The 16th century brought about the distinction between social dancing and folk dancing, and the 17th century brought the minuet, a dance highly focused on proper manners and aristocratic elegance. Following the minuet came the cotillion and quadrille, dances with square formations where couples continually change partners.
With the early 1800s came the birth of the waltz and its closed-hold dancing position that shocked many because it was the first dance to hold this close position over an extended period of time. This caused scandalous reactions, primarily from the religious leaders of the time.
Two types of waltzes emerged: the French and English waltz, which was slow, polite and proper; and the German version, the Viennese waltz, which was composed of swift glides.
Between 1910 and 1920, Europe and the United States were swept away by the tango from Argentina and the first true American ballroom dance, the foxtrot, created by Harry Fox. The foxtrot has since been broken into four versions. The first was known for its signature box step, and the second is similar to the first, though slower. The third and fourth versions were impacted by ballroom legend Aurthur Murray and consisted of the quick "magic step."
The jazz movement of the 1920s brought the Charleston, a form of the jitterbug, and 1924 brought about the quickstep, a faster version of the foxtrot.
Following the Great Depression, ballroom dance hit its height in the United States. The jubilant and acrobatic dance of swing was created as a result of the music of Benny Goodman, who played Chicago and New Orleans jazz. Along with swing came many popular Latin styles of dance, such as the Cuban rumba with its sharp hip, shoulder and chest movements, and the Brazilian samba, which has a bouncing step.
The Cuban mambo, a fusion of American Jazz and Cuban rhythm, hit the dance floors in 1943. The mambo is known for its jagged rhythm because within every bar of music is a pause for the dancer to rest. The cha-cha, also from Cuba, was born of the mambo, however, the pause that gives the mambo its jagged rhythm is replaced by a quick, triple step in the cha-cha.
The American jive, popular in the 1950s, was similar to swing and the jitterbug but softer and tamer, removing many of the acrobatic moves.
Ballroom dancing continues to be popular, with many studios offering lessons and dancers still competing in many of the styles listed above. TV shows such as "Dancing With the Stars" and "So You Think You Can Dance," which feature a variety of types of ballroom dancing, remain popular. Many couples also often opt to learn a formal ballroom dance as a part of their wedding ceremony.