According to Wikipedia, the term "ballroom dancing" is derived from the word ball, which in turn, originates from the Latin word ballare which means "to dance". It used to refer to social dancing for the privileged, while folk dancing are for the lower classes, but obviously the lines have blurred since then. I kinda wonder why ballroom dancing isn't as popular as it was decades ago? I find that there's nothing more exciting or romantic than letting the guy take the lead and twirl you around and around till you drop... Well, obviously there is, but it's not something I can blog about freely without getting scandalous comments. Hehe. :P
Seriously, are there still any places left here in the city that actually play ballroom dance music, aside from those that regularly hold ballroom dancing competition? Why did the fad die? When did it become so baduy*? Do guys think it's gay-ish if they actually admit to the fact that they can dance or that they actually like the salsa? Or maybe guys today just can't move their bodies like the way the hot guys from the early 1900s can? You know what they say about guys who can shake their booties... :P
If you ask me, the main reason why ballroom dancing remains so mysterious and sexy is precisely because the leader (i.e. the guy of your dreams) has to be strong and manly enough to assert certain contact and direction to be able to let his partner know the next move and make her follow his lead. And as such, the follower (i.e. the dreamy-eyed girl) has to respond to his actions. I know it's kinda back-in-the-caves way of thinking, but you just gotta admire someone who is forceful, yet at the same time, graceful. Compare it to disco dancing (or is it just disco?), where everybody can just move around freely.Touching is optional. Apparently, there's no leader-and-follower concept in modern dancing. It's just moving your arms and hips from one side to another aimlessly. I have to admit that disco has its uses (especially in burning calories), but feel free give me ballroom dancing anytime.
*Baduy is a Filipino word that means that it is already out of fashion and you shouldn't be caught dead with it or doing it.
2 comments:
The perfect example would be Al Pacino in "Scent of a Woman." It takes a certain kind of guy to pull it off. Compare him with Tobey Maguire in Spiderman 3 who did all the moves right, but didn't come out as smooth and sexy as Al Pacino. So rather than come out amateurish dancing the ballroom dance, guys would rather try other dances where mediocrity is the norm and skill is not a necessity.
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