Editing Ballroom dance (section)

== Definitions and history ==
[[File:Galliard.jpg|right|thumb|130px|Galliard in [[Siena]], Italy, 15th century]]
The term 'ballroom dancing' is derived from the word ''ball'' which in turn originates from the Latin word ''ballare'' which means 'to dance' (a ball-room being a large room specially designed for such dances). In times past, ballroom dancing was [[Social dance|social dancing]] for the privileged, leaving [[folk dancing]] for the lower classes. These boundaries have since become blurred. The definition of ballroom dance also depends on the era: balls have featured popular dances of the day such as the [[Minuet]], [[Quadrille]], [[Polonaise (dance)|Polonaise]], [[Polka]], [[Mazurka]], and others, which are now considered to be [[historical dance]]s.

=== Early modern period ===
The first authoritative knowledge of the earliest ballroom dances was recorded toward the end of the 16th century, when Jehan Tabourot, under the pen name "[[Thoinot Arbeau|Thoinot-Arbeau]]", published in 1588 his ''Orchésographie'', a study of late 16th-century French renaissance social dance. 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.<ref name=silvester/>

In 1650, the [[Minuet]], originally a peasant dance of [[Poitou]], was introduced into Paris and set to music by [[Jean-Baptiste Lully]] and danced by the King [[Louis XIV]] in public. The Minuet dominated the ballroom from that time until the close of the 18th century.

Toward the later half of the 17th century, Louis XIV founded his '[[Académie Royale de Musique|Académie Royale de Musique et de Danse]]', where specific rules for the execution of every dance and the "[[Positions of the feet in ballet|five positions]]" of the feet were formulated for the first time by members of the Académie. Eventually, the first definite cleavage between ballet and ballroom came when professional dancers appeared in the ballets, and the ballets left the Court and went to the stage. Ballet technique such as the [[Turnout (ballet)|turned out]] positions of the feet, however, lingered for over two centuries and past the end of the Victoria era.<ref name=silvester />

===19th century===
The waltz with its modern hold took root in England in about 1812; in 1819 [[Carl Maria von Weber]] wrote ''[[Invitation to the Dance (Weber)|Invitation to the Dance]]'', which marked the adoption of the waltz form into the sphere of absolute music. The dance was initially met with tremendous opposition due to the semblance of impropriety associated with the closed hold, though the stance gradually softened.<ref name=silvester>Silvester, Victor 1993. ''Modern Ballroom Dancing''; rev. ed. London: Stanley Paul. (1st edition: London: H. Jenkins, 1927)</ref> In the 1840s several new dances made their appearance in the ballroom, including the [[polka]], [[mazurka]], and the [[Schottische]]. 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.

=== Early 20th century ===
[[File:Vernon and Irene Castle2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Vernon and Irene Castle]], early ballroom dance pioneers, {{Circa|1910}}–18]]
Modern ballroom dance has its roots early in the 20th century, when several different things happened more or less at the same time. The first was a movement away from the sequence dances towards dances where the couples moved independently. This had been pre-figured by the waltz, which had already made this transition. The second was a wave of popular music, such as [[jazz]]. Since dance is to a large extent tied to music, this led to a burst of newly invented dances. There were many dance crazes in the period 1910–1930.

The third event was a concerted effort to transform some of the dance crazes into dances which could be taught to a wider dance public in the U.S. and Europe. Here [[Vernon and Irene Castle]] were important, and so was a generation of English dancers in the 1920s, including [[Josephine Bradley]] and [[Victor Silvester]]. These professionals analysed, codified, published, and taught a number of standard dances. 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. Here the huge [[Arthur Murray]] organisation in America, and the dance societies in England, such as the [[Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing]], were highly influential. 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.<ref name=Franks/><ref>Richardson P.J S. 1948. ''The history of English ballroom dancing (1900–1945)''. London: Jenkins</ref>

Later, in the 1930s, the on-screen dance pairing of [[Fred Astaire]] and [[Ginger Rogers]] influenced all forms of dance in the U.S. and elsewhere. Although both actors had separate careers, their filmed dance sequences together, which included portrayals of the Castles, have reached iconic status.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.musicals101.com/1930film3.htm |title=History of Musical Film, by John Kenrick |year=1996 |access-date=2008-05-29 |publisher=Musicals101.com| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080511172708/http://www.musicals101.com/1930film3.htm| archive-date= 11 May 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> Much of Astaire and Rogers' work portrayed social dancing, although the performances were highly choreographed (often by Astaire or [[Hermes Pan (choreographer)|Hermes Pan]]) and meticulously staged and rehearsed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19980215/REVIEWS08/401010363/1023 |title=Review of "Swing Time" (1936) |date=1998-02-15 |access-date=2008-05-29 |publisher=[[Roger Ebert|rogerebert.com]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080503164308/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19980215%2FREVIEWS08%2F401010363%2F1023 |archive-date=2008-05-03 }}</ref>