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The shiny dresses flood the gleaming polished hardwood floors, radiated upon by glimmers of light. The strong beats throb as the partners spin and plunge with lovely footwork. The revival of ballroom dance has been rather dramatic over the last few decades.
Ballroom genres, including salsa, tango, foxtrot, waltz and swing, used to be the main attribute of the stuffy old halls of dancing competitions only, but now they are popular in every corner of the world. Younger generations are finding new ways to embrace these dances, through films like “Shall We Dance” and TV series like “Dancing with the Stars,” as well as lively social dance scenes from Buenos Aires to Berlin and now TikTok and YouTube.
Accessibility through media and digital.
The more mainstream media coverage is, the more important a driving force is the rise of the ballroom. Since movies present enthusiastic duet dances with A-list stars and TV shows like “Dancing with the Stars” become popular, these moves stop being antique. At the same time, digital media open up education and music to the whole world. With the videos of the techniques posted on the Instagram to the playlists that fuse contemporary songs with Latin rhythms, technology allows more followers to participate.
Urban Social Dance Communities
Another ingredient is active social dance communities in large cities like New York, London, and Shanghai. With the help of weekly group sessions, dance nights at different bars or clubs, festivals, and flash mobs, beginner dancers can try out the classic ballroom styles. The showcases are done by experts where the dancers of different levels of skill mingle with others and join rotating partners on the dance floors. In this situation, innovation, diversity, and the expression of individual are supported without pressing rules, modernizing a ballroom.
Holistic Health Benefits
Growing realisation of benefits of holistic health contributes to the excitement. Studies carried out recently on dancing amongst seniors have revealed that dancing helps to improve cardiovascular fitness, motor function, memory, mood, and cognitive skills and is in some instances capable of reversing the effects of aging. Using nonverbal communication, partner dances promote confidence, trust, intimacy, and companionship. In the era of increasing mental health problems, more and more people are realizing the advantages resulting from ballroom dancing in both emotional, physical, and neurological aspects.
Preserving Cultural Heritage
Moreover, in the 21st century, the ballroom is gaining popularity due to the necessity of protection of intangible cultural heritage. Dances like the tango in Argentina, the danzón in Cuba, and the Lindy hop live on due to passionate practitioners who keep, archive, and teach traditional styles in communities around the globe. Many schools and institutes are supported by governments in the outreach activities to promote the heritage. Such preservation leads to more significant involvement.
The history of the ballroom as a place of a rigid and elite competition and thus has chased away some newcomers, however, its revival as an open and positive platform for an art allows one to be active, make new friends, get new horizons, and connect with heritage in a special way. The floor of the ballroom gets more and more magnetic as the viral movies are being propagated. Do you reply the call?
We at SHAVA are honored to share this article as a reflection of our deep commitment to celebrating the rich diversity within the transgender community. It is with heartfelt solidarity that we stand with transgender individuals of color, wholeheartedly advocating for an environment of acceptance and allyship. Through our efforts, we aim to uplift and honor the myriad of unique experiences that contribute to the beautiful tapestry of our community. Discover more about our initiatives at shava.co
