Dance, an art form deeply embedded in human history, transcends mere movement; it’s a universal language of expression and culture. From ancient rituals to modern-day performances, dance has continuously evolved, branching into a diverse spectrum of styles that captivate and inspire. Evidence of dance exists from as far back as 30,000 years ago, proving its enduring presence in communities and civilizations across the globe. Over millennia, various dances have transformed, blended, and morphed into the well-known genres we recognize and enjoy today. This article delves into ten of the most popular Dance Types, offering insights into their origins, characteristics, and global appeal.
Top Dance Genres Around the World
Ballet
Ballet, a dance form synonymous with grace and precision, originated during the Italian Renaissance. It flourished in France and Russia, evolving into a structured concert dance intended for public spectacle. Typically set to classical music, ballet performances, known as ballets, showcase elaborate choreography. Productions can range from opulent displays with rich costumes and staging to minimalist presentations with bare essentials. Ballet has become a globally recognized and highly technical dance form, encompassing numerous subgenres such as classical, romantic, neoclassical, and contemporary ballet.
Characterized by its rigorous technique and ethereal quality, ballet employs six core recognized methods: Cecchetti, Bournonville, Vaganova, French School, Royal Academy of Dance, and Balanchine. It is studied professionally at prestigious dance schools worldwide, demanding years of dedication and training.
For ballet dancers, the dance floor is crucial. Harlequin Floors specializes in ballet dance floors, engineered to provide the right balance of traction and slip, minimizing injury risk while facilitating the fluid movements essential to ballet. Harlequin Cascade is a favored choice for ballet, often paired with sprung floors like those also offered by Harlequin, enhancing performance and safety. Additionally, Harlequin Floors provides professional ballet barres in wall-mounted, floor-mounted, and freestanding options, catering to diverse studio needs.
Scottish Ballet dancers perform on Harlequin Cascade, professional sprung and vinyl dance floors.
Ballroom
Ballroom dance, a captivating form of partner dance, emerged in late sixteenth-century France. Though often used as a general term for partner dancing, ballroom has developed into two primary subgenres: Standard/Smooth and Latin/Rhythm. The Standard/Smooth category includes elegant dances like the Waltz, Tango, and Foxtrot, while Latin/Rhythm encompasses vibrant styles such as Pasodoble, Bolero, and Samba.
Ballroom dancing is a celebrated competitive dance form, known as dancesport, with competitions held globally. Its grace and intricacy make it a popular social and competitive activity. The diverse styles within ballroom necessitate versatile dance floors. Harlequin Fiesta and Harlequin Liberty Ballroom are specifically designed to accommodate the varied demands of ballroom dance, offering excellent surfaces for practice and performance.
Harlequin Liberty Ballroom, recognized for its quality and performance, is famously used in the BBC’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ and by world-renowned ballroom dancers like Christopher Hawkins.
Dancers at "Dance Against Dementia" event on Harlequin Liberty Ballroom, a professional sprung and vinyl dance floor.
Contemporary
Contemporary dance, a relatively recent genre developed in the mid-twentieth century, has rapidly grown into one of the most popular and technically demanding dance forms, particularly in the US and Europe. It draws inspiration from classical ballet, modern, and jazz styles, evolving to incorporate elements from a wide array of dance disciplines.
Characterized by its emphasis on torso and leg strength, contract and release techniques, fall and recovery movements, and floor work, contemporary dance is known for its dynamic shifts in tempo and rhythm. The unpredictable nature of contemporary dance requires dancers to have a shock-absorbent floor surface to protect their bodies from the impact of rapid movements and rhythmic changes. Harlequin Activity sprung floor, with its innovative ‘triple sandwich’ construction, combined with various Harlequin vinyl dance floors, creates an ideal surface for contemporary dance, ensuring both safety and performance quality.
Contemporary dancer Rosie Kay performs on Harlequin Hi-Shine vinyl dance floor, known for professional sprung and vinyl dance surfaces.
Hip Hop
Hip-hop dance encompasses a range of street dance styles that emerged alongside hip hop music and culture. Originating in the early 1970s in New York and California, hip-hop dance evolved from Funk and the breakbeat movement. Key hip-hop styles include Breaking, Locking, and Popping, which have spawned derivative styles like Memphis Jookin’, Turfing, Jerkin’, and Krumping. These styles gained widespread popularity through music videos and mainstream media.
Today, hip-hop dance is performed in diverse settings, from outdoor spaces and dance studios to competitive arenas. Unlike many competitive dance forms, hip-hop often emphasizes improvisation, with dance crews engaging in spontaneous dance battles. The energetic and grounded nature of hip-hop demands specific flooring. Harlequin Freestyle, a specialized dance floor developed by Harlequin Floors, is designed to meet the unique needs of hip-hop and other street dance styles, providing the right level of grip and resilience for dynamic movements.
Hip Hop dance crew Da Rookies perform on Harlequin FreeStyle dance floor, suitable for various street dance styles.
Jazz
Jazz dance has roots tracing back to seventeenth-century African traditions. Brought to the Americas during the Atlantic slave trade, enslaved Africans continued their dance traditions in Brazil, the US, and other parts of the continent. Characterized by improvisation and expressive body movements, jazz dance gained prominence in early twentieth-century jazz clubs.
Modern jazz dance builds upon African American vernacular dance styles that developed in conjunction with jazz music in the United States. Popular forms of jazz dance include Swing, Lindy Hop, Shimmy, and Charleston. The dynamic and expressive nature of jazz requires a floor that supports a range of movements. Harlequin Floors offers vinyl floors like Harlequin Studio and Harlequin Allegro, which provide ideal surfaces for jazz dance practice and performance, offering a balance of slip resistance and comfort.
Jazz dancers captured in mid-jump, showcasing the energy and dynamism of jazz dance.
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 enhance the sound. Often featured in musical theatre, tap dance frequently involves intricate choreography and formations, with multiple dancers performing in unison.
Tap dance encompasses various styles, including flamenco, rhythm tap, classical tap, Broadway tap, and postmodern tap. As a percussive art form, tap dancers seek a clear, resonant sound to accentuate their performance. This unique requirement necessitates a specialized floor for optimal tap performance. Harlequin Fiesta is an excellent flooring choice for tap dance studios and performance spaces, providing the necessary sound quality and durability. When paired with a sprung floor system like Harlequin Liberty, it also offers essential joint protection for dancers, allowing them to perform with confidence and comfort.
Tap Attack performers demonstrating tap dance on Harlequin Cascade, a suitable surface for percussive dance styles.
Folk Dance
Folk dance, a vibrant expression of culture and community, is celebrated globally. Different cultures and religions utilize various forms of folk dance to convey emotions, narrate stories, commemorate historical events, or depict aspects of daily life. Well-known examples of folk dance include Bharatanatyam from India, Samba from Brazil, and Hula from Hawaii. Some cultures boast multiple variations of folk dances, with countries like South Korea having distinct dances for significant occasions such as war victories, farming rituals, musical celebrations, and religious ceremonies.
Folk dances are commonly performed at public events, fostering community participation regardless of dance experience. These dances are typically accompanied by traditional music, enriching the cultural experience. For folk dance events in public venues, portable performance floors and dance floor hire services offered by companies like Harlequin Floors provide excellent, adaptable solutions.
Folk dancers in traditional attire, showcasing the diversity and vibrancy of folk dance traditions.
Irish Dance
Irish dance, originating in Ireland, has been a cherished tradition for centuries, popular among Irish communities and enthusiasts worldwide. Popularized by shows like Riverdance, Irish dance is renowned for its intricate footwork and synchronized group formations. Traditional Irish dance events often include singing and music. Festivals and competitions showcase talent, with participants vying for trophies and medals.
While group performances are widely recognized, solo Irish dance forms, such as stepdance, are also prominent. The energetic and precise footwork of Irish dance requires a supportive and resilient floor. For Irish dance studios and performance spaces, Harlequin Floors offers specialized sprung dance floors. Combining a sprung floor with a Harlequin vinyl floor like Harlequin Standfast creates a high-quality surface ideal for Irish dancers, providing the necessary support and slip resistance for complex movements.
Riverdance troupe performing in Killarney, showcasing Irish dance on Harlequin Cascade dance floor.
Modern Dance
Modern dance, considered a broad genre, primarily emerged in Western countries like the USA and Germany in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In contrast to structured dance forms with set steps, modern dance emphasizes a dancer’s individual interpretation of music and emotions to guide movement. Modern dance arose from a rejection of the perceived limitations of traditional dances like ballet, which were seen as overly restrictive with rigid rules and techniques.
Today, modern dance is enjoyed globally, allowing dancers to explore movement without strict adherence to technique or turnout. Dancers can select music and use unconventional movements to express emotions or convey narratives. The expressive freedom of modern dance benefits from versatile flooring options. Harlequin Floors offers printed vinyl performance floors, allowing for bespoke designs inspired by choreography or standard patterns, adding a visual dimension to modern dance performances. The adaptability of modern dance means dancers can feel comfortable on many of Harlequin’s vinyl dance floors.
Royal Academy of Dance students on Harlequin Cascade floor, demonstrating modern dance techniques.
Swing Dance
Swing dance, a lively variation of jazz dance, developed between the 1920s and 1940s, reflecting the rising popularity of swing jazz in America. As music evolved during the Jazz Era, dance also transformed, with swing music inspiring faster, more dynamic movements. Popular swing dance styles include Lindy Charleston, Jitterbug, Lindy Hop, and Balboa, many of which remain popular today. Swing dancing was typically accompanied by Big Band musicians playing upbeat, smooth, and engaging melodies.
The energetic and partnered nature of swing dance requires a floor that allows for both quick movements and secure footing. Swing dancers can find suitable surfaces in Harlequin’s range of vinyl dance floors. Similar to jazz, swing dancers can achieve excellent performances on vinyl floors like Harlequin Reversible Pro, which offers a high-performance, slip-resistant surface to ensure dancer safety and confidence.
From home practice equipment to portable ballet barres, Harlequin Floors provides a comprehensive range of professional products for dancers at home or in the studio, regardless of their chosen dance type. Their expert technical teams also offer a professional dance floor installation service, ensuring floors are correctly fitted and meet safety standards.
Contact Harlequin Floors for further information and professional advice on selecting the ideal dance floor for your specific needs.
