Ballroom Dance Olympics

Ballroom Dance Shoes

There is a large increase in Ballroom Dancing for teens and college students around the world.  Much of this increased interest is focused on DanceSport, the competitive version of ballroom dancing. DanceSport has competitions annually from city to city around the world. This is attributed to the recognition of USA Dance as the National Governing Body of DanceSport in the U.S. by the USOC, and the recognition of the World DanceSport Federation as the International Governing Body of DanceSport by the IOC.

USA Dance and its international body, the World DanceSport Federation, are working in concert to increase the interest and access to DanceSport events all over the world. Such programs as Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, and other dance-related programs also help to keep ballroom dancing and DanceSport in the public eye both in the U.S. and abroad. The first unofficial world championship took place in 1909, and the first formation team was presented in 1932 by Olive Ripman at the Astoria Ballroom, London. Dancesport was first broadcasted on TV in 1960. Now in 2013 Competitive dance is an industry that continues to grow as dancers keep reaching new levels of fitness as they break into new styles.