Dance, a universal language of movement and rhythm, has been an integral part of human expression for millennia. From ancient rituals to modern-day performances, dance has evolved into a rich tapestry of styles, each with its unique history, techniques, and cultural significance. Understanding the different Dance Types Of Dance allows us to appreciate the vastness and beauty of this art form.
Dance has been documented as far back as 30,000 years ago, demonstrating its deep roots in human society and culture. Over centuries, various forms of dance have emerged, transformed, and blended, resulting in the diverse genres we recognize today. Let’s delve into some of the most popular dance types that captivate audiences and participants worldwide.
Top Dance Genres Explained
Ballet
Ballet, a dance form that originated during the Italian Renaissance, blossomed in France and Russia into a sophisticated concert dance intended for public spectacle. Typically performed as a ballet, it involves meticulously choreographed movements set to classical music. Ballet productions can range from lavish displays with elaborate costumes and sets to minimalist presentations with simple staging.
Today, ballet is a highly technical and globally recognized dance form, encompassing numerous subgenres such as classical, romantic, neoclassical, and contemporary ballet. With six prominent recognized methods – Cecchetti, Bournonville, Vaganova, French School, Royal Academy of Dance, and Balanchine – ballet is rigorously studied at leading dance institutions across the globe.
For aspiring and professional ballet dancers, the right flooring is crucial for both performance and safety. Harlequin Floors offers a specialized range of ballet dance floors engineered to provide the ideal balance of traction and slip resistance. This helps prevent injuries while allowing for the fluid, graceful movements essential to ballet. Harlequin Cascade, a popular choice for ballet, can be installed over various sprung floors to further enhance dancer comfort and safety.
Harlequin Floors also provides professional-grade ballet barres, available in permanent wall-mounted, floor-mounted, and freestanding options, catering to various studio and training needs.
Scottish Ballet dancers perform on a Harlequin Cascade sprung dance floor, showcasing professional ballet dance techniques
Ballroom
Ballroom dance, a partner dance style that emerged in France in the late sixteenth century, is often used as a general term for partnered dancing. Over time, ballroom has evolved into two primary subgenres: Standard/Smooth and Latin/Rhythm.
The Standard/Smooth category includes elegant dances like the Waltz, Tango, and Foxtrot, while the Latin/Rhythm category encompasses vibrant dances such as the Pasodoble, Bolero, and Samba. Ballroom dance is a popular competitive dance form, also known as dancesport, with competitions held globally.
Given the diverse styles within ballroom dancing, dancers require a floor that offers versatility. Harlequin Fiesta and the specifically designed Harlequin Liberty Ballroom dance floor provide excellent surfaces suitable for all ballroom dance styles.
Harlequin Liberty Ballroom is the flooring of choice for prestigious events like the BBC’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ and is endorsed by Professional World Ballroom Dance Champion, Christopher Hawkins, highlighting its quality and performance.
Ballroom dancers perform a lively routine on Harlequin Liberty Ballroom dance floor at a Dance Against Dementia charity event
Contemporary
Contemporary dance, which developed in the mid-twentieth century, is now a highly sought-after and technically demanding dance form, widely studied and performed professionally, particularly in the United States and Europe.
Drawing inspiration from classical ballet, modern, and jazz dance styles, contemporary dance has broadened its scope to incorporate elements from an even wider array of dance genres. Characterized by its emphasis on a strong core and legwork, contract and release techniques, fall and recovery principles, and floor work, contemporary dance is often recognized for its unpredictable shifts in tempo and rhythm throughout a performance.
The dynamic and often improvisational nature of contemporary dance necessitates a floor that can absorb impact and protect dancers from injury. Harlequin’s innovative ‘triple sandwich’ Harlequin Activity sprung floor, when paired with various vinyl dance floors, creates an ideal surface for contemporary dance, providing both cushioning and responsiveness.
A contemporary dancer strikes a pose on a Harlequin Hi-Shine vinyl dance floor, highlighting the expressive movement of contemporary dance
Hip-Hop
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 and the development of breakbeat music.
Key styles within hip-hop dance include Breaking, Locking, and Popping, which have spawned derivative styles such as Memphis Jookin’, Turfing, Jerkin’, and Krumping. These styles gained mainstream popularity through music videos and popular culture. 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 energetic dance battles. For the unique demands of hip-hop and other street dance styles, Harlequin Floors developed Harlequin Freestyle, a specialized dance floor designed to withstand the dynamic movements and high energy of these genres.
Hip-hop dance crew Da Rookies performing on Harlequin FreeStyle dance floor, demonstrating the energetic movements of hip-hop
Jazz
Jazz dance has its roots in seventeenth-century African traditions, brought to the Americas through the transatlantic slave trade. Enslaved Africans continued their dance traditions in Brazil, the United States, and other parts of the Americas, laying the foundation for jazz dance.
Characterized by improvisational 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 emerged alongside jazz music in the US. Popular jazz dance styles include Swing, Lindy Hop, Shimmy, and Charleston.
For jazz dancers seeking the right surface for practice and performance, Harlequin Floors offers a range of vinyl floors, including Harlequin Studio and Harlequin Allegro. These floors provide ideal conditions for the dynamic and varied movements of jazz dance.
Jazz dancers captured mid-jump, showcasing the energy and dynamism of jazz dance movements
Tap Dance
Tap dance is a percussive dance form distinguished by the rhythmic tapping sounds created by shoes striking the floor. Tap dancers often wear metal ‘taps’ on the heels and toes of their shoes to amplify the sound.
Frequently featured in musical theatre, tap dance performances often emphasize intricate choreography and formations, particularly in group performances. Tap dance encompasses various styles, including flamenco tap, rhythm tap, classical tap, Broadway tap, and postmodern tap.
As a percussive dance style, tap dancers aim for a clear, resonant sound to enhance their performance. This unique requirement necessitates a specialized floor for optimal sound quality and dancer safety. Harlequin Fiesta is an excellent tap dance flooring choice for dance studios and performance spaces. When layered over a sprung flooring system like Harlequin Liberty, it provides joint protection and allows dancers to perform with confidence.
Tap Attack performers on Harlequin Cascade dance floor, showcasing the synchronized percussive sounds of tap dance
Folk Dance
Folk dance is celebrated globally across diverse cultures and religions. These dances are used to express emotions, narrate stories, depict historical events, and represent aspects of daily life.
Well-known examples of folk dance include Bharatanatyam from India, Samba from Brazil, and Hula from Hawaii. Some cultures feature numerous variations of folk dances, with countries like South Korea having specific dances for significant events such as war victories, farming practices, music, and religious ceremonies.
Folk dances are commonly performed at public gatherings, encouraging participation from both experienced dancers and beginners. Traditional music typically accompanies these dances, enriching the cultural experience.
Harlequin’s range of portable performance floors and dance floor hire services are ideally suited for folk dance events held in various public venues, providing safe and reliable dance surfaces for community celebrations.
A group performs a vibrant folk dance, demonstrating the communal and expressive nature of folk dance traditions
Irish Dance
Originating in Ireland, Irish dance is a traditional dance form with centuries of popularity among the Irish and in countries around the world. Popularized by shows like Riverdance, Irish dance is renowned for its intricate footwork and impressive group formations.
Traditional Irish dance events typically include singing and music. Festivals often feature dance performances to showcase talent and competitions for trophies and medals. While Irish dance is often recognized as a group activity, there are also well-known solo forms, such as stepdance.
For Irish dance floors in studios or performance spaces, Harlequin Floors offers specialized sprung dance floors. Pairing a sprung floor with a Harlequin vinyl floor like Harlequin Standfast creates a high-quality surface perfectly suited for the demands of Irish dance.
Riverdance troupe performing in Killarney on Harlequin Cascade floor, showcasing the precision and energy of Irish dance
Modern Dance
Modern dance, considered a broad dance genre, primarily emerged in Western countries like the USA and Germany in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While most dance forms adhere to structured steps and techniques, modern dance emphasizes a dancer’s personal interpretation of music and emotions to guide their movements.
Modern dance arose initially as a reaction against the perceived restrictions of traditional dances like ballet, which were seen as overly rigid in their rules and techniques. Today, modern dance is enjoyed globally, offering dancers the freedom to explore movement without strict adherence to traditional techniques or turnout. Instead, dancers can select music and employ unconventional movements to express emotions or convey narratives.
Enhance the creative possibilities of modern dance performances with Harlequin’s printed vinyl performance floors. These floors allow for bespoke designs inspired by choreography or offer a selection of standard patterns, adding visual depth to performances. Due to the versatile and free-flowing nature of modern dance, dancers will find many of Harlequin’s vinyl dance floors suitable for their expressive movements.
Royal Academy of Dance students in a modern dance class on Harlequin Cascade floor, demonstrating the expressive freedom of modern dance
Swing
Swing dance is a jazz dance variation that developed between the 1920s and 1940s, coinciding with the rising popularity of swing jazz music in America. As music evolved during the Jazz Era, dance also transformed, with swing music encouraging faster and more energetic movements.
Popular swing dance forms include the Lindy Charleston, Jitterbug, Lindy Hop, and Balboa, many of which are still actively danced today. Swing dancing was typically accompanied by Big Band musicians who played upbeat, smooth, and easily listenable melodies.
Swing dancers will find a comfortable and responsive surface in Harlequin’s range of vinyl dance floors. Similar to jazz dancers, swing dancers can achieve excellent performances on vinyl floors like Harlequin Reversible Pro, which features a high-performance, slip-resistant surface to protect dancers during fast-paced routines.
Swing Dance
From home dance practice equipment to portable ballet barres, Harlequin Floors offers a comprehensive range of professional products for home and studio use, regardless of dance style. Our expert technical teams also provide a professional dance floor installation service to ensure Harlequin floors are correctly installed and meet all safety standards.
Contact us online for further information and expert advice.
