The purpose of this study is to abstract the characteristics of ballroom dancing, focusing on its “instinctive value.”
The ballroom dancing is a dance form referring to couple dancing, known as “shakou dance” in Japanese. In the recent years, the ballroom dance has received attention from the mass media, i.e. TV shows, movies, or magazines. However, the understandings of ballroom dancing are mixed, and lack consensus. Although the related studies reveal the various functions of ballroom dancing in each context, they give attention to just the various external values and no attention has been paid to the instinctive value, that is, the fundamental characteristics of ballroom dancing.
To clarify the characteristics of ballroom dancing in concrete term, free description data were collected over the five subclasses, that is, “movements by physical contact through the part/s of the bodies,” “dancing by a man and a woman,” “rhythm,” “music,” and, “others.” Questionnaire respondents included 1) 8 competitive ballroom dancers, who had participated the collegiate ballroom dance team and had experienced as an amateur competitive ballroom dancer for more than five years till now, 2) 10 novices from two collegiate ballroom dance teams who had just begun their dance career, and 3) 13 intermediate who had been participating the collegiate ballroom dance team. Their free descriptions were processed in KJ method and each subclasses offered several factor of the characteristics of ballroom dancing, described below.
(1) “movements by physical contact through the part/s of the bodies” – First, the pair become able to carry out the movements that a solo dance can hardly do. Next, excellence of performance and ecstasy of dancing multiply. Furthermore, the amateur competitors find out the ”attractiveness” in their emotional and physical harmony.
(2) “dancing by a man and a woman” – At first, the beginners are sensitive to their partner’s masculinity /femininity, then they gradually accept the new, different relationship between a man and a woman, which is not intended for the “sexuality.” It is also presented that the dancers achieve to the better understanding of the role of male and female through the dance creation.
(3) “rhythm” – As the factor of the characteristics, “diversity of rhythm” is reported, as well as “emotional arousal” which any other dance form brings to dancers. The result also shows that the dancers experience various kinds of rhythm, and then feel various emotions through their dance.
(4) “music” – Four factors are abstracted for this subclass; that is, 1) variability of dance image and performance, 2) emotional and physical influences, 3) pleasure of dancing to music, and 4) anew appreciation of the dance music. It can be presumed that the appreciation of the dance music is peculiar factor of ballroom dancing, for the dance music often brings us cross-cultural musical experiences.
(5) “others” – The data suggests that the novices simply enjoy their dancing and gradually become conscious to the appropriate “lead and follow,” and the emotional harmony as well. The data also implied that, as the dancers progress in their career, they recognize the “attractiveness” of ballroom dancing in further detail.
Based on the factors abstracted, new questionnaires are prepared for the future research. It is expected that a large number of ballroom dancer be surveyed, statically processed, then the relevance of each factors and “instinctive value” of ballroom dancing be clarified.
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