Sequence dance

Sequence dancing is a form of dance in which there is a preset pattern of movements, to music. The music is usually also preset. Sequence dancing may include dances of many different styles. The term may include ballroom dances, which move round the floor, as well as line, square and circle dances.

Sequence dancing in general is much older than modern ballroom dances.^[1] With the exception of the waltz,^[2] invented around 1800, all dances in ballrooms were sequence dances until the early 20th century. The quadrille was one example, the minuet another.

After modern ballroom dancing developed, in England, sequence dancing continued. It included so-called 'Old Time' dances and also adapted versions of the new ballroom dances, and then versions of Latin dances. Sequence dancing is a competitive sport as well as a social pastime.

The British Sequence Championships is the most famous annual sequence dance competition and is part of the Blackpool Sequence Dance Festival. This is held in the Empress Ballroom, Winter Gardens, Blackpool, England, since 1949.^[3]

References

1. Wood, Melusine 1952. Historical dances: 12th to 19th centuries. Dance Books, London.
2. Both modern forms of the waltz, the Viennese waltz and the English or Slow waltz, are developments of the original waltz.
3. Blackpool Dance Festival [1] Archived 2010-04-12 at the Wayback Machine