Dance, a universal language expressed through rhythmic movement, has been an integral part of human culture for millennia. From ancient rituals to contemporary expressions, dance has evolved into a myriad of forms, each with its unique history, technique, and cultural significance. This Dance Types List explores some of the most popular and influential dance styles around the world, offering a glimpse into the rich tapestry of human movement and artistry.
Exploring Diverse Dance Genres
Ballet
Emerging from the Italian Renaissance courts and refined in France and Russia, Ballet is a highly technical concert dance form renowned for its grace, precision, and ethereal quality. Traditionally performed to classical music, ballet tells stories through choreographed movements, often featuring elaborate costumes and staging, although minimalist productions also exist.
Ballet is characterized by its rigorous technique, including turnout, pointe work for women, and graceful, flowing movements. It encompasses various subgenres, including classical ballet, romantic ballet, neoclassical ballet, and contemporary ballet, each with distinct stylistic nuances.
Six primary recognized methods—Cecchetti, Bournonville, Vaganova, French School, Royal Academy of Dance, and Balanchine—underscore the discipline and structured training inherent in ballet. Aspiring ballet dancers dedicate years to honing their skills at prestigious dance schools worldwide.
For ballet’s demanding movements and the need for both controlled glide and secure footing, specialized flooring is crucial. Harlequin Floors offers a range of ballet dance floors, such as Harlequin Cascade, designed to provide the ideal balance of traction and slip resistance, minimizing injury risk while supporting fluid movement. These vinyl floors are often paired with sprung floors for enhanced shock absorption. Harlequin Floors also provides professional ballet barres in wall-mounted, floor-mounted, and freestanding options, essential tools for ballet training and practice.
Scottish Ballet dancers performing on Harlequin Cascade ballet floor, showcasing professional sprung and vinyl dance flooring.
Ballroom Dance
Originating in late sixteenth-century France as a partner dance form, Ballroom dance has become a global phenomenon, evolving into social and competitive styles. Often used as an umbrella term for partner dancing, ballroom encompasses two primary categories: Standard/Smooth and Latin/Rhythm.
The Standard/Smooth category includes elegant dances like the Waltz, Tango, and Foxtrot, characterized by flowing movements and close partner connection. Latin/Rhythm dances, such as the Pasodoble, Bolero, and Samba, are more energetic and sensual, with rhythmic hip movements and lively steps.
Ballroom dance is a popular competitive dance, known as dancesport, with events held internationally. The diverse styles within ballroom demand versatile dance flooring. Harlequin Fiesta and Harlequin Liberty Ballroom are specifically engineered to provide the necessary surface for various ballroom styles, offering a balance of grip and滑度 for different dance techniques.
Harlequin Liberty Ballroom is a favored choice for professional settings, notably used by the BBC’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ and acclaimed by World Ballroom Dance Champion Christopher Hawkins, highlighting its quality and performance suitability.
Ballroom dancers at 'Dance Against Dementia' event on Harlequin Liberty Ballroom floor, highlighting sprung and vinyl dance floors for ballroom.
Contemporary Dance
Emerging in the mid-20th century, Contemporary dance has risen to prominence as a highly expressive and technically demanding genre, particularly in the US and Europe. It draws inspiration from classical ballet, modern dance, and jazz, blending elements from diverse dance forms.
Contemporary dance is known for its emphasis on torso strength, legwork, contract and release techniques, fall and recovery, and floor work. Performances often feature unpredictable shifts in tempo and rhythm, contributing to its dynamic and emotionally charged nature.
The demanding and varied movements of contemporary dance necessitate a shock-absorbent dance surface to protect dancers from impact and stress. Harlequin Activity sprung floor, with its innovative ‘triple sandwich’ construction, paired with various Harlequin vinyl dance floors, provides an ideal surface for contemporary dancers, offering both safety and performance enhancement.
Contemporary dancer Rosie Kay performing on Harlequin Hi-Shine dance floor, demonstrating professional sprung and vinyl flooring for contemporary dance.
Hip Hop Dance
Hip Hop dance encompasses a range of street dance styles that evolved alongside hip hop music and culture. Originating in the early 1970s in New York and California, hip hop dance emerged from Funk influences and the development of breakbeats.
Key hip hop styles include Breaking (breakdancing), Locking, and Popping. Numerous derivative styles, such as Memphis Jookin’, Turfing, Jerkin’, and Krumping, have gained popularity, often popularized through music videos and mainstream media.
Hip hop dance is performed in diverse settings, from outdoor spaces and dance studios to competitive events. Unlike many structured competitive dances, hip hop often features improvisation, with dance crews engaging in spontaneous dance battles, showcasing creativity and skill.
Recognizing the unique demands of hip hop and street dance, Harlequin Floors developed Harlequin Freestyle. This specialized dance floor is designed to provide the right level of grip for dynamic movements and spins, essential for hip hop techniques.
Hip Hop dance crew Da Rookies performing on Harlequin FreeStyle dance floor, designed for hip hop and street dance styles.
Jazz Dance
Jazz dance traces its roots back to seventeenth-century African traditions, brought to the Americas through the transatlantic slave trade. Enslaved Africans preserved and evolved their dance traditions in Brazil, the US, and other parts of the Americas, laying the foundation for jazz dance.
Characterized by improvisation, syncopation, and dynamic body movements, jazz dance gained widespread popularity in early 20th-century jazz clubs. Today, it builds upon African American vernacular dance styles that arose concurrently with jazz music in the United States. Popular jazz dance forms include Swing, Lindy Hop, Shimmy, and Charleston, all embodying the energetic and expressive nature of jazz music.
For jazz dancers who require a floor that supports both dynamic movement and secure footing, Harlequin Floors offers a range of vinyl floors. Harlequin Studio and Harlequin Allegro are excellent choices, providing ideal surfaces for jazz dance practice and performance, accommodating the improvisational and energetic qualities of the style.
Energetic jazz dancers demonstrating dynamic movements, suitable for Harlequin Studio and Allegro dance floors.
Tap Dance
Tap dance is a percussive dance form distinguished by the rhythmic sounds created by tap shoes striking the floor. Tap dancers typically wear shoes fitted with metal taps on the heels and toes to amplify these sounds, transforming their feet into percussive instruments.
Often featured in musical theatre productions, tap dance emphasizes choreography and formations, frequently involving multiple dancers performing in unison. Tap dance encompasses various styles, including flamenco tap, rhythm tap, classical tap, Broadway tap, and postmodern tap, each with unique rhythmic and stylistic nuances.
Tap dancers aim to produce clear, crisp, and resonant sounds with their taps. This percussive nature demands a specialized floor that enhances sound quality and provides a responsive surface. Harlequin Fiesta is an excellent tap dance flooring option, designed to deliver optimal sound and performance. Layering it over a sprung floor system like Harlequin Liberty further protects dancers’ joints and enhances comfort and safety.
Tap Attack dance group performing on Harlequin Cascade tap dance floor, showcasing specialized flooring for tap.
Folk Dance
Folk dance, a vibrant expression of culture and tradition, is celebrated globally. Diverse cultures and communities utilize folk dances to convey emotions, narrate stories, commemorate historical events, and represent aspects of daily life.
Well-known folk dance forms include Bharatanatyam (India), Samba (Brazil), and Hula (Hawaii). Many cultures boast multiple variations of folk dances, with countries like South Korea featuring distinct dances for significant occasions such as war victories, farming rituals, musical performances, and religious ceremonies.
Folk dances are commonly performed at public events, festivals, and gatherings, encouraging participation from individuals of all skill levels, from beginners to experienced dancers. Traditional music often accompanies folk dances, enriching the cultural experience and enhancing the storytelling aspect.
For folk dance events held in various public venues, Harlequin Floors offers portable performance floors and dance floor hire services. These solutions provide adaptable and safe dance surfaces for diverse folk dance styles and performance settings.
Group of folk dancers in traditional attire, representing various cultural folk dance styles.
Irish Dance
Originating in Ireland, Irish dance is a captivating traditional dance form with a rich history spanning centuries. Popularized worldwide by shows like Riverdance, Irish dance is celebrated for its intricate footwork, dynamic formations, and vibrant energy.
Traditional Irish dance events are often accompanied by live music and singing, creating a festive and communal atmosphere. Festivals and competitions showcase Irish dance talent, with dancers vying for trophies and medals, fostering a spirit of skill and artistry.
While group performances are widely recognized, Irish dance also includes notable solo forms, such as stepdance, emphasizing individual skill and precision.
For studios and performance spaces dedicated to Irish dance, Harlequin Floors offers specialized Irish dance floors. Combining a sprung floor with a Harlequin vinyl floor like Harlequin Standfast creates a high-quality, durable, and safe surface ideal for the percussive footwork and energetic movements characteristic of Irish dance.
Riverdance troupe performing in Killarney on Harlequin Cascade, highlighting Irish dance on professional sprung and vinyl flooring.
Modern Dance
Modern dance emerged as a broad genre primarily in Western countries like the USA and Germany in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In contrast to the structured steps and techniques of traditional forms like ballet, modern dance prioritizes a dancer’s interpretation of music and emotional expression to guide movement.
Born from a rejection of ballet’s perceived limitations and rigid rules, modern dance champions freedom of expression and individual creativity. Today, modern dance is practiced and appreciated globally, allowing dancers to explore movement without strict adherence to traditional techniques or turnout. Instead, dancers focus on conveying emotions and narratives through unconventional and personal movements.
To further enhance the expressive potential of modern dance, Harlequin Floors offers printed vinyl performance floors. Bespoke designs inspired by choreography or standard patterns can be printed on the floor, adding a visual dimension to performances. The versatile nature of modern dance also makes many of Harlequin’s standard vinyl dance floors suitable choices.
Dancers from the Royal Academy of Dance performing on Harlequin Cascade, demonstrating modern dance on professional flooring.
Swing Dance
Swing dance, a lively offshoot of jazz dance, developed between the 1920s and 1940s, mirroring the rising popularity of swing jazz music in America. The evolution of music during the Jazz Age spurred dance innovation, with swing music encouraging faster tempos and more dynamic movements.
Popular swing dance forms include Lindy Hop, Charleston, Jitterbug, and Balboa, many of which continue to be danced today. Swing dancing was typically accompanied by Big Band musicians who played upbeat, smooth, and rhythmically engaging melodies.
Swing dancers find versatile and supportive surfaces in Harlequin’s range of vinyl dance floors. Similar to jazz dance, swing benefits from floors that facilitate energetic movement and provide secure footing. Harlequin Reversible Pro, with its high-performance, slip-resistant surface, is well-suited for swing dance, ensuring dancer safety and performance quality.
Swing Dance
From home practice equipment to portable ballet barres, Harlequin Floors provides a comprehensive range of professional products suitable for home studios and dance institutions, catering to every dance style. Their expert technical teams also offer a dance floor installation service, ensuring correct and safe fitting of Harlequin floors.
Contact us online for further advice and information on choosing the right dance floor for your needs.
