Brewed to Perfection – The Tea Dance is Steeped in Rich History
Throughout time, dancing and tea have been the greatest of partners. You can trace the lineage of tea dances all the way back to the 18th century set in the beautiful gardens of London, England. These festivities were filled with music, theatrical masquerades, and of course dancing.
As the ritual of afternoon tea gained in popularity in the 19th century, hosts and hostesses would add more than just tea to the menu. While taking breaks from dancing, you could sip champagne, eat small pastries and sandwiches.
In 1912, Buenos Aires introduced London to the sultry and seductive dance of The Tango. The hype of the tango has grown nearly overnight. People were eager to learn the steps of the new dance and show off their new skills on the dance floor.
Hotels and restaurant owners took notice of the dance frenzy and shuffled tables around to make additional room for dancing.
The thought of dancing during tea time caught the attention of society and its popularity grew strong. Due to the two world wars and changing lifestyles not much time was left for afternoon tea accompanied with dancing.
Fast forward to a more modern era and you would see that the tea dance has evolved. No longer reserved for higher class societies. Today you can find all types of people from many diverse groups taking part in the afternoon dance party.
It wasn’t until the early 1980s that tea dances began to spark interest again not just in London but throughout the world.
In more recent times, tea dances are found not just in hotels or restaurants. Today you can find many dance studios that specialize in dance lessons and classes hosting weekly or monthly tea dances at their ballroom dance studio.
These dances provide excellent opportunities to practice your dance skills, observe other people dancing and to socialize.
Some of the common dances you would be dancing at a tea dance would be tango, waltz, foxtrot, cha-cha and more.