Dance, a universal language expressed through rhythmic movement, has been an integral part of human culture for millennia. Evidence suggests that dance existed as far back as 30,000 years ago, evolving alongside societies and civilizations. Over time, these early forms of movement diversified, blended, and transformed into the myriad dance styles we recognize and enjoy today. From the structured elegance of ballet to the improvisational freedom of contemporary dance, the spectrum of dance forms is vast and captivating.
Here, we delve into some of the most popular Forms Of Dance Styles, each with its unique history, characteristics, and appeal:
Ballet: The Epitome of Grace and Technique
Elegant ballet dancers in performance attire showcasing classic ballet form
Ballet, a dance form synonymous with grace and precision, emerged during the Italian Renaissance. It flourished in France and Russia, evolving into a highly formalized concert dance intended for public performance. Ballets, often set to classical music, are meticulously choreographed narratives brought to life through movement.
Ballet productions can range from opulent spectacles with elaborate costumes and sets to minimalist performances focusing purely on the art of movement. Today, ballet is a globally recognized and technically demanding dance form, encompassing various subgenres such as classical ballet, romantic ballet, neoclassical ballet, and contemporary ballet.
The rigorous training in ballet is structured around six core recognized methods: Cecchetti, Bournonville, Vaganova, French School, Royal Academy of Dance, and Balanchine. Aspiring professional ballet dancers dedicate years to mastering these techniques in prestigious dance schools worldwide.
For ballet’s demanding movements, specialized flooring is crucial. Harlequin Floors offers a range of ballet dance floors, including the popular Harlequin Cascade, designed to provide the right balance of traction and slip resistance, minimizing injury risk while allowing for fluid movements. These floors are often installed over sprung floors like Harlequin Activity for enhanced safety and performance. 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 a Harlequin Cascade sprung and vinyl dance floor
Ballroom: Partnered Elegance and Rhythmic Precision
Ballroom dance, a social partner dance with roots in 16th-century France, has evolved into a diverse and elegant art form. While “ballroom” is sometimes used as a general term for partner dancing, it encompasses two primary subgenres: Standard (or Smooth) and Latin (or Rhythm).
The Standard category includes dances like the Waltz, Tango, and Foxtrot, characterized by graceful, flowing movements and close partner connection. Latin dances, such as the Paso Doble, Bolero, and Samba, are more energetic and rhythmic, often with a greater emphasis on hip and body action.
Ballroom dance is a popular competitive dance form, known as dancesport, with competitions held globally. The versatility required for different ballroom styles necessitates a suitable dance floor. Harlequin Fiesta and Harlequin Liberty Ballroom are excellent choices, offering a versatile surface that accommodates the varied demands of ballroom dancing.
Harlequin Liberty Ballroom is renowned for being the floor of choice for the BBC’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ and is also favored by professional World Ballroom Dance Champion, Christopher Hawkins, highlighting its quality and suitability for high-level ballroom performance.
Dancers performing ballroom at a charity event on Harlequin Liberty Ballroom floor
Contemporary: Expressive Freedom and Innovative Movement
Contemporary dance, emerging in the mid-20th century, has become a dominant and technically sophisticated dance form, particularly popular in the US and Europe. It draws inspiration from classical ballet, modern dance, and jazz, blending elements from various dance genres to create a style that emphasizes expressiveness and innovation.
Contemporary dance is characterized by its focus on torso strength, legwork, contract and release techniques, fall and recovery, and floor work. Performances often feature unpredictable shifts in tempo and rhythm, adding to the dynamic and emotionally charged nature of the style.
The dynamic and often physically demanding movements of contemporary dance require a floor that provides shock absorption. Harlequin Activity sprung floor, with its unique ‘triple sandwich’ construction, paired with a Harlequin vinyl dance floor, provides an ideal surface, protecting dancers from impact and supporting their expressive movements.
Contemporary dancer in a striking pose on Harlequin Hi-Shine vinyl floor
Hip Hop: Urban Rhythms and Street Style
Hip-hop dance encompasses a range of street dance styles that originated alongside hip hop music and culture. Emerging in the early 1970s in New York City and California, hip hop dance evolved from Funk styles and the emergence of breakbeats, reflecting the energy and innovation of urban communities.
Key hip hop styles include Breaking (breakdancing), Locking, and Popping. Derivative styles like Memphis Jookin’, Turfing, Jerkin’, and Krumping have also gained popularity, often popularized through music videos and mainstream media. Hip hop dance is performed in diverse settings, from outdoor public spaces and dance studios to competitive arenas.
Unlike many formal dance styles, hip hop often embraces improvisation, with dance crews engaging in energetic dance battles, showcasing creativity and skill. For the dynamic movements of hip hop, Harlequin Freestyle dance floor is specifically engineered to meet the unique demands of hip hop and other street dance forms, providing the right surface for agility and impact absorption.
Hip hop dance crew performing on Harlequin FreeStyle dance floor
Jazz: Rhythmic Syncopation and Expressive Improvisation
Jazz dance traces its roots back to 17th-century African traditions, brought to the Americas through the transatlantic slave trade. Enslaved Africans continued their dance traditions in Brazil, the US, and other parts of the Americas, laying the foundation for jazz dance.
Characterized by improvisation, syncopated rhythms, and dramatic body movements, jazz dance gained prominence in early 20th-century jazz clubs. Modern jazz dance builds upon African American vernacular dance styles that developed alongside jazz music in the United States. Swing, Lindy Hop, Shimmy, and Charleston are popular examples of jazz dances, reflecting the evolution and vibrancy of this genre.
For jazz dancers, a suitable floor is essential for both practice and performance. Harlequin Studio and Harlequin Allegro vinyl floors offer excellent surfaces, providing the right combination of grip and slip for jazz’s dynamic and varied movements.
Energetic jazz dancers leaping in the air showcasing jazz movement
Tap Dance: Percussive Rhythms and Audible Footwork
Tap dance is a percussive dance form distinguished by the rhythmic sounds created by tap shoes striking the floor. Tap dancers wear metal “taps” on the heels and toes of their shoes to amplify these sounds, transforming their feet into percussive instruments.
Often integrated into musical theatre productions, tap dance frequently involves intricate choreography and formations, with multiple tap dancers performing in unison. Tap dance encompasses various styles, including flamenco tap, rhythm tap, classical tap, Broadway tap, and postmodern tap, each with its nuances and characteristics.
A key element of tap dance is achieving a clear, crisp, and resonant sound. This unique requirement necessitates a specialized tap dance floor. Harlequin Fiesta is an excellent choice for tap dance flooring, providing the hard surface needed for clear tap sounds. When layered over a sprung floor system like Harlequin Liberty, it also offers joint protection, allowing dancers to perform with confidence and comfort.
Tap dancers in formation creating rhythmic patterns on Harlequin Cascade floor
Folk Dance: Cultural Traditions and Community Celebration
Folk dance, a diverse and globally celebrated category, encompasses dances rooted in cultural traditions and often performed at social gatherings and celebrations. Different cultures and communities use folk dances to express emotions, tell stories, commemorate historical events, or reflect aspects of daily life.
Well-known examples of folk dance include Bharatanatyam from India, Samba from Brazil, and Hula from Hawaii. Some cultures have numerous folk dance variations, such as South Korea, where different dances are performed for events like war victories, farming rituals, music celebrations, and religious ceremonies.
Folk dances are commonly performed at public events, encouraging participation from people of all skill levels. Traditional music often accompanies these dances, enhancing the cultural experience and fostering community engagement. For folk dance events held in various public venues, Harlequin Floors offers portable performance floors and dance floor hire services, providing adaptable flooring solutions for diverse settings.
Group of people performing a vibrant folk dance in traditional attire
Irish Dance: Spirited Footwork and Lively Formations
Irish dance, originating in Ireland, is a vibrant traditional dance form enjoyed for centuries both in Ireland and globally. Popularized by shows like Riverdance, Irish dance is renowned for its intricate footwork, upright posture, and dynamic group formations.
Traditionally, Irish dance events are accompanied by live music and sometimes singing. Festivals and competitions showcase talent, with dancers competing for trophies and medals. While group performances are common, solo Irish dance forms, such as stepdance, are also highly recognized and technically demanding.
For Irish dance studios and performance spaces, Harlequin Floors offers specialized Irish dance floors. Combining a sprung dance floor with a Harlequin vinyl surface like Harlequin Standfast creates a high-quality floor that supports the unique demands of Irish dance, providing both safety and performance enhancement.
Riverdance troupe performing on stage on Harlequin Cascade floor
Modern Dance: Individual Expression and Artistic Interpretation
Modern dance, a broad and influential genre, emerged primarily in Western countries like the USA and Germany in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In contrast to structured dance forms like ballet, modern dance prioritizes a dancer’s individual interpretation of music and emotions to guide their movements.
Modern dance arose partly as a rebellion against the perceived limitations of traditional dance forms, particularly ballet, which was seen as overly restrictive with its rigid rules and techniques. Today, modern dance is practiced and appreciated worldwide, offering dancers the freedom to explore movement without strict adherence to conventional techniques. Dancers can select music and utilize unconventional movements to convey emotions or narratives, emphasizing personal expression and artistic freedom.
To further enhance creative expression, Harlequin Floors offers printed vinyl performance floors, allowing for bespoke designs inspired by choreography or a selection from standard patterns, adding a visual dimension to modern dance performances. The versatility of modern dance makes many Harlequin vinyl dance floors suitable, accommodating the diverse movement vocabulary of this expressive form.
Modern dance performance by Royal Academy of Dance on Harlequin Cascade floor
Swing Dance: Energetic Partnering and Jazzy Rhythms
Swing dance, a lively variation of jazz dance, developed in the 1920s to 1940s in response to the growing popularity of swing jazz music in America. The evolution of music during the Jazz Age influenced dance, with swing music encouraging faster, more energetic, and improvisational movements.
Popular swing dance styles include Lindy Charleston, Jitterbug, Lindy Hop, and Balboa, many of which remain popular today. Swing dancing was often accompanied by Big Band musicians who played upbeat, smooth, and rhythmically engaging melodies.
Swing dancers can find excellent performance surfaces in Harlequin’s range of vinyl dance floors. Similar to jazz, swing dance benefits from floors that offer a balance of slip resistance and responsiveness. Harlequin Reversible Pro, with its high-performance slip-resistant surface, is well-suited for swing dance, ensuring dancer safety and enabling dynamic movements.
Swing Dance
From home practice equipment to portable ballet barres, Harlequin Floors provides a comprehensive range of professional products suitable for both home and studio use, catering to various dance styles. Their expert technical teams also offer dance floor installation services, ensuring floors are correctly fitted and meet safety standards.
Contact us online for further information and expert advice.
