Top 20 Famous Types of Dance | 20 Different Dance Styles From Around the World

Dance can be found in almost every culture, from the most primitive tribes to the most technically advanced societies. The word dance is derived from the Latin word ‘dans, dans’, meaning ‘to dance’. This blog will look at different types of dance around the world.

While most of us are familiar with various popular forms of dance, there are a wide variety of different kinds of dance out there. Some we have seen, some might be new to us. There are many different types of dance, each with its history, traditions, and techniques. Some of the most popular and well-known types of dance include ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, and ballroom dancing. So let’s dive in and learn all about these popular dance styles!

Top 20 Famous Types of Dance From Around The World

1. Ballet

Ballet is a form of art that consists of five different styles of dance. It originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century and was originally intended for an audience of nobles. Ballet started in Italy with the Italian dance masters and soon spread to other European countries.

In France, ballet became a popular form of theater in the 17th century. The word “ballet” comes from the French word “baller”, which means “to dance.” In France, the word “ballet” means “a social gathering where dancing is done.”

2. Folk Dance

Folk dance is a style of dance that is rooted in the traditional dances of a culture or region. It is typically characterized by its simple, repetitive movements.

Folk Dance is a category of dances that are shared by peoples in many countries and cultures, with a common heritage and language. The type of dance and the purpose of the dance is usually related to a specific culture and country, although some dances are known to have a specific purpose.

Most folk dances are group dances, with a leader and followers, but some dances are performed by individuals. Folk dances are generally performed in connection with cultural rituals and celebrations and maybe choreographed or improvised.

3. Ballroom

Ballroom dance is a group of partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world. Partner dance is a dance where two or more dancers are connected by a hand- or arm-hold or are following one another. The two main categories of ballroom dance are social dances and competition dances.

4. Contemporary

Contemporary dance is an art form that emerged in the 20th century, developed by artists like Doris Humphrey, Mary Wigman, José Limón, Paul Taylor, and Merce Cunningham. It is an abstract form of dance that involves the integration of modern music and is created to be a non-representational form of expression.

Through the use of repetition, textures, and patterns, the dance seeks to be a harmonious, flowing expression of the human body.

5. Hip Hop

Hip Hop is a type of dance that originated in the South Bronx section of Manhattan in the 1970s. It started to gain worldwide popularity in the early 1980s. The dance is widely known for its characteristic “bounce” or “swagger”. It is generally danced to hip hop music and the music’s characteristic four on the floor beat.

Hip Hop is a form of street dance that is generally thought to have originated in the South Bronx section of New York City. The dance is characterized by a strong “street style” influence and is typically danced to hip hop music and its characteristic four-on-the-floor beat. The movement generally incorporates the ability to freeze, drop, pop and lock into the music.

6. Jazz

Jazz dance is a form of dance that developed in African-American communities in the United States through the African American traditions of “actuality” and “improvisation.” It is characterized by a smooth, almost gliding-like, flow between movements and improvisation of movement. It is done with jazz music.

Jazz dance was created by African Americans, mainly African American women and men.

7. Tap Dance

Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by the use of sounds made with the feet on a wooden floor, and it is also a form of percussion. Tap dance is considered a form of rhythmic entertainment, as well as an art form, a cultural practice, a skill, and a social activity. It is also a form of dance. The sound of tap shoes is one of the most recognizable sound effects in popular culture.

Tap dance is believed to have its origins in the late 18th century when African American slaves working on the canebrakes of the southern United States and the Caribbean began to tap on logs to keep themselves entertained.

8. Irish Dance

Irish dance is a form of traditional dance, from Ireland, which includes, but is not restricted to, set dance, solo step dancing, and ceili dance. Irish dance is an important part of Irish culture. It is popular worldwide, especially in Irish-American communities.

The best-known form of Irish dance is the solo step dance. Other styles include set dance, which is danced by a group of people in a set pattern, and céilí dance, which is danced in a circle.

9. Modern Dance

Modern dance is a form of dance characterized by an emphasis on technique and choreography rather than individual expression, costuming, and dance partners. It is the most popular form of dance in the United States, where it is taught in many art schools, colleges, and universities, and is a staple of the curriculum in many elementary and secondary schools.

Unlike most other forms of dance, modern dance is often accompanied by music and often takes the form of a performance.

10. Swing Dance

Swing dance is a form of dance that developed from jazz music and the Lindy Hop, an American dance that originated in Harlem, New York, in the 1920s and 1930s. The swing dance is a partnered dance with a leader (usually the man) and a follower (usually the woman). It is a smooth, connected style of dance with a strong rhythm, usually performed to big band jazz music.

Swing dance is a very adaptable dance, with many styles, techniques, and rhythms and is popular with dancers of all ages.

11. Bharatnatyam

Bharatnatyam is a classical dance form in India. The word Bharata refers to the ancient Indian civilization in general and the word Natyam means dance. Bharatanatyam has been traditionally a solo dance that interprets the stories from the great Indian epics and myths. It developed around the 16th century in a region spread across the present-day states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

Bharatanatyam dance is accompanied by music, which traditionally includes instruments such as the mridangam, the nadaswaram, the ghatam, the kanjira, and the khanjira. The dance has traditionally been a form of an interpretive narration of myths and spiritual ideas from the Hindu texts.

The Bharatanatyam style is one of the most widely performed dance styles in the modern Indian subcontinent, and it has evolved with numerous regional variations. In the 20th century, the dance also spread outside the subcontinent, especially under the pioneering efforts of the 20th-century Indian dancer, Guru Shambu Maharaj, who toured the world with his group, the Natya Shastra Dancers.

12. Break Dance

Breakdance, also called b-boying or breaking, originated in the 1970s in New York City when African American and Puerto Rican youths, some former members of street gangs, would compete against one another in dance battles.

Breakdance is a type of street dance that is often accompanied by hip-hop music. It evolved as a distinct dance style from the dance moves in the disco clubs. It is a dance based on the movements of street dancing. The dance itself is a combination of many different styles that include martial arts, gymnastics, modern dance, and ballet.

13. Salsa

Salsa is a type of social partner dance that originated in the Caribbean. It is a fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythms, son Cubano, guaguanco, and cha cha cha, with elements of ballroom dance, Cuban Son, mambo, and American jazz.

Salsa is a dynamic and complex form of dance. Unlike American styles of dance, salsa is not about steps, it is about the beat. The dance has several distinctive steps, but the way you dance salsa is based on the feeling in the music. It is a dance that is more about the music than it is about steps. If you learn the steps, you can dance salsa with anyone, anywhere.

14. Waltz

The waltz is a ballroom dance that experienced its peak popularity during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is still danced today. The waltz originated in the late 18th century in Germany, where it was known as the Walesa.

The name waltz comes from the German verb walzen, meaning to roll or turn, and the noun Zwiesprache, meaning conversation with oneself.

15. Belly Dancing

Belly dancing is an entertaining form of dance that has been around for many years. Originally, belly dance was used by many cultures to celebrate, honor, or even serve as a fertility ritual. Many belly dancers today still perform for these same reasons, and some belly dancing shows even include a belly dancer who is pregnant.

Belly dancing is not an easy hobby, but dancers who have mastered the art can become quite famous.

16. Tango

The Tango is a style of dance that originated in Buenos Aires and was popularized in the United States in the 1930s. The dance is performed by a man and a woman together and can be done to any type of music. The popularity of this style of dance continues to this day in part because of the movies and music videos like Dirty Dancing.

The Tango is considered to be one of the most sensual dances and it is a very intimate dance that is often danced very close to the partner. The Tango is one of the few dances that is danced without touching the partner.

17. Disco Dance

Disco Dance is a type of dance that came to be in the 1970s. It was born as a dance in nightclubs to disco music. It is a dance that is made up of more than one style of dance. The dance was at its popular peak during the 70s. It is a dance that is usually done by one person but it can also be done by a couple. It is a dance that is usually done by both men and women.

It is a dance that is done on the dance floor. It is a dance that is done alone or with other people. It is a dance that is also done in a group. It is a dance that is sometimes referred to as a nightclub dance. It is a dance that can be done to a variety of music from disco to rock.

18. Kathak

Kathak is an Indian classical dance form from the state of Uttar Pradesh. Also known as Uttar Pradesh’s native dance, Kathak is believed to have originated in the temples of Uttar Pradesh. The dance form is known for its graceful, fluid, and rapid movements, mostly executed by the feet.

Kathak is the most popular form of Indian dance and performance. It is also an ancient and highly refined art form. Kathak is one of the eight forms of Indian classical dance, the other being Bharatnatyam, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Mohiniattam, Kathakali, and Sattriya.

The origin of Kathak is not certain. It is believed that Kathak may have originated in the temples of Uttar Pradesh, one of the cradles of Indian civilization. It evolved from ancient rituals and devotional songs. The word Kathak is derived from the Sanskrit word Katha meaning story, and Katha (Sanskrit: कथा) is a Sanskrit word that connotes a conversation, story, speech, sermon, or discourse. Thus, Kathak is a dance that narrates stories from Hindu scriptures.

19. Latin Dance

Latin dance is a category of dances that originated in Latin American and Caribbean (particularly Cuban) communities, including dances such as the cha-cha, rumba, salsa, merengue, and mambo. Latin dance is characterized by sensuous, close partnering, smooth, loose-limbed movements, and the use of the congas and other percussion instruments.

There is a wide range of Latin dances, that differ between countries and regions, as well as by social and professional groups. Latin dance is often danced to the accompaniment of Cuban-derived music and rhythms such as salsa music and mambo.

20. Cancan Dance

Cancan dance is a French folk dance that was originally performed by the Parisian working classes, especially in taverns and other places of public resort. It was developed from the Italian Ballo di Gandino and the Spanish Zapateado.

Two main forms of the dance developed a group form and a solo form. The group form, known as the Quadrille des Lanciers, was danced by four couples. The solo form was a sort of Cancan improvisation, in which the dancer mimicked the movements of a soldier or innkeeper. The dance became popular in the ballrooms of London, Paris, and New York in the 1840s and ’50s.

Conclusion : Types of Dance From Around The World

If you’re looking to get into the swing of things, you’re going to want to start by learning the different types of dance. We hope this article has helped you find some new ways to dance you can try with your friends, and hope that you now feel more informed about the different types of dance and are able to identify which style is the best fit for you. So we suggest you get moving and show the world some killer dance moves!

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