This fascinating book explores the rich history of exhibition ballroom dancing from its heyday in the 1910s to the present. Julie Malnig's record of this intimate, theatrical genre of dance features male-female teams--idolized as theatre personalities in cabaret, vaudeville, musicals, and, later, as stars of film and television. Both role models and teachers, exhibition ballroom teams showed the public exciting new forms and styles.



Exhibition ballroom dancing is examined as a cultural and social phenomenon promoting new cultural standards, including the emancipation of women and a casualness and spontaneity between the sexes. A comprehensive study of this dance genre and entertainment form, this volume utilizes unexplored primary sources and is illustrated with original photographs. This book can be used by students, researchers, and anyone interested in the history of dance, theatre, and all forms of popular entertainment.