Types of Dance - Categories

Here are some of the most popular dance categories and types:

Ballroom Dances
These dances started appearing first in Italy during the early years of
the Renaissance. The popularity of this kind of entertainment quickly
swept over Europe, the United States, and the World. Although
many simpler and more easily performed types of dances caused
the ballroom dances to lose some influence, the modern worldwide
dancing audience started resurrecting these immortal dances ever-
increasingly.

 Waltz - This graceful and slow two-person dance was first

introduced in the mid-19th century and was greatly popularized
by the music of the famous composer Johann Strauss. Today this
dance represents the gold standard and is the most famous
dance in ballrooms worldwide.
 Viennese Waltz - Original form of the waltz, first performed at
the Italian courts, is today remembered as the Viennese Waltz. It
differs from the much more famous "English Slow Waltz" by
having much faster 180 beats per minute and was the first who
introduce "closed hold" between performers.
 Tango - Created in the Argentinean region of Rio de la Plata,
this dance is today known for many of its variations (Argentine
tango, Uruguayan tango, Finish Tango, and two types of
Ballroom tangos - standard and American) and the fascinating
sensual and energetic style.

 Cha-Cha-Cha - This incredibly rhythmic dance created in Latin

America managed to meld together both the slow and very
energetic movements, making it an instant hit among dancers
around the world.
 Rumba - The popularity of this Cuban dance came from its focus
on the sensual hip movements of dance partners. Since its
creation in the 1930s, many types of Rumba have been created,
most notably Cuban Rumba (with the style of the enslaved
Africans who made it), Catalan Rumba (with Spanish flavor),
Flamenco Rumba, and African Rumba.
 Samba - Samba is a famous dance and musical genre
originating from the coast of Africa and Brazil. Today infectious
rhythm of the Samba is regarded as the national dance of Brazil,
and its famous Brazilian Carnival gathers millions of Samba
dance fans every year.
 Mambo - This Cuban dance that accompanies the music of the
same name was introduced in the 1930s and quickly managed to
gain popularity with the exploits of famous musicians and
dancers such as Perez Prado, Benny Moré, Tongolele, Adalberto
Martínez, Rosa Carmina, and Lilia Prado.
 Quickstep - Light-hearted and fast movement, powerful forms,
and syncopations represent the core style characteristics of the
Quickstep, one of the world's most popular ballroom dances
today. It was originally developed in the 1920s dance scene of
New York and the Caribbean as the combination of the dances
such as Charleston, a slow variation of Foxtrot, Peabody, shag,
and one-step. The smooth and glamorous version of quickstep
danced today worldwide to a 4/4 music beat of 48-52 measures
per minute was standardized in 1927.
  Jive - Jive is one of the five most popular Latin dances known as
swing, boogie, or boogie-woogie. It is considered one of the
liveliest Latin dances, promoting a happy and bloopy
performance with lots of knee movement and hip rocking. Its
official ballroom jive variation, commonly danced at a speed of
176 beats per minute, was formalized in the 1990s.
 Bolero - Bolero is an Argentine dance, but it also has different
international variations of the same name coming from Cuba
and Spain. Today’s popular ballroom version of this dance is
based on the Cuban bolero, also known as “rumba.” This 2/4 or
4/4 music with a tempo of around 120 beats per minute is well
known worldwide.

African-American and Traditional Jazz dances

 Charleston - This extremely popular dance type was popularized
by a famous tune called "The Charleston" by composer and
pianist James P. Johnson. Charleston, the craze soon took over
the enthusiastic dancers of the Prohibition era of the United
States.
 Swing - This dance is today a synonym for the jazz and swing
music of the 1920s-1930s. Because of the many styles of Jazz
music, Swing also comes in many flavors - Lindy Hop, Jitterbug,
Boogie Woogie, West Coast Swing, and Rock and Roll.
 Tap Dance - This extremely popular form of dance was first
introduced in the United States during the 1920s Prohibition era.
Created by enslaved Africans, tap dancing came into the
mainstream with the performances of the Nicholas brothers. Tap
dancing conquered Hollywood and the entire world a few short
years later.
 Moonwalk - Pop icon Michael Jackson first performed this
extremely famous dance move that emulates the illusion of
walking backward in March of 1983, and ever since then, it
gained planetary fame. No single dance move ever created
received this amount of popularity and recognition.
  Boogie-woogie - This quick and energetic dance style became
popular in the 1930s and 1940s.

Worldwide Dances / Latin dances

 Salsa - This Latin dance is among the most popular in Latin
America, North America, Europe, and Australia. It is a sensual
form, energetic movement, and innovative choreography that
Mambo, Changuyi, and Rumba influenced and made popular
worldwide.
 Flamenco - This famous Spanish dance originated from the
region of Andalusia, and it gained its name only in 18 th century.
Its magical, passionate, and energetic fusion of singing (cante),
guitar playing (toque), dance, and handclaps (palmas) made it
famous throughout the entire world. It became one of the
accepted heritages of the whole of humanity.
 Argentine tango - Among many types of tango dance,
Argentinian dance strives to preserve the original form of tango,
first created in the Rio de la Plata region.
 Lambada - This famous dance originated in Para, Brazil became
internationally popular in the 1980s. It successfully fused aspects
of Forro, salsa, merengue, maxixe, and the carimbó into an
unforgettable dance style.
 Polka - The appearance of polka in the mid-19th century
created one of the largest "dance crazes" our world has ever
seen. It influenced countless other dances, became a national
dance of many European countries, and is extremely popular in
the entire Western hemisphere.
 Jive
 East Coast Swing - Swing dance has many variations, of which
one of the most popular is the East Coast Swing. This social
partner dance is known today as Eastern Swing, Jitterbug,
American Swing, East Coast Lindy, and Lindy originated between
the 1940s and 1960s as the alternative to the other types of
harder-to-learn swing dances.
  Capoeira - Capoeira dance is a unique dance found in the
combat moves of the Afro-Brazilian martial art of the same name
that takes heavy inspiration from music, dance, and acrobatics.
Practitioners of this martial art are famous for being highly
athletic dancers who can take advantage of dance-like moves to
perform quick and complex maneuvers that can deliver a wide
variety of kicks, spins, jumps, and other techniques used in
combat. Today, Capoeira is famous as one of Brazil and South
America's most celebrated cultural heritages.
 Country/ Western Dances - - The country dance style is a social
dance activity closely associated with American country and its
Western traditions. It is made not from a single dance but
encompasses many forms and dance styles that can be
performed in country-western music. No matter the type of
music style or dance type, Country dance gatherings employ
strong dancefloor etiquette and even the ability to perform
multiple dance styles on a dance floor simultaneously.

 Folk Dance - Folk dances represent musical and cultural

heritage, reflections of daily life, or ethnic history of people who
live in a particular region or country. Popular worldwide in
hundreds of unique variations and styles, folk dances (also
known as traditional or ethnic dances) are usually performed at
dance gatherings with the accompaniment of traditional music
of the region. The majority of folk dances are not regulated, and
they slowly morph over time.
 Belly dance - Belly dance is one of the most famous oriental folk
dances in the world. It is an expressive form of dance that
originated in Egypt. It emphasizes the complex movement of the
torso and entire body utilizing sudden percussive movements,
unstopping fluid body motions, and the presence of small and
fast shimmies, shivers, and vibrations of the hips or the ribcage.
Belly dance is regarded as very sensual, emotional, and
captivating.

Professional performance dance

Professional dancing was first introduced in the early years of the
Italian Renaissance when music, dance, arts, and poetry started to rise
in popularity after millennia of medieval stagnation. Refined by the
efforts of France and Russia, ballet became the premier technical
concert dance. Hailed as one of the most revered and complicated
dances of all time, ballet continued its rise to worldwide domination.
In modern times, many other professional dances came to be, such
as Contemporary dance, Modern Dance, and Concert dance. Still,
none surpassed ballet's complexity, physical strain, and heritage.

 Ballet - Ballet is undoubtedly one of the most highly technical

and famous performance dances. It was created in 15th-century
Renaissance Italy but received popularization in countries such
as France and Russia. Its incredible popularity and influence have
profoundly impacted techniques found in many other dances
and have even morphed the cultural histories of many countries
worldwide.
 Contemporary dance - Contemporary dance is a highly
complicated type of modern performance dance that originated
in the mid-20th century as an alternative to classical dance styles
(such as ballet), modern styles (free dance), and Jazz dance. Its
focus on free leg movement, strong stress on the torso,
disordered choreography, unpredictability, multiple and
simultaneous actions, improvisation, and non-standardized
costumes, sets, and lighting has pushed this dance into the
forefront of modern art dance scene.
 Concert Dance - Concert dance (also known as stage dance) is
any choreographed dance that is performed for an audience,
usually at the theatre or an organized gathering setting with the
presence of set music. It is a polar opposite of social or
participation dances, where participants can freely dance how
and when they wish. Most popular concert dances are Ballet,
Acrobatic dance, tap dance, modern dance, classical Indian or
Persian dances and others.
 Modern Dance - Modern dance is an influential performance
dance that originated as a reaction against the classical ballet
 and its movement style. Shaped by many factors in late 19th and
early to mid-20th century, modern dance evolved into a popular
free dance style that includes elements of performance art,
release technique, improvisation and contact improvisation.
 Tap Dance - Among many types of popular dances around the
world, tap dance may be one of the most unusual dances.
Instead of focusing on body movements and dancing with a
partner, tap dance is characterized by the creation of percussion-
like musically-focused rhythm performance using tap shoes
striking on the floor in accordance with the dancing music.

Modern Dances
Advancements in music technology brought the birth of many new
types of dances. Introduction of electronic and rock music brought the
era of House, Punk, Rave and Disco dance. Faraway country of India
did not cared much for those styles, and in accordance to the deeply
seeded religious beliefs, they incorporated dance of their gods to
everyday life and was and profitable Bollywood movie scene.

 House dance - After the years of popularity of Disco, the genre

of House music and house dance became born in New York and
Chicago clubs. Built on top of subtler rhythms, riffs of the music
and influences of jazz, Latin, soul, funk, R&B, and many other
music styles, this social dance quickly found its way into homes
and clubs across the entire world.
 Punk dance - Born as an extension of 1960s garage rock, the
punk rock managed to attract fans who enjoyed not traditional
social dances of before, but more energetic and sometimes
violent dance style of moshing (sometimes called slam-dancing)
and headbanging. This dance styles were characterized by the
strong and full body contact of live band audience, with frequent
bumping and jostling both alone and in groups.

 Rave dance - Fueled by the unending focus on pulsating beats,

loud volume and psychedelic music effects, dancers of rave
music are free to create their freestyle of movements, with no
 rules about dance routines or synchronized moves, usually in
dark and crowded venues of dance clubs, nightclubs, and
festivals. Dancers are encouraged to find inspiration in music,
other people, and their mood.
 Disco dance - The popular disco music genre of the 1970s
would not found such popularity if it was not so easy to dance
with. Fans of this music often wore extravagant and sexy
clothing while dancing free form or structured versions of
various disco dances, such as Bump, (several variations of)
Hustle, Robot, Boogaloo, Watergate, and others.
 Bollywood dance - The cultural history of India and the rest of
southern Asia would not remain the same without the strong
influence of Bollywood movie industry which has promoted
Hindi dance music to the world. Created as the mix of traditional
Indian music, Hindi dance traditions of the Indian sub-continent,
and Middle-Eastern techniques, Bollywood dance is
characterized by elaborate choreographies, energetic
movements, and dances that involve a large number of
participants.

Hip-hop & Funk dance

Dancing style of Hip-Hop evolved from the music style that was first
introduced during 1970s. Powered by the great popularity, exposure
in media, movies and television programs, hip-hop dances found a
great foothold in United States, France, United Kingdom and South
Korea. A very similar style called Funk was also created during 1970s,
and is today regarded as one of the most influential pieces of Hip-hop
dance styles.

 Breakdance (Breaking) - One of the most athletic dances in the

world, Breakdance, have originally found its popularity in the
1970s as the street dance in the New York’s Bronx. Since then it
has spread all around the world where it was viewed as one of
the most unique dance styles ever made. Usually danced solo,
this dance requires talented dancers to perform the series of
 either choreographed or freeform dance and athletic
movements alongside usually breakbeat, hip-hop or funk music.
 Bounce - Born in the 1980s as a mix of New Orleans hip-hop
music and the traditions of the Mardi Gras Indian chants, Bounce
dance can today be danced both in its common and hypersexual
form. Since it is so closely connected with the traditions of the
Mardi Gras culture, many forms of Bounce today remain to be
highly regional and can rarely be seen dancing outside of the
music scenes of New Orleans, Miami, Baltimore, and other music
hubs.
 Electric boogaloo - Funk style of hip-hop was popularized not
only by its music but also by the worldwide acceptance of the
famous dance style called Electric Boogaloo, which was originally
promoted in the 1970s by the dance group of the same name.
Danced both by individuals and groups in both free form and
choreographed manner, Electric Boogaloo is filled with the wide
variety of moves that focused on the movement of legs, hips,
knees and frequent use of exaggerated robotic-like moves.
 Street Jazz - Created with the influences of African American
slaves, Jazz dance gained popularity in the early 20th century as
any form of dance that was performed alongside then new Jazz
music. Highly improvisational and freeform, Jazz dance quickly
morphed into a performance dance that emulated elements of
ballet. Today, Jazz dance is enjoyed in many forms which are
collectively called “modern jazz dance”.
 Jookin' - Jookin’ or so-called “gangsta waling” style of dance is
a street dance that originated quite recently in the 1990s on the
streets of Memphis, Tennessee. The dance is characterized by
the movement set that tries to emulate the “bounce” in the core
beat of the crunk music that often accompanies this dance style.
Even though this dance has found some popularity worldwide, it
is still a regional dance that can rarely be seen outside of the city
of Memphis.
 Locking - Funk dance is incredibly diverse, and one of its
famous variations is “locking”. The core gimmick of this style of
hip-hop dance is to suddenly stop and hold the position (or get
 locked) in the middle of dance routines for a short while, and
then suddenly resume the dance. It requires full body motion,
but most of the dance is focused on top half of the body. Many
Locking dancers prefer to use various acrobatic and physically
demanding moves to augment their dance routines.
 Popping - Very close in style with popular Electric Boogaloo,
Popping is another variation of the funk-themed street dance
from the 1960s and 1970s that found popularity all around the
world. The technique that dancers need to master to properly
dance Popping is controlled and quick contrasting and relaxing
of muscles that will create the feeling of a jerk throughout the
body. This jerk is referred as “pop” or “hit” and can be used to
augment dance routines, movements and possess.

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