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Shall We Dancesport? The World of Competitive Ballroom Dancing Review of San Francisco Open DanceSport Championships, April 2, 2005

Ballroom dancing is sweeping America off its feet. In the 1990s the PBS show Championship Ballroom Dancing brought the glamorous world of competitive ballroom dancing into the living rooms of curious and sedentary Americans. The 1995 Japanese film Shall We Dance, followed by the 2004 Hollywood version, added fuel to the cultural fire. Now we have the hit reality show, Dancing with the Stars; the popular documentary about the competitive ballroom dancing of the elementary school set, Mad Hot Ballroom; the Learning Channel’s show about competitive ballroom dancing, Ballroom Bootcamp; quicksteppers and waltzers on So You Think You Can Dance?; and the 2006 Antonio Banderas film, Take the Lead. As the visibility of ballroom dancing has increased, more Americans have gotten off their couches and gone to ballroom studios. Membership in the United States Amateur Ballroom Dance Association (now known as USA Dance) has increased fivefold since 1990. As a casual observer of ballroom dancing over the past 15 years (my sister and her husband are competitive dancers), I have been intrigued by this little corner of American culture. Given its retro formality, its rigid, traditional gender divisions, the cultural association of dance and femininity (and homosexuality), ballroom’s new popularity—among both women and men—puzzles me. Last spring, I paid $35 for a standing-room-only ticket to watch dancers compete at the 2005 San Francisco Open DanceSport Championships at the San Francisco Airport Marriott. (DanceSport is the term the governing bodies of ballroom dance use to distinguish competitive ballroom dancing from social ballroom dancing.) The Marriott was packed with an enthusiastic and noisy Saturday-night crowd of dancers, friends and family, casual fans, and curious onlookers. In fact, it was hard to tell the dancers from the fans. Nearly everyone was well-groomed and elegantly dressed. The hotel’s hallways were filled with the splayed limbs of impossibly flexible dancers as they warmed up for their competition. Passersby had to dodge tuxedoed men waltzing stiffly without partners as they nervously practiced their steps. This is not an event for the casual dancer. It is like a miniOlympics of dance, with a bewildering number of categories. These include the amateur, pro/am, and professional levels of the following styles of dance: “American Smooth” (which includes the Waltz, Viennese Waltz, Tango, and Foxtrot), “International Standard” (Waltz, Viennese Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, and Quickstep), “American Rhythm” (Cha Cha, Rumba, Mambo, Swing, and Bolero), and “International Latin” (Cha Cha, Rumba, Samba, Paso Doble, and Jive). It was a long evening. For the competitors, ballroom dancing is serious business: they spend thousands of dollars on gowns, tuxedos, shoes, costume jewelry, makeup, hairstylists, wigs, videography, and private coaches. Gowns alone can cost several thousand dollars. The lounge of the Marriott was filled with merchants selling sparkling dance shoes, glittery dresses, and instructional videos. Competitors spend hours in the studio practicing with their coaches and perfecting their steps to a variety of dances. Professional lessons with the top coaches cost upwards of $200 an hour. Dancers fly at their own expense to competitions around the world. With such resources invested and egos on the line, the tension is palpable as the results of each round are announced. Although success requires time, money, and sweat, the performers make it all seem effortless and fun. For the 90 seconds of each dance in the International Standard and American Smooth categories, the audience is magically transported to a 19th-century aristocratic ball in Europe, where carefree couples leisurely enjoyed grand parties. Judges with clipboards circulate on the perimeter of the dance floor, evaluating the technical mastery and artistic interpretation of each couple. Enthusiastic fans loudly call out the numbers of their favorite couples, trying to sway the judges or at least to register their support. It is strange at first to hear onlookers shout, “Number 51!” or “Go 275!” loudly enough to be heard above the taped music and the din of the crowd. But it soon becomes part of the festive atmosphere, much like a chant or cheer at a football game. I suspect the dancers are not enjoying themselves as much as they seem to be from their staged smiles and carefully choreographed movements. The stress of competition can be brutal. I witnessed one unfortunate collision between two couples in the professional International Standard competition. One of the women lost a 3-inch heel, possibly lowering her chances of winning. But she gracefully recovered her shoe and resumed dancing and smiling. Walking the hallways after the