Formation Dance Styles

-dance sport (sometimes dance teams will compete against each other)
-circle dances danced in a circle (open or closed), to music, traditional/cultural, to celebrate special
occasions
Circle dancing is found in many cultures, including Arabic (Iraqi, Lebanese), Israeli (see
Jewish dance and Israeli folk dancing), Assyrian, Kurdish, Turkish, Armenian, Azerbaijani,
Maltese, Greek and Eastern European (i.e. Albanian, Bulgarian, Croatian and Serbian, to name a
few).
Despite its immense reputation in the Middle East and southeast Europe, circle dancing is also
heavily prominent in Brittany, Catalonia and Ireland to the west of Europe, and also in South America
(Peruvian), Tibet, and with Native Americans (see ghost dance).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_dance
-round dances repeated in a circular pathway, NOT to be confused with circle dances for which the
dancers are in a circular formation, ballroom dance (i.e., tango, waltz), ballet or Bhangra
In round dances, a "cuer" or leader at the front of the ballroom tells the dancers, as they
dance, what steps to do (think of FLOCKING).
To create a round dance, a piece of music is selected by the choreographer, and the different
steps or figures are chosen to fit the music. If the music swells and pauses briefly, then a dance step
that rises and stretches is put into that place. If there is a little syncopation in another part of the
song, then a quick step is inserted. The creation of a piece of choreography is like engineering a
machine, with every gear and lever in just the right place to give smooth and flowing motion. The
step-by-step instructions on how to dance this choreography are written out in what is called a cue
sheet.
Examples of social dances that may be danced in "round" fashion are[citation needed] bolero, cha-chacha, foxtrot, hustle, jive, Lindy hop, mambo, merengue, paso doble, quickstep, rumba, salsa, samba,
single swing, slow two step, tango, two step, waltz, Viennese waltz and West Coast swing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Round_dance
-square dances danced in a square, to country-western songs that dont have lyrics. Dancers pay
attention to the songs rhythm, and the instructions described by a caller
A square dance is a dance for four couples (eight dancers) arranged in a square, with one
couple on each side, facing the middle of the square.
The Western American square dance may be the most widely known form worldwide except
dances from China and India, possibly due to its association in the 20th century with the romanticized
image of the American cowboy. Square dancing is, therefore, strongly associated with the United
States of America. Nineteen US states have designated it as their official state dance.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_dance

-line dances danced in a line, to choreographed movement that matches or has been created for a specific
popular country-western song. Different from square dances because the dancers have practiced their
movement and already know what it will look like before performing it.
A line dance is a choreographed dance with a repeated sequence of steps in which a group of
people dance in one or more lines or rows without regard for the gender of the individuals, all facing
either each other or in the same direction, and executing the steps at the same time. Unlike in circle
dancing, line dancers are not in physical contact with each other.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_dance