With TikTok on the ropes, Americans may have to look for a new source for dance moves — the 19th century. Deadline reports that, inspired by the steamy success of Bridgerton, dances from the early 1800s are on the rise in the UK. Lottie Adcock, an historical dance teacher was interviewed by the BBC about the ballroom boom.
"When I started off it was mostly people who were retired, older people… I was the youngest person by about 50 years and now I get lots of 20 and 30-year-olds."
Line dances, such as the Scottish reel, were the staple in Jane Austen's day, but the most popular, and scandalous, was the waltz. With steady, intimate eye contact, not to mention the physical contact of hands placed on shoulders and —gasp! — the waist, the waltz was the twerking of its day. The Bridgeverse (Bridgerton Season 1, 2 and the prequel Queen Charlotte) dominates Netflix's most-watched charts, and with Season 3 on the way, this could be the time to step lively to a dance studio.
See also: Intense wordless introduction to Butoh: a form of Japanese dance theater
