HISTORY OF DANCE

SPORTName: Ibrahim L. Soliman

Teacher: Ms. Helen Dequina

A brief history of Dancesport

Ireland Ltd.

⬜ The Irish DanceSport Federation, the

Governing Body for DanceSport in Ireland, was

initially founded in 1937 with the title 'The Irish

Society of Amateur Dancers'. The Hon.

Chairman at its founding was Mr George

Begley recently deceased. George and his wife

Madge later became well known as Exhibition

dancers on the International circuit and

reached the pinnacle of their careers in 1953

by winning both British Exhibition

Championships at Blackpool.The pictures on

the right show George and Madge competing

in Blackpool in 1953.

⬜ In 1958 the Society was re-inaugurated and restyled, as a limited company by guarantee, under the title 'The Society of Amateur Ballroom Dancing Ltd'.In 1974 it was recognised internationally as the Governing Body for Amateur Competitive Ballroom Dancing in Ireland and accepted as the sole Irish member of the International Council of Amateur Dancers, the body which is now known as the International DanceSport Federation. This is the Governing Body for DanceSport world-wide and is recognised by and a member of the International Olympic Council.

⬜ In 1992, in line with the emerging trend of distinguishing between

DanceSport, i.e. competitive Ballroom Dancing, and Social and

Medal-Test dancing, the Society was again re-named, on this

occasion to the 'Irish DanceSport Federation'. A link with the

original title is Mr. Barney Meehan who has served on Council

under all three titles.

⬜ In its earlier years and indeed until the mid 1980's DanceSport

was confined, with a few notable exceptions, to Dublin and the

surrounding areas. Since then, the Federation has made great

efforts to spread the DanceSport Gospel to other areas of the

country, and now has affiliated bodies in each of the four

provinces. The affiliates are known by their titles of the Connaught,

Leinster, Munster and Ulster DanceSport Boards.They each have

the delegated responsibility of looking after the interests of

DanceSport in their respective areas.

⬜In 2006,the Leinster

Board was disbanded

due to lack of members.

Dancers in the Leinster

area may now become

direct members of Irish

Dancesport Federation.

History - Waltz

⬜ The forerunner of the waltz was the Boston,

which had been imported from the USA in

1874. However, only from 1922 onwards did

this dance become as fashionable as the

Tango.

⬜ The strange thing about the Boston was that

couples danced next to each other and not like

we are used to doing now. Immediately after

World War I the Waltz got more shape. In 1921

it was decided that the basic movement should

be: step, step, close.

⬜ When in 1922 Victor Sylvester won his

championship English waltz his programme

consisted of not more than a right turn, a left

turn and change of direction (Less than what is

learnt by a present beginner). In 1926/1927 the

waltz was improved considerably. The basic

movement was changed into step, side, shut.

⬜ As a result of this, many different variations

were now possible to dance, which were

standardised by the Imperial Society of

Teachers of Dancing (ISTD). Many of these

variations are still danced.

History - Tango

⬜ This dance comes from South America (mainly

Argentina), where it was first danced in "Barria

de Las Ranas", the ghetto of Buenos Aires.

⬜ It was then known under the name of "Baile

con corte" (dance with a rest). The "dandies" of

Buenos Aires changed the dance in two ways.

First they changed the so-called "Polka rhythm"

into the "Habanere rhythm" and secondly they

called it Tango.

⬜ From 1900 onwards several amateurs tried to

introduce the dance from Argentina into Paris,

but without success. The Paris teacher Robert

made great efforts to make the Tango popular.

Still, the path of the Tango was not strewn with

roses.

⬜ There were many supporters but also many

opponents. Especially the French bishops were

against this dance. They pointed to the

tempting and sensual nature of the Tango, and

those who danced it were said to endanger the

holy sacraments.

⬜ In 1924 Dr Boheme from New York

even discovered a new disease: the

TANGO-foot. The press, too, came

with strange news. On 30 may 1915

the New York Times published an

article with the following headline:

THE TANGO-DANGER, BIGGER

THAN GERMAN IMPERIALISM.

Nowadays such messages would

raise a few eyebrows.

History - Viennese Waltz

⬜ We can return to the 12th an 13th centuries to see

the beginnings of the Viennese waltz in the

"Nachtanz".

⬜ The Viennese waltz originally comes from Bavaria

and was called the "German". However, other

people question this origin of the Viennese waltz.

An article which appeared in the Paris magazine

"La Patrie"(THe Fatherland) on 17 January 1882,

claimed that the waltz was first danced in Paris in

1178, not under the name waltz but as the Volta

from the Provence.

⬜ Presumably this is a dance in 3/4 rhythm, which

the French regard as the forerunner of the

Viennese waltz. The first waltz-melodies date from

1770. It was introduced in Pairs in 1775, but it took

some time before it was danced everywhere.

⬜ In 1813 Mr. Byron condemned the waltz as being

unchaste. In 1816 the waltz was also accepted in

England. But that the struggle against it was not

yet over was shown in 1833, when a book about

good behaviour was published by Miss Celbart.

According to her it was allowed for married ladies

to perform this dance, but she called it "a dance of

too loose character for maidens to perform"

History - Slowfox

⬜ The Slow-foxtrot came into being long

before the Waltz. The dance has a lot of

variations which later, adapted or not,

were imported into the Waltz. This dance

is one of the most natural dances from

which the jury members can see whether

a couple can dance or not. the

movements are natural and faithful to the

normal walk.

⬜ At the end of World War I the (slow-)foxtrot

mainly consisted of: walks, three-steps, a slow

walk an a sort of spinturn. At the end of 1918

the wave arose, then known as the "jazz-roll".

The American Morgan introduced a sort of

open spinturn, the "Morgan-turn", in 1919.

⬜ In 1920 Miss Josephine Bradley danced withe

Mr G.K. Anderson, a dancer with with many

natural talents, to whom we owe many (slow-

)foxtrot figures. In imitation of these wonderful

dancers the feather-step and the change of

direction were introduced, more or less by

chance.

⬜ It is impossible to imagine our

present Slow-foxtrot without these

two figures. The on-end dancing of

steps dates from 1922. The making

of "heelturns" was not known yet. It

was Mr Frank Ford, winner of the

"star-championships", to whom we

owe most "new" figures which are

still danced.

QUICKSTER

⬜ The Quickstep is derived from the Foxtrot.

During the twenties many bands played the

Slow Foxtrot too fast, 50 Bars/min, the large

open steps from the Foxtrot could not be

danced on this speed.

⬜ The English developed from the original

Charleston a progressive dance without kicks

and made a mixture with the above mentioned

fast foxtrot the called this dance "the Quicktime

Foxtrot and Charleston".

⬜ The English couple Frank Ford and Molly

Spain danced on the 'Star' Championships of

1927 a version of this Quicktime Foxtrot and

Charleston without the characteristic

Charleston knee actions and made it a dance

for two instead of solo. The figures were

Quarter Turns, Cross Chassées, Zig-zags,

Cortes, Open Revers Turns, and Flat

Charleston. In 1928/1929 the Quickstep was

definitly born with the characteristic chassées

steps.

Cha Cha Cha

⬜ The Cha Cha evolved from one of three

versions of the Mambo, a dance born in Cuba

and introduced to the West in 1947. The "Triple

Mambo", one of those versions, became very

popular in the early 1950s and was

subsequently renamed the Cha Cha. As music

always dictates the dance, the tripple or split-

beat steps were inserted when a slower

version of the Mambo was being played.

History - Rumba

⬜ Many Africans came to the Americas because of

the slave trade. They brought with them their own

culture. (read "dance")

⬜ The Rumba developed as a Cuban dance. This

dance has been standardized, in spite of the fact

that there are many Cuban Rumba variations. In its

recent form of basic figures, this dance contains

the age-old premise of the lady, trying to dominate

the gentleman by means of her womanly charms.

In a well choreographed dance you will always find

elements of teasing and Withdrawal.

⬜ The gentleman is being seduced

and then rejected. The sensual

and erotic movements of the lady

are being answered by the

gentleman through his

movements, his desire for her,

and his attempts to prove his

manhood by physical

domination. Unfortunately, at the

end he never succeeds.

History - Pasodoble

⬜ Without a doubt a Spanish dance, but also discovered early in Mexico. Play the music and instantly everybody is transported into a Spanish ambience.

⬜ It will quickly conjure up a bullfight. It is obvious that the gentleman represents the "torero", the bullfighter , but erroneously one sometimes sees the lady as "el toro", the bull. She in reality portrays the "cappa", the bullfighter's red cloth. This dance was already popular here in 1920.

History - Jive

⬜ It is an exquisite, swinging dance which

conquered the West after 1940 under the name

of Jitterbug. Also the Bebop, Rock ‘n Roll and

the American Swing influenced this dance.

⬜ It is a fast dance. With this dance, contest

participants are able to show that, after four

dances, they still are not tired (the Jive is the

last dance in a series of five) and that they still

can go full steam. Sometimes this turns out to

be only an illusion.

Formation Dancing

⬜ Formation dancing originated in 1932 in London's Astoria Ballroom. It was Olive Ripman who introduced it under the name "pattern dancing". Soon it became a competitive dance form.

⬜ Formation team contests began in the 1930s in England, and spread to many other countries. International matches have taken place. Formation dances were an important part of the BBC TV program Come Dancing when Frank and Peggy Spencer's formation teams competed against Constance Millington's team. The peak of popularity was in the 1960s, and is now growing from strength to strength with formation teams from all over the world competing against each other.