Everything About DanceSport & Ballroom Dancing

Know your history

Did you know that the International Latin American Dance Championships were created after the Second World War in England by Elsa Wells? The current full title of this event is the Elsa Wells International Dance Championships, and includes all categories of International Style Standard and International Style Latin Ballroom Dance.

Know your legends

Did you know that at the 2013 WDSF World DanceSport Games, 732 athletes represented 49 countries in the competition staged over five days to determine the champions in 14 categories falling under the diverse brand of DanceSport. 96 judges evaluated the performances on the floor of the K-Arena.

Quick Facts

• At this point, nearly 1,000 Ballroom competitions will be hosted around the world every year. Competitions will be hosted by USA Dance in the United States and the World DanceSport Federation internationally, but there will also be hundreds of other non-sponsored competitions.

• The first unofficial DanceSport World Championship was in 1909.

• The first formation team was presented in 1932 by Olive Ripman at the Astoria Ballroom, London.

• DanceSport was first broadcasted on TV in 1960.

• The Cha Cha Cha originated in Cuba. Its name was derived from the Spanish word "Chacha," meaning "nursemaid" or "nanny."

• The Samba is a rhythmical dance with elements from the Brazilian Samba, yet it differs considerably from its originator.

• The Rumba also originated in Cuba, but it was derived from the rhythms of Africa.

• The Paso Doble is based on a bullfight. The male dancer is called the torero (the bullfighter), and the female dancer is his cape. The Paso Doble is danced to characteristic march music used for a procession.

• The Jive originated from the African Americans living in Southeast America. It was called the Cakewalk in the 1880s since the usual prize for this dance was a cake.

• The Foxtrot was invented by Harry Fox for a stage show in New York in 1913.