On August 11, 1973, DJ Kool Herc hosted a back-to-school party in the Bronx. At that time, different like-minded communities came together to party, and in doing so, they created a new cultural movement that would dramatically shape popular culture forever. That movement would be called hip-hop. The name hip-hop wasn’t used yet in 1973, and no one at the time interpreted the gathering, or …
Since interest in burlesque grew in the 2010s—and may have peaked with the release of the movie Burlesque starring Cher and Christina Aguilera—people have been curious to learn more about this type of dance. Is burlesque strictly performed in seedy venues? Is it just a fancy word for striptease? What is burlesque? Luckily for word enthusiasts, burlesque derives from a rich tradition and a compelling meaning. Traditionally, …
As you may suspect, the term “ballroom dancing” originates with the word “ball.” But what you may not know is that “ball” comes from the Latin word ballare, which means “to dance.” So what about all those dances performed in the ballroom? How did they get their names? The waltz The waltz is now considered a harmless, traditional type of ballroom dancing. But in 1825, it …