Ballroom: Culture and Costumes in Competitive Dance » (First Edition)

Jonathan S. Marion is Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at California State University, San Marcos and Visiting Lecturer in Anthropology, University of California, San Diego.

Competitive ballroom is much more than a style of dance. Rather, it is a continually evolving and increasingly global social and cultural arena of fashion, performance, art, sport, gender, and more.

Ballroom explores the intersection of dance cultures, dress, and the body.

the book presents the author's experiences at a range of international dance events in Europe, the US and UK, as well as featuring the views of individual dancers. Ballroom shows how dancing influences mind and body alike. For students of anthropology, dance, cultural, and performance studies, this book provides an ethnographic picture of how dancers and others live their lives both on and off the dance floor.

List of Tables and Illustrations

Prologue 1

Introduction 5

Pt. I Setting the Stage

1 What is Competitive Ballroom Dance? 19

2 A Brief History of Ballroom 31

3 Judging Ballroom Dance 39

Pt. II Performing Dancesport

4 Ballroom as Spectacle 55

5 Ballroom as Art 65

6 Ballroom as Sport 76

Pt. III Ballroom Competitions as Events

7 Competitions as Festival and Celebration 91

8 Competitions as Ritual 104

Pt. IV Costs, Consequences and Outcomes

9 Costumes and Conduct 123

10 Performing Gender 138

11 Living the Dancesport Life 151

12 Conclusion 168

Notes 177

References 189

Index 199