Until recently, ballroom dancing was not considered to be a popular American pastime. In fact, most people thought of it as something best left to the older generations or the wealthy. Although ballroom dancing has existed for centuries in countries all around the globe, it wasn’t until the media took an interest in it that it began to take off. Now, ballroom dancing has grown in popularity, encouraging more people to take an interest in the fine art of ballroom dancing.

Currently, there are two television shoes that focus on ballroom dancing: “Dancing with the Stars”, and “So You Think You Can Dance”. Both of these shows cover various aspects of ballroom dancing and are reality-based. Basically, the contestants perform different dances every week, the viewers cast a vote for their favorite couple, and every week the couple with the least amount of votes is eliminated.

“Dancing with the Stars” is aired on ABC twice annually. The contestants are celebrities hailing from various backgrounds; actors, athletes, and entertainers. Prior to becoming contestants on the show, the celebrities have no prior knowledge of ballroom dancing and are paired with a professional dance partner. Each season begins with ten couples and one is eliminated every week. This past season, it was a close competition between Joey Fatone (formerly of n’sync), world champion female boxer Laila Ali, and olympic speed skater gold medalist Apollo Anton Ono.

Laila remained a strong competitor through the very end, but was eliminated just before the finals. It became a very tight battle between Joey and Apollo, but in the end Apollo prevailed with his professional partner, Julianne Huff. This isn’t the first time an athlete has claimed the “Dancing” trophy – former NFL player Emmitt Smith took home the trophy the season prior thanks to the help and instruction from his professional partner, Cheryl Burke.

“So You Think Can Dance” is aired on the fox network is comparable to “American Idol”. It differs greatly from “Dancing with the Stars” because it involves amateur dancers who are not celebrities. The show covers many aspects of dancing, from street to hip-hop and of course, ballroom dances. Like most reality shows, it involves the audience eliminating a contestant every week until one dancer remains. That dancer takes home the grand prize consisting of $100,000, a new car, and a usually some kind of contract that employs them as a professional dancer.

Prior to these two shows making their debut, there were several dance programs that aired throughout the years. “American Bandstand” and VH1′s “Dance Machine” were two very popular shows that involved media coverage of dancing, however the focus was not really on ballroom dancing. (Although they can be accredited to starting the “dance craze” in America.) Thanks to the recent shows of “Dancing with the Stars” and “So You Think You Can Dance”, the desire to learn ballroom dancing quickly spread across America and many other countries. In fact, over twenty countries have their own versions of these popular television shows, increasing the popularity of ballroom dancing worldwide.

The standard Waltz is a graceful ballroom dance of turns and glides that was done in parts of Europe as early as the late 17th century and is thought by many to be the basis for many modern day dances. The early dances were done in the round and at the end of the dance the circle would break into couples who would then begin doing turns.

In Italy the dance was called the Volta, in France the Volte, Germans called it the Weller and in Austria the dance was known as the Landler. Although they probably all had some influence on the modern Waltz, at some point the Landler’s hopping movement became more of a gliding motion, which is why the Landler more than the others, is sometimes considered the forerunner of the modern Waltz. In the early 19th century the popularity of the Waltzen rose to such a great degree that several large dance halls were opened to accommodate the crowds. The dance stabilized during the 19th century its popularity was helped along by the music of Josef and Johann Strauss.

You can find references to the Waltz that go back more than 400 years, however the popularity of the dance had started to wane until 1913 and the advent of the Hesitation Waltz which, as the name implies, slowed the dance down considerably incorporating hesitations and poses throughout the dance. Before the Hesitation, dancing the Waltz was pretty much an endurance test with the couples dancing in one direction then reversing direction when they became dizzy.

The Waltz is an easy dance to master and has a grace and elegance that makes it wonderful to watch. The one thing that does cause beginners some confusion is that with a 3 count each bar is started with the opposite foot as the last bar. The slower version of the dance is known as the English Waltz while the faster version is the Viennese Waltz. .

Waltz music is played in 3/4 time with a distinctive 1-2-3 rhythm. The dance is a simple one with just 3 steps, first step forward (backward for the woman), one step to the side and the last step to bring the feet together again. The first step is the power step, matching the accented first beat of the music. A good Waltz has a smooth rise and fall; it’s a gentle dance with turns, poses and long sweeping movements. Waltz music can be found in many venues, some examples are: The Blue Danube by Johann Strauss Jr, Show Me the Way by Styx, Waltz to the Death from the Batman soundtrack by Danny Elfman. Either Waltz can be danced to any music with a three-quarter tempo regardless of whether it is classical, rock, country or anything else.

In competition ballroom Waltz there must be a clear pendulum movement, the right balance between up and down and spatial movements. The moment when you start your up and down movement from your supporting foot is crucial to keeping the movements smooth and graceful.

Some competitions use the American Smooth style of Waltz. This means that the couples are allowed to occasionally break the hold thereby enabling more open moves and underarm turns. To this day the Waltz is still popular world wide.

We Buy Your Business

For some, planning a business exit can be a predictable, methodical process. We know the competition; we understand market demands, know when we want to sell and might even know the actual date. But for far too many business owners, the business exit comes as a harsh reality and often unplanned event.

Protecting your business and assets against the dreaded six D’s of an unplanned business exit can give whole new meaning to the term “Disaster Management”. While every business may experience unexpected pitfalls, careful planning to ensure risk exposure is minimized can assist in keeping you in the driver’s seat when it comes to managing your company. Familiarize yourself with the six D’s of an unplanned business exit: debt, death, disability, divorce, departure and disaster. Know the enemy and look to address all six D’s in your operating and buy / sell agreements.

The Six D’s of an Unplanned Business Exit

Debt:No one goes into business and plans on it not succeeding, but 40,000 businesses fail every month in the United States. When debt exceeds revenue, it is critical to exit timely in order to minimize loses. Understanding limitations and protecting critical assets are key to successful divesture.

Death:Many businesses are solely dependant on their owner’s abilities, relationships, and passion to drive success, and when there is a death of an owner or partner of a business, it can have significant impact to a business almost immediately. While no one wants to consider their own demise, the strength and longevity of a business relies on being able to plan for such a critical loss even if it means downsizing or reorganization. The survival of a business in relation to key individuals needs to be evaluated and exit strategies planned accordingly.

Disability:Unbelievably, death is not as likely to end the business as a disability. A disability to a business partner can put a significant drain on cash flow, daily workloads, and excess down time, all of which can be devastating. Insurance and financial planning towards alleviating such an impact needs to be carefully evaluated especially when dealing with small business start ups where funding and resources are limited.

Divorce:No one wants to plan for a business or personal divorce, yet while Pre-nuptial agreements may be gaining in popularity many people never look to manage such impact to their businesses. What happens when the partners cannot get along? Or worse, you inherit another partner due to a personal divorce settlement? Exiting the business might be the only alternative you are provided.

Departure:It does not sound as bad as death, but it can wreak the same results. A partner, key employees, or other resources decide to go to the competition, retire, burn out, or win the lotto. When they leave, how does this impact your business going forward?

Disaster:If the five D’s above where not enough to impact your business, there are no limit to the other disasters that may occur that were never planned on: robbery, sickness, employee theft, employee turnover, natural devastating events, etc. In today’s post Katrina, 911 world the impact of the chaos theory is enough to keep even the best business minds awake at night. Plan for the worst; strive for the best and know when to get out if need be.

For the typical business owner, each one of the six D’s has special demands on the family, income, taxes, and control of assets. An agreement, commonly called buy/sell agreements, can be used to plan for the impact associated with the dreaded six D’s. A successful sustaining business exists as a separate entity from personal concerns and risk can be reduced by developing mutually fair and equitable agreements prior to these events occurring.

Business is an evolution and travels a diverse path. While some may look on an unplanned exit as a failure others may see an opportunity for growth and freedom.

www.WeBuyYourBusiness.com