10 most popular types of dance
Dance, a universal language expressed through movement, has been an integral part of human societies for millennia. Evidence suggests that our ancestors were dancing as far back as 30,000 years ago, marking it as one of the oldest forms of human expression. Over this vast expanse of time, dance has continuously evolved, branched out, and merged, resulting in the rich tapestry of dance genres we recognize today. From ritualistic movements to theatrical performances, the Names Of Dancing styles are as varied as the cultures that birthed them.
This article delves into some of the most popular types of dance that have captivated audiences and participants worldwide. Each style carries its unique history, techniques, and cultural significance, contributing to the vibrant and dynamic world of dance.
Discovering the Top Dance Genres
Ballet
Originating in the opulent courts of the Italian Renaissance, Ballet blossomed into a refined performance art in France and Russia. It is characterized by its rigorous technique, graceful movements, and storytelling through choreographed steps, typically set to classical music. Ballet performances, known as ballets, range from lavish spectacles with elaborate costumes and sets to minimalist productions focusing purely on the dance itself.
Ballet has become a globally recognized and highly technical dance form, encompassing diverse subgenres such as classical ballet, romantic ballet, neoclassical ballet, and contemporary ballet. Its structured training is based on several established methods, including the Cecchetti, Bournonville, Vaganova, French School, Royal Academy of Dance, and Balanchine methods. Aspiring professional ballet dancers dedicate years to honing their skills at prestigious dance schools around the world.
For the demanding movements of ballet, specialized flooring is crucial. Harlequin Floors offers a range of ballet dance floors engineered to provide the perfect balance of traction and slip resistance, minimizing injury risk while allowing for fluidity. Harlequin Cascade, a popular choice for ballet studios, can be installed over various sprung floors to enhance comfort and safety. Harlequin Floors also provides professional-grade ballet barres, available in wall-mounted, floor-mounted, and freestanding options.
Scottish Ballet dancers performing on Harlequin Cascade dance floor, showcasing professional sprung and vinyl dance floor solutions by Harlequin Floors
Ballroom
Ballroom dance emerged as a social partner dance in France in the late sixteenth century. Today, “ballroom” is often used as a general term for partnered dancing, but it has evolved into two distinct categories: Standard (or Smooth) and Latin (or Rhythm). The Standard category includes elegant dances like the Waltz, Tango, and Foxtrot, while the Latin category features vibrant dances such as the Paso Doble, Bolero, and Samba.
Ballroom dancing is a popular competitive dance form, known as dancesport, with competitions held globally. The diverse styles within ballroom require dancers to have a versatile dance surface. Harlequin Fiesta and the specialized Harlequin Liberty Ballroom dance floor are excellent choices, providing the necessary versatility for all ballroom styles.
Notably, Harlequin Liberty Ballroom is the floor of choice for the BBC’s popular show ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ and is endorsed by Professional World Ballroom Dance Champion, Christopher Hawkins, highlighting its quality and performance.
Dancers performing in "Dance Against Dementia" event on Harlequin Liberty Ballroom, a professional sprung and vinyl dance floor by Harlequin Floors
Contemporary
Contemporary dance arose in the mid-twentieth century and has since become a highly sought-after and technically demanding dance form, particularly in the US and Europe. It draws inspiration from classical ballet, modern, and jazz dance, and has evolved to incorporate elements from a wider spectrum of dance genres.
Contemporary dance is characterized by its emphasis on a strong core and legwork, incorporating techniques like contract and release, fall and recovery, and floor work. Performances often feature unpredictable shifts in speed and rhythm, adding to its expressive nature.
The dynamic movements of contemporary dance demand a shock-absorbent floor to protect dancers from impact. Harlequin’s innovative Harlequin Activity sprung floor, with its ‘triple sandwich’ construction, can be combined with various vinyl dance floors to create an ideal surface for contemporary dance practice and performance.
Contemporary dancer Rosie Kay performing on Harlequin Hi-Shine vinyl dance floor, a professional sprung and vinyl dance floor solution by Harlequin Floors
Hip Hop
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 and California, hip-hop dance evolved from Funk and the burgeoning breakbeat music scene.
Key styles within hip-hop dance include Breaking (breakdancing), Locking, and Popping. Over time, derivative styles like Memphis Jookin’, Turfing, Jerkin’, and Krumping have emerged, often gaining mainstream popularity through music videos.
Today, hip-hop dance is practiced in diverse settings, from outdoor spaces and dance studios to competitive arenas. Unlike many competitive dance forms, hip-hop often incorporates improvisation, with dance crews engaging in energetic dance battles.
Harlequin Floors has developed Harlequin Freestyle, a specialized dance floor designed to meet the specific 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 performing on Harlequin FreeStyle dance floor, a professional sprung and vinyl dance floor solution by Harlequin Floors
Jazz
Jazz dance traces its roots back to seventeenth-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 its improvisational nature 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 alongside jazz music in the United States. Popular jazz dance forms include Swing, Lindy Hop, Shimmy, and Charleston.
For jazz dancers, Harlequin Floors offers a range of vinyl floors, including Harlequin Studio and Harlequin Allegro, which provide ideal surfaces for both practice and performance, offering a balance of grip and ease of movement.
Jazz dancers performing dynamic jumps, highlighting the energetic nature of jazz dance and suitable flooring by Harlequin Floors
Tap Dance
Tap dance is a percussive dance form distinguished by the rhythmic sounds created by tap shoes striking the floor. Tap dancers often wear metal “taps” on the heels and toes of their shoes to amplify these sounds, turning their feet into percussive instruments.
Often featured in musical theatre productions, tap dance often emphasizes intricate choreography and formations, particularly when performed by multiple dancers. Tap dance encompasses various styles, including flamenco tap, rhythm tap, classical tap, Broadway tap, and postmodern tap.
Tap dancers seek a crisp, clear sound from their taps to enhance their performance. This unique requirement necessitates a specialized floor. Harlequin Fiesta is an excellent tap dance flooring choice for studios and performance spaces. When layered over a sprung flooring system like Harlequin Liberty, it provides both the desired sound quality and joint protection for dancers, allowing them to perform with confidence.
Tap Dance group Tap Attack performing on Harlequin Cascade dance floor, demonstrating professional dance floor solutions by Harlequin Floors
Folk Dance
Folk dance is a vibrant and diverse category celebrated across the globe. Different cultures and communities use folk dance to express emotions, narrate stories, commemorate historical events, and depict aspects of daily life. These dances often reflect the traditions and values of a specific community or region.
Well-known examples of folk dance include Bharatanatyam from India, Samba from Brazil, and Hula from Hawaii. Some cultures boast a rich repertoire of folk dances, with countries like South Korea having distinct dances for events like war victories, farming rituals, religious ceremonies, and musical celebrations.
Folk dances are commonly performed at public gatherings, festivals, and community events, welcoming participation from both experienced dancers and beginners. Traditional music often accompanies these dances, enriching the cultural experience.
Harlequin Floors’ range of portable performance floors and dance floor hire services are ideal for folk dance events held in various public venues, ensuring a safe and suitable dance surface for all participants.
Group performing a folk dance, showcasing the cultural richness and communal aspect of folk dance traditions, and portable dance floor solutions by Harlequin Floors
Irish Dance
Originating in Ireland, Irish dance has been a cherished tradition for centuries, gaining popularity both in Ireland and internationally. Popularized by shows like Riverdance, Irish dance is renowned for its intricate footwork, rapid leg movements, and captivating group formations.
Traditional Irish dance events are often accompanied by live music and singing. Festivals and competitions, known as Feiseanna, showcase talent and offer dancers the opportunity to compete for awards. While group performances are iconic, solo Irish dance forms, such as stepdance, are also widely practiced and celebrated.
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 surface that meets the demands of Irish dance, providing both safety and performance enhancement.
Riverdance troupe performing in Killarney on Harlequin Cascade dance floor, demonstrating professional dance floor solutions for Irish Dance by Harlequin Floors
Modern Dance
Modern dance emerged as a distinct genre primarily in Western countries like the USA and Germany during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It arose from a rebellion against the strict conventions of traditional dance forms like ballet, which were perceived as overly restrictive. In contrast to structured dance forms with set steps, modern dance emphasizes a dancer’s personal interpretation of music and emotions to guide their movements.
Modern dance champions freedom of expression and encourages dancers to explore unconventional movements to convey feelings and tell stories. It has gained global popularity, allowing dancers to embrace ballet principles while prioritizing individual expression over rigid technique and turnout.
To further enhance the creative possibilities of modern dance, Harlequin Floors offers printed vinyl performance floors. These floors allow for bespoke designs inspired by choreography or offer a selection of standard patterns, adding a visual dimension to performances. The versatility of modern dance means dancers can also comfortably practice and perform on many of Harlequin’s standard vinyl dance floors.
Dancers from the Royal Academy of Dance performing on Harlequin Cascade, showcasing professional dance floor solutions for Modern Dance by Harlequin Floors
Swing
Swing dance is a lively offshoot of jazz dance that developed in the 1920s to 1940s, mirroring the rise of swing jazz music in America. The evolution of music during the Jazz Era spurred changes in dance, with swing music inspiring faster, more energetic 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 melodies that were easy to dance to.
Swing dancers can find suitable flooring within 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 offers a high-performance, slip-resistant surface to ensure dancer safety and confidence.
Swing Dance
From home dance 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 style. Their expert technical teams also offer a professional dance floor installation service to ensure Harlequin floors are installed correctly and meet all safety standards.
Contact us online to learn more and receive expert advice.
