Ballroom

In theearly twentieth century, American ragtime and the Parisian tango fuelled adancing craze in Britain. Public ballrooms were built throughout the country,providing a glamorous setting for dancing. The new English style, defined inthe 1920s and followed by the films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the1930s, ensured that ballroom dancing continued to be the most popular Britishpastime until the 1960s, rivalled only by cinema. This book explores the vibrant history of ballroom and Latin dancing: thedances, lavish venues, competitions and influential instructors. It alsotraces the decline of couple dancing and its resurgence in recent years withthe hugely popular TV shows Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing with the Stars.