A large room inside a building specially built for the arrangement of private parties is called a ballroom. These parties are known as balls. Mostly the parties were held at the private residence in a large room such as a drawing room or a big hall. In modern times the term ballroom is used to describe the nightclubs where people dance and enjoy themselves. The ballrooms are different from living rooms.
The ballrooms are mostly quiet and have a higher ceiling as compared to a general room. Now, these ballrooms are used for dancing purposes. The dancing requires a large space for steps formation. So, the presence of ballrooms has given rise to ballroom dancing.
Features of a good dance ballroom
The ballroom dances are very common nowadays. These dances require a large space. Firstly, the parties were done at home but now the trend in the ballroom is increasing. Some of the features of a good ballroom are:
- This room should be an open space so that a dancer can easily perform his steps. The ballroom dances are mostly performed by couples so the area of the room must be big enough to accommodate a good number of couples.
- The ballroom must be quiet. The walls should be designed in such a way that the music played must be fully audible to the people. Mostly the music of orchestra is played. This music requires a silent place.
- The floor of the ballroom matters a lot. The floor can be of marble or made up of wood. Mostly the floor of hardwood is used in the dance ballroom of U.S. the wood floor is better as the dancer has less chance of slippery. Sometimes during a contemporary dance, most of the dancers perform bare-footed.
- The ceiling of the ballroom is kept a greater height as compared to any other room. This is because the music will remain within the room due to the phenomena of total internal reflection of sound waves. The sound will be clear to the performers and the audience.
- These must be no obstructions and hurdles like pillars or any other wall in the ballroom. The ballroom must be an open space. The room must be closed from three sides with one side used only for the small entrance. There must be a special arrangement for the musical instruments on one side of the room.
- Some of the ballrooms have stages in the front. That stage can be used by the instrumentalists. Any special guest can also use that stage to speak.
Hardwood floor U.S ballrooms
Some of the U.S ballrooms which have the above-mentioned traits are:
- Coliseum ballroom having an area of 20,000 sq. ft. it is located at Sandusky, Ohio.
- Aragon Ballroom. Its area is 20,000 sq. ft. it was made in 1926 in Chicago, Illinois.
- Casino ballroom having an area of 14,000 sq. ft. it is located in Avalon< California. It was designed in1929.
- Cotillion Ballroom is located at Waikiki, Hawaii. Its area is 11,000 sq. ft. it was designed in 1960.
- Sunnybrook Ballroom is located at Pottstown, Pennsylvania. It was made in 1931 and its area is 15,200 sq. ft.
- Val Air ballroom located at Des Moines, Iowa has an area of 8,750 sq. ft. it was designed in 1961.
- In Silver Spring, Maryland Hollywood Ballroom is located. Its area is 7,200 sq. ft.
- The Elite Hall of Hyrum, Utah is very famous for its interior designing. Its area is 7,000 sq. ft. it was designed in 1917.
- Hammerstein ballroom of Manhattan, New York was made in 1906. It covered area is 6,100 sq. ft.
Ballroom dance
It is a type of social dancing. It is most commonly practiced in Europe and the United States. In this dancing, the couples follow the given steps. The origin of ballroom dancing lies in the European court dancing of 17th and 18 centuries. In the 21st century, this dancing is present in many parts of the world. This dance is performed on many public and professional dance exhibitions. The ballroom dance can also be viewed on many formal competitions.
Types of ballroom dance
The top traditional ballroom dances include:
1- Waltz
It is a romantic dance. It has 28 bars per minute and it is performed for 3 or 4 minutes. It is the most commonly done ballroom dance.
2- Tango
It is 32 bars per minute. It is different from Argentine Tango. This dance can be sensual. It is a 2 to 4 minutes signature dance.
3- Foxtrot
It is an American dance. It is performed on jazz music. The rhythm of the dance can be fast or slow depending on the musical band.
4- Quickstep
This dance is just like Foxtrot. As its name shows that it will be a faster dance than Foxtrot. This dance is mostly performed in colorful lights and at nightclubs.
5- Viennese Waltz
This dance is an old Waltz dance. This starts in the ballroom as the # to 4-time starts. It is also known as the old school’ Waltz.
6- International Latin Samba
It is a partnered dance. It is a bouncy dance. It is done in competitions. In Brazil, it is considered a national dance and it is performed solo.
7- Cha-Cha
This type of dance is a flirting dance. This dance involves many hip movements. It is a slow dance.
8- Rumba
It is a complex dance. This dance involves many sexy hip movements. This is considered the most romantic dance in all ballroom dances. It is the most passionate dance. The couple enjoys this dance very much.
9- Jive
It is a spicy swing dance. In this dance, the women encourage more men to dance with them. In this dance, the men lead. This dance is performed on bid band music.
10- Paso Doble
It is a unique ballroom dance. In this dancing man dances like a bull. The women play the role of bullfighter.it is a couple of dance. This dance requires a big space so it is mostly done in a ballroom.