Ballroom Culture and Costumes in Competitive Dance

Competitive ballroom is much more than a style of dance. Rather, it is a continually evolving and increasingly global social and cultural arena of fashion, performance, art, sport, gender, and more. Ballroom explores the intersection of dance cultures, dress, and the body. the book presents the author's experiences at a range of international dance events in Europe, the US and UK, as well as featuring the views of individual dancers. Ballroom shows how dancing influences mind and body alike. For students of anthropology, dance, cultural, and performance studies, this book provides an ethnographic picture of how dancers and others live their lives both on and off the dance floor.

Jonathan S. Marion is Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at California State University, San Marcos and an adjunct faculty member at San Diego State University and at Palomar College.