Types of Dances

There are many different kinds of dancing and dancing styles, that everyone is sure to find at least one form of dance that they enjoy and can do well. Dances differ by style and form, for example some dances may fall under the category of ballroom dancing, which involves partnering and a degree of formality. Other forms of dance may be more free-formed movements and can be done individually, such as Hip Hop dancing. Here we will look at some of the many types of dance that are out there, but remember, this is not an exhaustive list. There are so many types of dancing, it's nearly impossible to list all of them. New dances are created every day by individuals all around the world. Such is the joy of dance.

Ballet

A type of concert dance, ballet has been around for quite some time. It was developed during the 15th century in the French courts of Louis XIV, and is an interpretation of moves borrowed from the sport of fencing. It involves using specific positions and movements that dancers rehearse for hours in practice classes. Dancers generally wear a leotard and tights and wear a form of ballet shoe, either of soft material or hard point shoes so that dancers (particularly female) may dance on their toes, Performances may be done with a symphony of music or recorded music for the specific piece, and performances often follow a story or drama. 

There are different types of ballet, including classical or romantic, neoclassical and contemporary or modern ballet.  Classical ballet is known as the most formal type of ballet and is based on one of three areas of origin: France, Italy and Russia, each having slight differences according to teaching method. Neoclassical ballet is similar to classical, yet was developed in the 20th century and is less formal. Modern or contemporary ballet is informed by aspects of ballet and modern dance, and allows the dance greater freedom of movement. Some famous ballet dancers include Anna Pavlova, Dame Margot Fonteyn, Rudolph Nuryev and Sylvie Guillem.

Hip Hop

This type of dance originated in the urban African and Latin American communities of the United States during the 1970s. Hip-hop dancing involves fast paced movements by an individual and is usually done to hip-hop music. Break dancing is an old form of hip hop that includes spinning on the ground or lively horizontal movements. Another form of this type of dance is popping and locking. Popping and locking involves freezing or "locking" movements in place and quickly contracting or relaxing muscles, all to the beat of music.

Ballroom Dancing

Thought to have originated during the Renaissance, ballroom dancing is the umbrella term for a wide variety of styles, but it generally characterizes a kind of dance done by a couple (male and female) that follows certain qualities of the particular style. Also, ballroom may be done for exercise or recreation,  competition or even performance.

Some of the ballroom dancing styles include the tango, salsa, rumba, waltz, quickstep, foxtrot, polka and swing. Each of these types of dancing fall under the category of ballroom and each has their own set of steps, movements and types of music that they may be danced to.

Modern Dance

Developed in the 20th century, modern dance was created as a rejection against the teachings and limited range of movement of ballet. Modern dance involves using the dancer's emotions or to interpret the music, as opposed to using a pre-designed series of positions or steps. Unlike ballet, this type of dancing not necessarily require wearing specific shoes or costumes. In fact, dancers more often than not, go barefoot, and they tend to use the floor not only with their feet, but hands and other areas of the body. Dancers such as Martha Graham and Isadora Duncan in America, and Mary Wigman and Rudolf von Laban in Europe, were early pioneers of modern dance.

Tap Dance

Tap dancing is a type of dance that uses the dancer's footwear to create sound to accompany the dance. The dancer's shoes feature thin metal plates which make a "tap" sound when struck again the floor by the dancer. Movements are created to take advantage of the different sounds made by the shoes. Tap dancing is thought to originate from three different forms of dance; African, Irish and Flamenco. Famous tap dancers include Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Gregory Hines, Sammy Davis Jr., Gene Kelly and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.

Folk Dancing

This type of dancing encompasses dancing from various countries, tribes and communities from around the world. Often performed by the people or "folk" of a certain group, these kinds of dances grew out of a particulars cultural way of life and are done to celebrate an event, and can also be done as  performance by trained individuals or groups of people. Some folk dances include clogging, contra dance, square dancing, and Maypole dance. Some people believe that folk dances are not done in a competition or performance level, but only at social functions and gatherings.

Jazz

This type of dancing was created in America during the late 19th century. The first kind of jazz dance that was created was a form of tap dancing during this period that evolved into then-popular types of dancing such as the Cakewalk, Charleston and Jitterbug. In the 1950's however, jazz dancing became a different kind of dance and was born out of Broadway into a more fluid style of movements. What we now call jazz dancing involves, turns, leaps and steps that use the body's center for balance. Jazz dancers often wear special soft jazz shoes so they their feet may smoothly turn on the floor.

Belly Dancing

This exotic type of dance originated in the Middle East, and involves using movements in specific parts of the body. For example, the movement may be isolated to the pelvic or hip area, and can included vibrating or circulating movements. Traditionally, dancers wear a costume that includes a veil, which may be used to dance with and a leotard. Dancers of this type usually go barefoot or wear flexible shoes to allow the dancer to easily move. There are two types of belly dancing, "raqs sharqi" and "raqs baladi." Raqs sharqi is done by men and women, socially at celebrations. Raqs baladi, performed mostly by women, is theatrical in nature and is popular in the West.