Ballroom dance

Ballroom dance is a style of partner dance which originated in the western world and is now enjoyed both socially and competitively around the globe. Its performance and entertainment aspects are also widely enjoyed on stage, in film, and on television.

Performance and exhibition

While nightclub and street dances tend to focus on connection between partners and musicality, ballroom dances tend to focus more on performing to an audience. Of course, ballroom dancers do learn about connection and musicality, and club dancers are often excellent performers. But, ballroom dancers will tend to put appearance above connection, while club dancers will tend to focus primarily on their partners.

Related Topics:
Nightclub - Street

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Consequently, competitive ballroom dance essentially consists of a number of couples, each performing for the audience's attention. Since ballroom dance is so participation-oriented, most of the audience are themselves dancers, so this format works well; everyone gets a chance to try to outperform their peers.

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However, there are several noncompetitive forms of ballroom performance. Visiting professionals will generally give a showcase as part of a workshop, and often the winners of the higher levels of competition will be invited to give a short victory dance after the awards are presented. Studios also commonly hold showcases where their students can show off what they've learned.

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There is also a growing interest in formation dance, which is also performance-oriented.

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