The Dance Card — Edition #1, October 2026
Prescott Ballroom's monthly whirl around the wonderful world of ballroom dancing
Welcome to the very first Dance Card! Once a month, we'll take a spin around the globe for the funniest, most surprising, and most delightful corners of ballroom dancing, then land back home in Prescott. No partner needed. Comfortable shoes recommended.
Around the World in 80 Beats
China is quietly the ballroom capital of the world. A China DanceSport Federation survey found nearly 50 million ballroom dancers across the country, where the style is called "guobiao," meaning national standard. And that's before you count the legendary "dancing aunties": an estimated 100 million people, mostly retired women, who gather in public squares and parks every single evening to dance together, waltz and tango included. Picture every park in Prescott doing that at dusk.
Blackpool is the Wimbledon of ballroom. The Blackpool Dance Festival has been running since Easter week of 1920 in the magnificent Empress Ballroom in England. These days nearly 3,000 couples from more than 60 countries compete over two weeks, and winning there is the closest thing ballroom has to Olympic gold. Founded in 1920, the festival celebrated its official 100th anniversary in 2026 — the centenary was delayed by interruptions during the Second World War and the 2020 pandemic.
Did You Know?!
- The waltz was once considered genuinely scandalous. Nineteenth-century moralists were horrified that partners danced in a closed embrace, practically touching. Today it's the dance your grandmother requests at weddings. Times change.
- The cha-cha got its name from the sound dancers' shoes made shuffling across the floor: "cha-cha-cha." Say it out loud. You're dancing already.
- In the paso doble, the gentleman is the matador and the lady is his cape. Not the bull. The cape. It gets all the glory and none of the goring.
- DanceSport is officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Ballroom's world governing body has been knocking on the Olympic door for years. Breaking got in first. We're not bitter. (We're a little bitter.)
Step Back in Time
The waltz's great-great-grandfather was the Laendler, a stompy Austrian peasant dance. Sometime in the late 1700s, dancers stood up straight, sped it up, added a spin, and Vienna completely lost its mind. Within decades all of Europe was waltzing in 3/4 time, and all of Europe's chaperones were clutching their pearls. Every time you dance a box step, you're carrying on a 250-year-old rebellion.
The Funny Papers
- The Viennese waltz flies along at about 180 beats per minute (58 to 60 bars), making it the fastest of the ballroom dances and the only one where mild dizziness counts as proper technique.
- At Blackpool, judges watch thousands of couples over two weeks, and they will still somehow notice that YOUR heel wasn't down on step three.
- You know you're a dancer when you catch yourself counting "one-two-three, one-two-three" in the grocery store.
Your Prescott Corner
Here's what's happening on our own dance floor:
- Sundays Oct 11, 18, 25 & Nov 1: Rumba & Cha Cha Progressive Series with Michael Feeley at Prescott Ballroom. Rumba 12:00-1:00 PM, Cha Cha 1:15-2:15 PM. $15 for one class or $25 for both each Sunday.
- Friday, Oct 16: October Dance, Foxtrot Night! Foxtrot lesson with Chad & Marie Burson 6:30-7:30 PM, open dancing 7:30-9:30 PM at The Center on Rosser. $15 at the door.
- Starting Monday, Nov 9: Monday Night Ballroom Classes, Foxtrot 5:30-6:30 PM and Waltz 6:30-7:30 PM with Michael Feeley at The Center on Rosser.
- Save the dates: Friday Nov 13 is Rumba Night, and Friday Dec 11 is our Holiday Sparkle Dance & Potluck. Details coming soon!
That's your Dance Card for October. Got a funny dance story, a surprising fact, or a question you've always wondered about? Hit reply and tell us. The best ones might make next month's edition.
Keep dancing,
Patrick
Prescott Ballroom | PrescottBallroom.com | (928) 275-8925