There are several types of ballroom dancing, so let's take a look at the variations. Believe it or not, the swing is actually a type of ballroom dance. This light-hearted dance involves concentrated footwork and lifting or twirling your partner. It became popular in the 1920's and was originally invented at the Savoy Ballroom in New York. Dances were often held the evening prior to men going off to battle, as a way for the men to go off to war in good spirits. Men often wore their swords while dancing with a woman and it is believed that this led to a woman placing her left hand on her partner's right shoulder, while grasping his left hand for additional balance. Fashion is definitely an important factor, but not as important as your level of comfort while dancing. Choosing shoes for ballroom dancing are just as important as choosing the dress. However, the shoes you wear largely depend on what type of dance you will be performing. There are special shoes for jazz dances, jive dances, swing dances, etc. Down the line carnival steps were added and members of Rio's high society decided that once the dance had been modified to use the closed ballroom position it was then a proper dance. Eventually aspects from all these dances and probably others combined emerging as the Samba we know today. Some things the judges watch for in a good Samba are steps like the Volta (crossing in front of the body), the Samba Roll (moving the upper body in a circular motion while going through a six step turn), Botafogo (traveling walk that includes a direction change) and dancers who have a good balance of moving and stationary moves. Ballroom Dancing - Judging Criteria Ballroom dancing is judged on more than a dozen different points. Some of those are, Posture, Timing, Line, Hold, Poise, Togetherness, Presentation and Power just to name a few. With the number of dancers being evaluated judges rely heavily on the impression each couple makes in relation to the others. Throughout the 80's the USABDA recruitment efforts consisted of trying to get all amateur dance organizations to join them as a national organization with a regional chapter structure. In 1985 with their new bylaws in place the USABDA was given tax-exempt status by the IRS. With the unification process started the USABDA was officially recognized by what is now known as the International DanceSport Federation (IDSF).