Ballroom

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Ballroom

This article is about the architectural element known as a ballroom. For the style of dance, see ballroom dance
Ballroom dance

Ballroom dance refers to a set of partner dances, which are enjoyed both social dance and ballroom dance#competitive dancing around the globe. Its performance dance and entertainment aspects are also widely enjoyed on Theater, in film, and on television....
. For the musical, see Ballroom (musical)
Ballroom (musical)

Ballroom is a musical theatre with a book by Jerome Kaas and music by Billy Goldenberg and lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman.Based on Kaas' teleplay for the 1975 Emmy Award-winning television drama Queen of the Stardust Ballroom, the plot focuses on lonely widow Bea Asher, who becomes romantically involved with Alfred Rossi...
.

A ballroom is a large room inside a building

Building

In architecture, construction, engineering and Real estate developer the word building may refer to one of the following:# Any man-made structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or continuous occupancy, or...
, the designated purpose of which is holding formal dances called ball

Ball (dance)

A ball is a formal dance. The word 'ball' is derived from the Latin word "ballare", meaning 'to dance'; the term also derived into "bailar", which is the Spanish language and Portuguese language word for dance ....
s.

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A ballroom is a large room inside a building

Building

Ball (dance)

Mansion

A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives from the Latin word mansio In the Roman Empire, a mansio was an official stopping place on a Roman road, or via, where cities sprang up, and where the villas of provincial officials came to be placed....
s contain one or more ballrooms. In other large houses, a large room such as the main drawing room

Drawing room

A drawing room is a room in a house where visitors may be entertained. The name is derived from the sixteenth-century terms "withdrawing room" and "withdrawing chamber," which remained in use through the seventeenth century, and made its first written appearance in 1642 ....
, long gallery

Long gallery

Long gallery is an architectural term given to a long, narrow room, often with a high ceiling. In British architecture, long galleries were popular in Elizabethan and Jacobean houses....
, or hall may double as a ballroom, but a good ballroom should have the right type of floor.

Ballrooms are generally quite large, and may have ceiling

Ceiling

A ceiling is an overhead interior surface that bounds the upper limit of a room . It is generally not a structural element, but a finished surface concealing the underside of the floor or roof structure above....
s higher than other rooms in the same building. The large amount of space for dancing, as well as the highly formal tone of events have given rise to ballroom dancing. The largest balls are now nearly always held in public buildings, and many hotels have a ballroom. They are also designed large to help the sound of orchestras carry throughout the whole room.

A special case is the annual Vienna Opera Ball

Vienna Opera Ball

The Vienna Opera Ball is an annual Austrian high society event which takes place in the building of the Vienna State Opera on the Thursday preceding Ash Wednesday....
, where, just for one night, the auditorium

Auditorium

An auditorium is where the audience is located in order to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens....
of the Vienna State Opera

Vienna State Opera

The Vienna State Opera is an opera house - and opera company - with a history dating back to the mid 19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria....
is turned into a large ballroom. On the eve of the event, the rows of seats are removed from the stalls

Stall (enclosure)

A stall is a small enclosure of some kind, usually less enclosed than a room....
, and a new floor, level with the stage

Stage (theatre)

In theatre, the stage is a designated space for the performance of theatrical productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience....
, is built.

The word ballroom comes from the fact that men must lead the women in the dancing. In the late 15th century the dancers in the Academy of Rome started dancing on the balls of their feet as opposed to their heels.