Posting my IB dance extended essay - Dance Saturday

Hello everybody and welcome back to another blog post, 

Today, I'll be posting my IB extended essay that I did on the subject of dance. In this essay, I explore how Strictly Come Dancing has helped to disseminate Ballroom and Latin dance, a previously regarded old style of dance, amongst the younger generation and how that's led to the continuity of this dance style in the modern day. This essay took me a long time to write because it focused on a very unique topic that has not really been talked about or approached before in the academic sense. Most of my friends and peers did their extended essays on subjects such as English and history, which were classic subjects for the extended essay. However, I was selected to do mine on dance and for a long time I doubted if I could write an essay that would be of the same quality as the others. Over the months, there were drafts and redrafts and paragraphs written and rewritten, as well as many meetings held with my supervisor, but eventually I created a 4,000 word essay that I was happy with. In the end, the examiner awarded me an A for this essay, which was a much better grade than I ever expected to get for this essay. I could not include the images in this essay for copyright reasons but I do hope you enjoy giving it a read anyway. Hopefully you find it interesting!

Introduction:

In this essay, I will be exploring the research question “To what extent has the introduction of the jive into the mainstream media influenced the next generation of young dancers?” I have chosen to focus this essay on Ballroom and Latin dance because I am a part of the younger generation that has grown up watching Strictly Come Dancing and I believe that it was thanks to this TV show that I became exposed to these unique styles of dance and that I have now become familiar and passionate about them. Therefore, for this essay, I’m going to be looking into the history of ballroom dance, focusing particularly on the Jive, which has proven to be a popular style of dance amongst the Strictly Come Dancing audience. I will also be comparing ballroom dance amongst the older and younger generation as well analysing the popularity of jive, and how TV shows such as Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing with the Stars have helped to celebrate and modernise Ballroom and Latin dance with the younger generation. This will give me a more detailed analysis into the popularity of ballroom dance amongst the younger generation, which will help me to better answer my research question.

What is Ballroom dance and what is Latin dance?

Ballroom and Latin are both partnered dance styles that therefore involve two dancers coming together to create movement. Most non-dancers who are viewers of TV shows such as Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing with the Stars, will perhaps use Ballroom and Latin as an umbrella term to encompass a wide variety of different partnered dance styles. However, for the dancers who are familiar with Ballroom and Latin, there are some clear distinctions that separate the two dance styles from each other.

Firstly, there are a set of Ballroom dance styles and a set of Latin dance styles that are clearly different to each other in terms of technique. Dances such as the Waltz, Tango, Quickstep, Foxtrot, and Viennese Waltz, would all be categorised as Ballroom dance styles and more specifically, standard or smooth dances as they glide across the floor. In contrast, dances such as the Cha-cha, Samba, Jive, Paso doble, and Rumba, would all be categorised as Latin dance styles (Miller, 2002). In most of the Ballroom dances, couples always aim to remain as close together as possible, with the lady placing her left arm on the gentleman’s right shoulder in a closed hold position, as demonstrated in figure 1. Ballroom dances are very progressive, so they aim to seamlessly travel across the floor, making maximum use of the space. Ballroom dancers also keep their feet parallel to each other, focusing the footwork on the heels and the toes. In contrast, the Latin dance styles are often described as the more upbeat and energetic set of partnered dance styles. The framing can be interchangeable between open and closed holds depending on the type of dance that is being performed, as demonstrated in figure 2. Dancers also keep their feet turned out in Latin dances, placing their weight into the balls of their feet. This is what makes Ballroom and Latin appear very different to each other (Jonathan, n.d.).

However, Ballroom and Latin also differ to each other in terms of origin. The Ballroom dance styles mainly originated in Europe, with the Waltz originating in Vienna, and the Latin dance styles mainly originated in Central and South America, with the samba originating in Brazil. The jive can be a bit difficult to categorise as it originated in American Swing, which is a ballroom dance style, but it upholds similar technical attributes to the Latin dance styles. This remains a debate amongst Ballroom and Latin dance practitioners, but most abide by the categories created by the Dance Sport competitions. In most Ballroom and Latin dance competitions, the Jive is a Latin dance style as it is danced with a similar pace, footwork, and framing to the Latin dance styles. As a result, although some people refer to the jive as the Ballroom Jive, it is now most known as a Latin dance style.[1]

Ballroom dance amongst the older generation:

Before the launch of popular dance TV shows such as Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing with the Stars, ballroom dance was synonymous with the older generation. This was because the technical and performance elements that can be seen in Ballroom dance today have all been founded by dancers of the 20^th century and the now elderly members of society.  In its early beginnings, Ballroom dance was traditionally practised by members of the upper classes, meaning that the dance style became quite a “privileged and well-to-do" (Studio Q. Q., 2017) activity that was only practised by a small community of people. However, it was only in the 20^th century that ballroom dance became accepted by all walks of life, thanks to the efforts of renowned Ballroom dancers who helped promote the style to a much larger group of people. In the US, Ballroom dance peaked in popularity through the dancers and on-screen partners, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers and their meticulously choreographed routines as well as Vaudeville actor, Harry Fox's, unique style of ballroom dance that is now known as the Foxtrot. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are seen performing together in the film Swing Time, as shown in figure 3.

In addition to the dancers who helped disseminate the art of Ballroom dance, Britain saw an upsurge in popularity of the dance style, during the horrors of the Second World War. To many of the elderly members of society today, Ballroom dance brings back fond memories of going to village dance halls to escape the uncertainties of the war and the constant threat of bombs (Wilkinson, 2020). According to the Liverpool Echo, the British Home Secretary, Herbert Morrison, had declared in 1942 that “dancing would not be prohibited due to the war” as it played an essential part in “maintaining the morale of the people.” (Staveley-Wadham, 2019) Hence why Ballroom dance is viewed with a sense of pride by the elderly today, as it brought light to some of the darkest times of the war.

Ballroom dance to senior citizens, is very much a nostalgic keepsake of the past, that reminds them of the positive aspects of the 20^th century. Although those who practise Ballroom dance can be considered a part of a closed off community, it has brought people together, especially those older individuals who might experience loneliness. In an increasingly developing world, Ballroom dance has the highest uptake amongst the older generation because it allows them to maintain good mental health through interacting with other like-minded people and it allows them to practise an artform that was so loved in the past (Studio E. D., 2018).

History of the Jive:

A dance style that is fondly remembered by members of the older generation is the Jive because of its connections to the Second World War. In 1927, the American Swing style of dance known as the Lindy Hop, was created by African American artists in the Southern parts of America (Gemma, 2012). During the Second World War, American G.I.s stationed in Britain and other parts of Europe, brought over the Lindy Hop and other styles of Swing, which influenced a much larger group of people. In England, the word Jive was used as an umbrella term to describe and encompass a variety of different Swing dance styles (Bedinghaus, 2018). The Jive was a dance style that drew upon many of the stylistic features the Lindy Hop such as the framing and footwork, and it was traditionally danced to music by American jazz artists like Cab Calloway (Ballroom, n.d.). However, due to its foreign origins, the dance style was not accepted by the more traditional British and European dance community, so it was performed in secret in underground clubs. The Jive was predominantly adopted by the young people at the time because it was considered a rebellious activity and the fast-paced nature of the style, made the Jive more suitable for younger dancers. However, the Jive quickly became one of the many styles of dance that was also performed to escape the horrors of the Second World War (Gemma, 2012).

Despite obtaining strong similarities to Lindy Hop, the Jive is categorised as a much faster-paced version of Swing dance that involved kicks and flicks, leaving little room freestyle and interpretation (differencebetween.net, 2010), which is prioritised in the Lindy Hop. The Jive is a non-progressive style of dance, so dancers do not aim to travel across the floor like in more traditional styles of Ballroom dance like the Waltz. Instead, the dancers aim to keep the footwork very short and precise by making sure that their feet and legs always remain underneath the body during the rock steps and the chasses. The kicking action in the Jive comes from the hips, whereas the flicking action comes from the knees. In both kicks and flicks, dancers try to keep their feet pointed to execute a sharp leg action (Gemma, 2012). Throughout the Jive, both partners hold their arms in a closed position, only releasing the hold for turns and manoeuvres (Bedinghaus, 2018).

Ballroom dance survey:

To get a better understanding of the popularity of Ballroom dance, I conducted a survey where I asked four dance studio owners in the Cambridgeshire area about their opinions on the dance style. It was clear from the survey that all the studio owners, having practised dance before, were familiar with the Ballroom dance style but some were more rehearsed in the field than others. When asked if they had practised Ballroom dance before, all the studio owners said yes. However, when asked if they had practised Ballroom dance competitively, two of them said yes and two of them said no. When asked at what age they started Ballroom dance, only three of the studio owners responded but the responses varied from the ages of 10 to 18 and to 24. Only one of the studio owners taught Ballroom and Latin. Although some of the studio owners started Ballroom dance later than others and did not have as much experience in the dance style, it was clear from the survey that all studio owners were familiar with Ballroom dance and valued the dance style.

As for the most important question, when asked where they have seen Ballroom dance before based on a multiple-choice list, the two highest scoring results were Strictly Come Dancing and live performances. When the teachers were asked if they believed that ballroom dance had grown in popularity over the years, 4/5 of the teachers said yes, and when asked the question “which generation of people has Ballroom dance grown in popularity with?” most of the studio owners said young adults and children. This suggests that there has been an increase in popularity of Ballroom and Latin dance amongst the younger generation. It also suggests that Strictly Come Dancing and live performances may have influenced young people’s attitudes towards Ballroom and Latin dance.

Ballroom dance in the mainstream media:

Before Strictly Come Dancing first aired on TV, British people often watched Come Dancing, which was a Ballroom and Latin dance competition show that aired between 1949 and 1998. Unlike Strictly Come Dancing, the contestants that took part in Come Dancing were ordinary civilians. Head judge of Strictly Come Dancing, Shirley Ballas, said “On the TV, Come Dancing was the only thing I watched religiously, once a week. The show had been running for nearly two decades when I started tuning in and was still incredibly popular.” (Ballas, 2020) Strictly Come Dancing drew upon many of the principles that made Come Dancing so successful such as the competition and the drama, but the BBC also decided to include celebrities in their cast of Strictly Come Dancing as it made the cast more recognisable to the younger generation. This is what has made Strictly Come Dancing very popular.

Strictly Come Dancing is a British dance competition show where celebrities are coupled with professional dancers and choreographers, to compete against each other to win the Glitter Ball Trophy. Dancing with the Stars is the TV show’s American counterpart, that works on the same basis. Around 20 years ago, Ballroom and Latin dance was mainly danced amongst the older generation and those professional dancers who had practised these styles competitively, were not well-known amongst the community of non-dancers. However, thanks to the showcase of Ballroom and Latin dance on the television, these dance styles have become more recognisable across a more diverse group of people.

Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing with the Stars showcase the athleticism, stamina, and musicality of world-class Ballroom and Latin dance champions and professionals and many people believe that these TV shows set the precedent for this standard of dancing. However, many of the professional dancers that are seen on Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing with the Stars, began their dance career in the entertainment world through the Burn the Floor Dance Company. In Burn the Floor, Ballroom dancers must go through a rigorous audition to enter the company and must train every day to stay in the company. Founded by theatre producer, Harley Medcalf, the company was created to show the public that Ballroom and Latin dance was not only a strict discipline, but also an artform that showcased passion, personality, and creativity, exciting qualities that a modern-day audience would be able to connect with. Medcalf said that he was inspired to start his own ballroom dance company after being entertained by the sixteen young ballroom dancers at Elton John’s 50^th birthday party, in 1997. He said, “Ballroom dancing are you kidding me? The deadest thing you could find in 1997, blew this room away.” (Medcalf, 2017) At first, the Burn the Floor Dance Company wasn’t particularly popular, but it was clear that its creative embodiment of ballroom dance, began to engage its audience as the years went by.

In 1999, the Burn the Floor performances were entertaining a much older audience that varied from the ages of 45 to 70. Now, in the UK, Burn the Floor entertains an audience of elderly people and young adults, between the ages of 30 to 70. For Japan, the company reaches an audience as young as 18.[2] It became apparent that the Burn the Floor Dance Company was able to achieve its aim of making Ballroom and Latin dance a young person’s form of entertainment. Thanks to the eventual introduction of Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing with the Stars, these TV shows were able to continue this legacy and reach a much larger younger audience.

The dancers such as Kevin Clifton and Kym Herjavec, who transitioned from Burn the Floor to Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing with the Stars, had brought over what they had included in their dances whilst being on the company, to the television and it had a profound impact on the way that the public viewed ballroom and Latin dance. Now these dances became the fun, entertaining styles that young people could engage with, instead of the stereotypical, nondescript dance styles that only the older generation had danced. The Jive is the dance style that many Strictly Come Dancing viewers enjoy watching because it’s fast-paced partner work, embodies the energy and musicality that these professional dancers from Burn the Floor, were able to bring over from their time at the company. The Wanted singer, Jay McGuiness and his professional partner, Aliona Vilani, as seen in figure 4, performed a jive in the 2015 series of Strictly Come Dancing, and it was crowned as the most memorable dance of the programme (Barr, 2020). A video of the routine was posted on the Strictly Come Dancing YouTube channel, and it was watched by 6.3 million people (Dancing, 10). As well as this, the routine was received positively by its viewers who had applauded the partner’s performance on Twitter. Before Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing with the Stars had first aired, ballroom and Latin was considered a conservative and traditional dance style. However, with the use of modern music, costuming, and presentation, the dance style became more available to a younger demographic through these TV shows.

More recently, CBBC presenter Karim Zeroual and his professional partner Amy Dowden, earned themselves a perfect score of 40 for their Jive to “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from the musical Hairspray (Kelly, 2019). Karim, who had been working hard throughout the weeks to receive a 10 from the judge Craig Revel Howard, finally earned this score with a memorable performance. With the song being one that many would recognise and with the dance style being fun, upbeat, and energetic, it is clear that the routine was appealing to the younger generation. This was reflected by the viewership of the performance as it was watched by 2.6 million people on YouTube, a platform that is dominated by young people (BBC Come Dancing, 2019).

 

Strictly Come Dancing has also taken many steps in recent years, to make its live shows more engaging to a younger audience. One of these steps was introducing popular social media influencers such as Joe Sugg, to the show’s celebrity line-up. Joe Sugg, a YouTube sensation who has over 7 million subscribers on his ThatcherJoe channel, was included in the 2018 cast of Strictly Come Dancing, pairing with Australian Ballroom and Latin dance champion, Dianne Buswell, as seen in figure 5. With an average demographic of women over the age of sixty, Joe Sugg was arguably a good investment for Strictly Come Dancing, as it brought much needed advertisement of the show to the younger generation (Sherwin, 2018). Joe Sugg and Dianne Buswell eventually made it to the final, becoming second-runner ups after Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton, showing that Sugg was clearly a popular contestant on the show (Wikipedia, n.d.).  

In 2018, Strictly Come Dancing also introduced the first Couple's Choice section

 to their show where on certain weeks, the dancers could choose to perform a meaningful routine in either contemporary, street, or jazz. This was something that Dancing with the Stars had already included in their live shows at the time. These more modern dance styles were introduced to connect the show to a younger audience and therefore disseminate the Ballroom and Latin dance styles to a more diverse demographic (Sherwin, 2018). It proved to be successful because episodes that showcased Couple’s Choice routines such as Ashley and Pasha's contemporary routine, was watched by millions of people (Wikipedia, n.d.).

 

In the 2020 series of Strictly Come Dancing, BBC1 also introduced the first female same-sex couple of the entire series, with boxer, Nicola Adams pairing with her professional partner, Katya Jones. Nicola and Katya are seen performing their commercial Couple’s Choice dance on Strictly Come Dancing in figure 6 below. In the 2021 series, former Bake-Off winner, John Whaite was paired with his professional partner, Johannes Radebe, introducing the first male same-sex couple of the show. With Ballroom and Latin being traditional styles of dance, dancers of these styles are typically confined to strict gender roles, with male dancers performing masculine roles and female dancers performing feminine roles. Whilst other TV shows such as Britain’s Got Talent and the Greatest Dancer, were proud to display their same-sex couples, Strictly Come Dancing’s introduction of same-sex couples was a radical step in the traditional industry of Ballroom and Latin dance (Strudwick, 2021). In a modern society that is continuing to become more inclusive, this was another way that Strictly Come Dancing had attempted to gain the support of the younger generation.

Ballroom dance amongst the younger generation:

Ballroom and Latin has remained one of the lesser-known dance styles to some dancers in the modern day. However, Strictly Come Dancing, through broadcasting ballroom and Latin dance on national television, has helped to broaden people’s knowledge of these dance styles which were previously practised by a small part of the population.

Child dancers, Mason Bevan and Millie Davies-English, are Welsh and British ballroom dance champions. In 2016, the pair were able to achieve their dream of dancing amongst the professionals at Strictly Come Dancing, when they were seen performing a perfect dance sequence to introduce the first episode of the 14^th series. To their dance teacher, Mason and Millie’s performance marked a huge step forward for ballroom and Latin dance, as it showed that these dance styles were finally being accepted by the younger generation. She said “For every boy and girl that’s ultimate, that’s where they want to be. Strictly is what inspired to them to start dancing so to be on the show is every little dancer’s dream... We currently have 600 kids coming to classes and ballroom dancing has never been more popular.” (Owens, 2016)

Ballroom and Latin dance are still considered to be nostalgic keepsakes of the past for many of the older generation, and the professionals at Strictly Come Dancing aim to respect that by making special routines to celebrate events such as Remembrance Sunday. However, the more modern portrayal of Ballroom and Latin dance on Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing with the Stars, has prevented these dance styles from vanishing in time. Therefore, if it wasn’t for these popular television shows including social media influencers in their cast, including a diverse range of dance styles, and including same-sex couples, Ballroom and Latin dance would not have been accepted by many young dancers such as Mason and Millie.

Conclusion:

Ballroom and Latin dancing has grown remarkably throughout the years and its growth has had a significant impact on the way young people perceive these dance styles. Although Ballroom dances such as the Waltz, were performed by the upper echelons of society since the late 19^th century, the Ballroom and Latin dance styles officially became popular in the last century, when young people in Britain became influenced by the American G.I.’s expressive form of Swing dance, which they then adapted to form the Jive. The Jive became one of the many dance styles that young dancers performed during the Second World War, to escape the horrors of the German air raids that they had witnessed during the Blitz. Almost all types of dances were permitted by the British government during the war to maintain a good sense of morale, but the Jive, with its contemporary nature, was still performed in secret by many of the young people of society. Hence it remained a nostalgic memory of the past for many of the elderly today. Any sense of modernity that could be applied to the traditional dance styles of Ballroom and Latin dance, was heavily refuted by many older members of the dance community who saw this as a loss of their past. However, Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing with the Stars allowed Ballroom and Latin dance to blossom through highlighting all its positive aspects to a younger audience. Beginning with Burn the Floor, Harley Medcalf produced a successful company of athletic and energetic Ballroom and Latin dancers who were then able to transition to Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing with the Stars, bringing with them that same level of performance. This showed that ballroom and Latin dance could evolve with the modern world and could appeal to the younger generation. Whilst Ballroom dancing requires discipline and knowledge, these aspects are celebrated by shows such as Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing with the Stars and has made an impression on young ballroom dancers like Mason and Millie. It is therefore clear that these TV shows have had a positive influence on the younger generation as they have inspired young dancers of the modern day to take up Ballroom and Latin dance.

Bibliography:

Ballas, S. (2020). Behind the Sequins: My Life. BBC Books.

Ballroom, B. (n.d.). Swing Dance. Retrieved from Bella Ballroom: https://www.bellaballroom.com/dance-lessons/swing-dance/jive/

Barr, S. (2020, December 25). Strictly Come Dancing fans celebrate Jay McGuiness and Aliona Vilani’s Pulp Fiction Jive being named most memorable dance. Retrieved from Metro: https://metro.co.uk/2020/12/25/strictly-fans-celebrate-jay-mcguiness-jive-as-most-memorable-dance-christmas-special-pulp-fiction-13808827/

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BBC. (2019, November 30). Strictly Come Dancing. Retrieved from YouTube: https://youtu.be/WA3nkbXZVYsBedinghaus, T. (2018, June 10). Jive Dance. Retrieved from liveabout.com: https://www.liveabout.com/jive-dance-basics-1007196

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[1] Chrissie Allen-Moore, 13^th July 2021, “Jive was originally a ballroom dance which is why some people still call it a ballroom jive but it was changed to a Latin dance because of the style and the music so it is now classed as a Latin dance.”

[2] Harley Medcalf – “The Demographic varies from country to country. Overall, when we started in 1999 it was much older, 45 to 70 years. These days, in the UK it is 30 to 70 years, female skew 60/40. In Japan, it is 18 to 60, big female skew, sometimes as high as 80/20. In Australia it is 25 to 60 years, split fairly evenly male/female 50/50. South Africa our youngest 20 to 40 years, skew 60/40. Strictly Come Dancing has a big Influence on our UK Audience. Lifestyle and Income would be the most important influencer elsewhere.”

 

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