill levels.
The various ballroom dance forms come from various settings and boast of exclusive artistic values, tempos, techniques and beats. In spite of these discrepancies, all ballroom dance forms have common related characteristics. Executed by a couple (generally by a male and a female, these dances demand that they perform in a set pattern which is prominently referred to as the 'Close Hold'. This posture demands that the 2 people uphold 5 regions of contact, i.e. 3 hand contact spots where the male's left hand holds the female's right hand, the female's left hand is placed on the male's right upper arm and the male's right hand is positioned below the left shoulder blade on the female's back; 1 elbow contact spot where the female's left elbow is positioned on the male's right elbow and both arms are positioned in a horizontal line facilitating the easy movement; 1 chest contact spot where the right area of the chest of the male contacts the right area of the female facilitating the manifestation of feelings and sentiments betwixt the couple.
To conclude, being one of the finest expressions of love, joyfulness and pain between two people, ballroom dance is a fad that will never fade away.
