When you think of athletic competitions, chances are you probably don't think of ballroom dancing. Most people tend to think of football games, tennis matches, or track and field meets. While all of these certainly qualify for an athletic competition, you probably already know exactly what to anticipate as a spectator. However, ballroom dance competitions shed a different light on athleticism and are by far entertaining to watch.
Until recently, ballroom dance was something associated with older generations or the wealthy. Around the late 1980's, ballroom dancing began to take light once again but faded around 1995. It remained on the back burner of America's athletic competitions until 1999, when it suddenly gained popularity and has remained stable ever since. With the media taking an interest in ballroom dancing over the past few years, more and more people are learning and competing in ballroom dancing.
Some of the most popular ballroom dance competitions are hosted by Access Dance with competitions held nationwide. Competitions are held all year long with prizes ranging in money to vacation packages. The competition is divided into three main categories: youth, amateur, and professional. This allows everyone of all ages and ability levels to compete in ballroom dancing.
The Maryland Institute of Technology (MIT) also hosts an annual ballroom dance competition. The competition is open to members of the MIT ballroom dance team and anyone else who would like to compete. The competition is divided up according the style of dance you want to enter - for example, the mambo, jive, paso doble, etc. Each dance is classified into two categories, beginning and intermediate, with everyone invited to compete at the championship level. The cost for entering this competition ranges between $10 and $40 depending on your skill level and which category you are entering.
Perhaps the most notorious ballroom dance competition is "Dancing with the Stars", aired twice annually on ABC. This highly addictive dance competition features celebrities from various backgrounds, from the entertainment industry to athletes. The most recent champion of ballroom dancing, Apollo Anton Ono, is a gold-medal Olympic speed skater who had no prior knowledge of ballroom dancing prior to the competition. The prior season of "Dancing with the Stars" also produced a winner from the athlete genre, Emmitt Smith, a former NFL player for the Dallas Cowboys. This competition pairs up celebrities with no ballroom dance knowledge with professional partners who teach ballroom dance. It begins with ten couples and each week, viewers eliminate a couple by voting for their favorite. It was after the first season of "Dancing with the Stars" that people took an interest in ballroom dancing and the craze soon spread all over the world. Now, over twenty countries host their own version of this televised ballroom dance competition.
If you are interested in competing in ballroom dancing, a simple search of the internet will provide you with information regarding a competition near you. Even if you are just starting out, there are competitions for every skill level and ability.
Ballroom dancing has been around for decades upon decades producing thousands of dancers, and judges. These are all people dedicated to their craft. Some are big names that everyone knows but most, the average person would never recognize.
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are probably two of the most recognizable names when it comes to dancers. Fred Astaire, a native of Omaha, Nebraska was born in 1899. He started studying dance at the age of 4 and by the time he was 7 he and his sister Adele had formed their own vaudeville act. By the time he hit his mid-twenties he had already garnered international acclaim for his roles on Broadway. In 1933 he landed his first film role, a small dancing part in Dancing Lady and later that same year he and Ginger Rogers appeared in their first film together, the musical comedy Flying Down to Rio. Ginger Rogers was born in 1911 in Independence, Missouri. Her mother's big ambitions for her took down the same roads as Fred Astaire, vaudeville, Broadway, then Hollywood. Fred Astaire danced with many ladies over his long career but none of them matched the chemistry he had with Ginger Rogers.
Irene and Vernon Castle were among the first to make a career out of social dancing. At the time the world was looking for something new, more exciting, less stiff and somber. The Castles, both athletes had an exotic, stylish air about them. They were a breath of fresh air for the world of dance for the short time before the world war brought everything to a halt.
Gocha Chertkoev and Shorena Gachechiladze are powerful competitors who have become much sought after performers. Originally from the Soviet Republic they have trained in ballet, jazz, disco and ballroom. They have performed on the "Championship Ballroom Dancing" for five years running and hold many titles between them.
Cheryl Burke is the 2005 World Cup Professional Rising Star Latin Champion. She is one of the pros, and the only one to have won 2 straight seasons, on the popular television show Dancing With the Stars. Cheryl grew up in San Francisco, California and began dancing at the age of four. At the age of 10 Cheryl came to the realization that ballroom wasn't "just for old people" and started training in both the Standard and Latin dances.
Jonathon Roberts, another pro from Dancing With the Stars has half a dozen championships under his belt. He had a strong background in basketball and other sports but after watching Al Pacino dance his famous Tango in Scent of a Woman basketball took a backseat to ballroom dancing.
Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman are the three judges on Dancing With the Stars. Carrie Ann was a professional dancer, choreographer and director; Bruno was also a dancer and a top-notch choreographer and Len, specialized in Exhibition Dancing winning the British Exhibition four times. He is also an accomplished judge of professional Latin dance competitions.
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