This month we are holding our very own Strictly Come Dancing, so pair up and strut your stuff. Costumes can be worn, with lots of glitter and fluffy skirts and the girls can dress up too snorts. Ahem….
You are all invited to choose a partner and a dance to perform, so be as descriptive as possible when you take the floor so we know what you’re dancing rather than worrying you’re having some kind of funny turn.
There is a quiz as usual, 3 simple questions, the answers to which are in the following article on the History of Ballroom Dancing.
After or before depending on whether we get the tweets in the right order, there is also a Spot the Glitterball. You’ll be shown an image of the ballroom, with numbered balls along the top a bit like bingo. All you have to do is choose one numbered ball and hope you’ve guessed the hidden glitterball is hidden beneath it.
And after all that, while you soak your paws in a soothing bowl of warm soapy water, you just need to think up a caption to our ever popular (I heard that! pffft…) ahem… our ever popular photo caption.
At the end of all this frivolity, Admin, thats Nonny Mouse, me (Bonz) and Mac will choose a winner. We will also be the judges of the dance contest!
Right here’s the History of Ballroom so get yer specs on, read it all and find the answers to the quiz when the time comes.
Good luck XPets!
THE HISTORY OF BALLROOM DANCINGDance is one of the oldest human activities that has managed to follow us through our development as a species, our spreading across continents and rise of modern cultures and civilizations. The oldest archeological evidences of dance can be traced to some 9 thousand years ago, and ever since then its presence in historical records grew and took greater significance as they became part of our daily lives, customs and various religious ceremonies.

As the music and dance became more complex and advanced, it started to separate in two distinct forms -one for general population that was practiced openly, and other one for aristocracy and royalty that was practiced in closed environments during special occasions. This separation of dance became especially noticeable in Europe after the end of the Middle Ages, when Renaissance influences born in Italy and France started drastically changing 16th century European lifestyle.

Ballroom dancing was a product of that time, and it signified the tradition of social dancing of the privileged. It name was derived from the word ball, which originated from the Latin word “ballare” which means “to dance”.

After a while, boundaries between high classes and lower classes disappeared, transforming the ballrooms across Europe into places where both folk dances and sophisticated dances can be performed.Dance that left the most significant mark on the Victorian era was none other than waltz. Introduced in early 19th century, this dance managed to spread like a fire across England, fuelled by the excellent 1819 instruction book called “Invitation to the Dance” by Carl Maria von Weber. After initial period of opposition from the general public and aristocracy (they did not like close hold of dance partners), this dance was adopted by all and became one of the most popular dances of all time. Its popularity also spawned creation of many other new types of dances, like Polka, Mazurka, and the Schottische (they all appeared in 1840s). The Waltz is considered the oldest ballroom dance.

In the 1920’s a modern dance emerged, the Charleston named after the town in South Carolina, USA. At around the same time another similar dance emerged namely the Black Bottom in New Orleans USA.

In parts of Europe and Latin America other dances also now come under the ballroom umbrella including the Tango, Bolero, Paso Doble, Samba, Rumba and Tango.

Some dances still tell a story, such as the Paso Doble, a dance performed in Spain illustrating the traditional bullfight. The woman taking the role of the bull with her swirling skirts and the man with matador’s clothes and cloak.

Modern music not previously performed in the ballroom were invented in the 40’s and 50’s one being the Jitterbug. Unlike all other dances before it, now a modern derivative is better known as the Jive and is often included in dance contests such as Strictly Come Dancing.

Cya Sunday pals!