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How ballroom dancing gripped Britain

Hilary French follows the history of ballroom dancing – from its early popularity among the leisured elites to its demise in the face of disco, and recent Strictly revival

Published: December 16, 2022 at 9:55 AM

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From the Turkey trot to the scandalously intimate moves of the Parisian tango, the 20th century saw Britain gripped by dance craze after dance craze. Performed in public halls up and down the country, ballroom took the nation by storm as people from all walks of life sashayed to the dancefloor with their partners. Hilary French tells Emily Briffett about ballroom’s dramatic surge in popularity, its decline in the 1960s and its recent resurgence with Strictly Come Dancing.

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Hilary French is the author of Ballroom: A People’s History of Dancing (Reaktion Books, 2022)

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Authors

Emily BriffettSenior content producer (podcasts)

Emily Briffett is senior content producer (podcasts) at HistoryExtra

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