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Through the years, ballroom dancing, a form of dancing that is done by pair, has turned from a public activity into a competitive dance form. In fact, there are several events, some even televised, that have dance competitions all over the world. It has even gone mainstream and influenced several international films.

The term “ballroom dance” originated from the Latin word “ball,” which translates to “to dance.” Initially, it was only intended for high society, while folk dances were for the non-elite. The styles that make up the ballroom dance are the Tango, Quickstep, Slow Foxtrot and the Viennese Waltz.

The history of ballroom dancing dates back to the 16th Century – the Renaissance period. In 1588, Jehan Tabourot released Orchesographie, a compilation of a study about the French Renaissance social dance. It mentions the following dances: the galliarde, the basse danse, the livelier branle and the pavane.

By 1960, another form of ballroom dance was presented in Paris, France. The Minuet was originally a Poitou peasant dance. Composed by Jean Baptiste Lully, it was performed in public by King Louis XIV. Since then, the Minuet has been known as a court dance of the 17th century. The king eventually made an academy called the “Academie Royale de Musique et e Danse,” where it had a set of rules in performing each ballroom dance.

It was not until the Victorian Era that ballroom dancing was blended with other influences. The Invitation à la valse for Waltz by Carl Maria von Weber was one of the notable pieces composed in England in 1812. It was responsible for the modernization of Waltz. By the 1840s, there emerged new dances like Mazurka, Schottische and Polka.

The early 20th century saw the introduction of jive and jazz, which was invented by the African Americans, adding new changes and steps to ballroom dancing. In 1910, a reform came about that allowed both partners to move freely; this was earlier seen in the Waltz. The new music genres and reforms caused the introduction of even newer dance forms from 1910 to 1930.

Since then, there have been many masters and pioneers who started studying several dance forms. Later on, there were organizations and institutions teaching various dances. Further on, on-screen dance performances were done, followed by more blockbuster movies that were influenced by ballroom dancing, such as The Tango Lesson, Tango, Strictly Ballroom and Shall We Dance.

Later developed dances include the Rumba, Samba, ChaChaCha, Passo Doble and the Jive. Today, ballroom dancing is still one of the classiest forms of dancing, as it expresses emotions, passion, joy, pain and love between two dancing partners.

Apart from being an enjoyable activity, ballroom dancing has its health benefits. Basically, any form of dance is a great aerobic exercise. A whole body workout, ballroom dancing is good for cardio. It burns more calories as one needs to move every inch of his/her body. A person can burn between 200 to 500 calories within a whole hour of dancing, depending on how intense the type of dancing is performed. Dancing likewise improves one’s posture, flexibility and stamina. Those with mild scoliosis may also get effective results when engaging in dance.

by Rose Anne Quirante
photo taken from: entertainmentspectrum.com

Comic book fans are going to love this selection of graphic novels that are fit for relieving boredom anytime of the year. These include Wednesday Comics, Scott Pilgrim and Kick-Ass.

Wednesday Comics is an anthology comic book published weekly by DC Comics. It is published in such a way that it looks like comics in the Sunday newspaper. Each edition of the comic has 15 pages, each of which comes from a particular story made by a creative team. Among the stories published in the comic include those about DC superheroes Superman, Batman, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Hawkman and The Flash.

Kick-Ass is a book series illustrated by John Romita Jr, written by Mark Millar and published by Marvel Comics under Iconimprint. The graphic novel follows the story of young Dave Lizewski, who wants to become a real superhero. Though he gets beat up by bad guys, his courageous acts are being publicized and inspired others to do the same. He later meets vigilantes Big Daddy and Hit-Girl, who planned to take down John Genovese, a local gangster.

Earlier this year, a film adaptation of the comic was released starring Nicolas Cage as Big Daddy, Chloe Moretz as Hit-Girl and Aaron Johnson as Kick-Ass/Lizewski. Also this year, Millar announced a sequel to the comic titled Kick-Ass: Balls to the Wall.

The third must-read comic book for this year is Scott Pilgrim written by Bryan Lee O’Malley and published by Oni Press, a Portland-Oregon-headquartered indie comic book publisher. The six-part series centers on the life of Scott Pilgrim, a 23-year old bum who takes on life one day at a time. When he discovers the girl of his dreams, literally, he finds himself fighting her seven evil exes in order to win her.

The first five volumes have already been published. The sixth volume was released last July 20, 2010. It’s an interesting read, so I’m sure you won’t have a difficult time reviewing the first five before reading the final edition. Also to come out in August this year is the film adaptation of the comic titled Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, directed by Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz co-creator Edgar Wright and starring Michael Cera as the main character. A video game based on the film is also set to be released this year.

by Rose Anne Quirante

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