
From Ballroom to DanceSport
Aesthetics, Athletics, and Body Culture
- 177 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
An insider explores the transformation of ballroom dance into an Olympic sport.
Drawing on recent media portrayals and her own experience, author and dancer Caroline Joan S. Picart explores ballroom dancing and its more "sporty" equivalent, DanceSport, suggesting that they are reflective of larger social, political, and cultural tensions. The past several years have seen a resurgence in the popularity of ballroom dance as well as an increasing international anxiety over how and whether to transform ballroom into an Olympic sport. Writing as a participant-critic, Picart suggests that both are crucial sites where bodies are packaged as racialized, sexualized, nationalized, and classed objects. In addition, Picart argues, as the choreography, costuming, and genre of ballroom and DanceSport continue to evolve, these theatrical productions are aestheticized and constructed to encourage commercial appeal, using the narrative frame of the competitive melodrama to heighten audience interest.
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- From Ballroom to DanceSport
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Acknowledgments
- 1. The Contested Landscape of Ballroom Dance
- 2. Dancing through Different Worlds
- 3. Ballroom Dance and the Movies
- 4. Paving the Road to the Olympics
- 5. Packaging Fantasy and Morality
- 6. Quo Vadis?
- Ballroom-Dance-Related Organizations
- Appendix: Filmography of Selected DanceSport and Ballroom Films
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index