Solo Dancing

• Belly dance: Originating from Egypt, this is a style of dance that features isolated movements of the hips and torso rather than the movement of limbs through space.

• Classical ballet: This style of dance focuses on allowing the dancer to achieve the greatest levels of grace, agility, speed, control, and lightness through specific movements and positions of the limbs.

• Modern: This style of dance is highly expressive and freeform, and it was created in response to the rigid structure of ballet. The movements incorporated into this form of dance are often inspired by other dance styles, and it is not as structured as other forms of dance.

• Jazz: Mixing both African and European dance styles, jazz dancing is any dance set to a piece of jazz music. This form of dance often features isolation (one part of the body moves while the rest of the body remains still) and syncopation (stressing the offbeats of the music which is characteristic of jazz music).

• Tap: The defining characteristic of this style is the audible tapping sounds that come from the feet. The specific shoes used in this type of dance have shoes fitted with metal taps at the toes and the heels and wooden soles.

• Pole dancing/fitness and aerial dance: Centered around a long, vertical pole, this style of dance mixes gymnastics and dance, and it is often used as a mainstream form of core-building exercise.

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Couples Dancing 

• Salsa and Bachata: Some examples of Latin club dances that are widely popular as recreational dancing. They have energizing music, fun moves, and are sure to improve the mood of dancers, as well as the audience. The social version of these dances is not complex, while they have a room to grow for those interested in honing their dancing skills attending dance festivals and workshops around the world.  

• Ballroom dancing: In this style of dance, partners follow predetermined step patterns and emphasize posture and technique.

• Argentine tango: The form of dance relies heavily on improvisation and connection between the two dancers. The objective of this dance is to improvise the steps to match the speed and emotion of a song. This dance is characterized by quick and spontaneous movements.

• Brazilian Zouk (Lambazouk) and Lambada: Lambada is a dance originating from Brazil characterized by fast movements and pronounced rhythmic movements of the hips. Brazilian Zouk originated from Lambada after setting the steps to slower Zouk music.

• East/West Coast Swing and Lindy Hop: East Coast Swing is a very versatile dance that is easy to learn. It is danced to energetic music, and it is a stationary dance, so dancers dance in circular motions in the same spot on the floor. West Coast Swing is a more improvisational style of swing dancing, and it is often danced to slower, blues music. Dancers dance in a specific rectangular area. The Lindy Hop is a specific form of swing dancing that is characterized by swing outs, fast rotations, and quick footwork.

Group/Community Dancing

• Contact improvisation: This style of dance emphasizes the physical connection between people and the physical laws the govern the movement. This style also relies heavily upon improvisation. Dancers try to experience the natural flow of movement by letting go of excess muscular tension and willfulness.

• Square dancing: This is a traditional American folk dance. Four couples dance in a square formation as the steps are decided and announced by the caller. This dance is strongly linked to the Southern and Western regions of the United States.

• Line Dancing: This style of dance emphasizes the movements of legs and feet, however more advances dances include movements of the hands and arms as well. The dances are performed with many people standing in a row and facing the same direction, and they all dance in unison with the same steps.

• Sirtaki: This is a Greek dance in which the dancers dance in a line with their hands on the shoulders of the people next to them. An important characteristic of this dance is that the tempo of the music (and therefore the speed of the dancing) increases as the dance progresses. The movements of the dance begin slow and smooth and eventually become fast-paced and vivid actions including leaping and hopping.

• Kolo: This is a traditional Serbian folk dance in which dancers are interlinked to form a chain and dance in a circular line with their arms down. It is a spirited and fast-moving dance.

• Ceili: This dance is a traditional Irish dance danced to traditional Irish music. It consists of quadrilles, jigs, reels, and long or round dances.

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*** Note: The statements presented in this article are the points of view of authors indicated in the references.