Module 001 Nature of the Different Dances
Dance Styles Timeline
Dancing is the most vibrant and beautiful form of art. Besides this, it’s a great way of social
interaction and provides a fun workout, which increases flexibility and cardiovascular health. It is
an act of moving rhythmically and expressively to an accompaniment. The word dancing came
from an old German word “damson” which means to “stretch”. Essentially, all dancing is made
up of stretching and relaxing.
Dance is always a bliss to watch in terms of costumes, elegant moves and music. Dance forms
take centuries to develop and reflect the customs of the society.
Numerous dance styles have evolved over the years and each style has a history behind it. From
medieval to contemporary dance forms, every style has its own meaning and reason of
origination. Dance is regarded as the best stress reliever and also helps in keeping one’s health
and fitness in check. For centuries, people around the globe have express themselves through
dance, where the practice still continues, today.
Timeline of Dance Styles
Timeline Dance Style
400 BCE Indian Classical Dance
15th Century Ballet
1600-1750 Baroque Dance
Early 16th Century Capoeira
Late 16th Century & Early 17th Century Masque
1795-1918 Vintage Dance
1795-1925 Classical Persian Dance
1790-1825 Regency Dance
Late 18th Century Bolero, Flamenco
Mid 1800s Cake Walk
1890s Tango
1892 Calypso
1895-1918 Animal Dance:
· Horse Trot
· Kangaroo Hop
· Turkey Trot
· Duck Waddle
· Chicken Scratch
· Grizzly Bear
1898 Merengue
19th Century English Country Dance
Late 19th Century · Samba
· Argentine Tango
· Modern Dance
1900s · Acrobatic Dance
· Black Bottom
· Jazz Dance
· Bounce
1910s · Texas Tommy
· Foxtrot
1911 Texas Swingout
1920s Swing Dance, Balboa
1926 Charleston
1927 Lindy Hop
Early 1930s Jive
1930s Moonwalk
1940s · Samba de Gafieria
· Mambo
· East Coast Swing:
o Boogie Woogie
o Rock and Roll
o Modern Jive
o Jive
o Collegiate shag
1945 Behop/ Bop Dance
1948 Line Dance
1950s · Skanking Dance
· Hand Jive
· Contemporary Dance
1953 Cha-cha
Early 1960s Detroit Ballroom
1960s · Swing Dance
· Locking
· Popping (Strobing, Waving, Tutting)
· Turfing
1960-1970 Liturgical Dance
1967 Robot Dancing
1970s · Salsa
· Chicago Stepping
· B-boying
· Crip Walk/ Clown Walk
· Electric Boogaloo
· Hip Hop Dance
· Liquid and Digits
· Disco Dance (House Dance, Waacking,
and Hustle)
1972 Contact Improvisation
1980s · Jacking
· Voguing
· Moshing
· Zouk
Late 1980s Melborune Shuffle, Leroc
1982 Twerking
1990s Memphis Jookin’, Zumba
1997 Jumpstyle
Early 20th Century Jitterbug Dance
Mid 20th Century Contemporary Dance, Rumba
Early 2000s Krumping, Electro Dance
Mid 2000s Jerkin’, Electro Dance
2003 Flash Mob
2008 Single Ladies Dance
2012 Gangnam Styles
Each decade injects a completely different influence to these dance styles. In tandem with these,
the types of music one dances to, also undergoes a radical evolution. For instance, the dance
styles of the 1920s and 1930s were more or less marked by simplicity and groovy moves like the
Lindy Hop, Jive, and Moonwalk. In the 1980s and 1990s the influence is derived from pop
culture and street dancing.
One can often see strong exotic influences in some styles. For instance, most Brazilian styles
incorporate African rhythms and influences similar to America’s improvisation of many Latin
dances. Indeed, it would not be untrue to state that the dance styles of each decade reflect the
overall feel of that time, which encompasses a collective influence of arts, economy, societal
norms, and culture peculiar to that decade. This fact is famously quoted by Kristy Nilsson as,
“Dancing is the world’s favorite metaphor.”
Phases of the Dance Program
1. Creative Rhythms
Creative rhythms are sometimes called fundamental rhythms or natural dances. It is an end
product of exploration and improvisation of movements as children learn to move the parts of
their body and to use them as instruments of expression.
2. Folk/Ethnic Dance
It is a cultural art form handed down from generation to generations. It communicates the
customs, beliefs, rituals, and occupations of the people of a region or country. Folk dancing
belongs to the people. It emanates from them. Ethnic tribes have their specific tribal art forms
originated and danced by the people of the tribe.
Examples of folk dances are the rural and country dances, jotas, mazurkas, pandanggos, among
others with foreign influence.
Examples of ethnic dances are the dances of the mountain peoples of the Cordilleras, dances of
the ethnic groups in the Cagayan Valley Region and the ethnic dances in the Mindanao Regions.
3. Social and Ballroom Dance
The setting of the social and ballroom dance is a social gathering with the more normal
atmosphere than the simple and informal parties in which the recreational dances are the usual
forms. Social and ballroom dancing are generally held in the evenings. The participants are
usually in formal attire.
4. Recreational Dance
It includes dance mixers, square dance round and couple dances. Many of these dances have
simple patterns and combinations of walking steps, polka step and the waltz step. The setting is
usually informal gatherings and parties, reunions etc.
5. Creative Dance
It is the highest form of dance. It is the end-product of exploration and improvisation of
movements as the dancer or the choreographer expresses his feelings or emotions, ideas, and
interpretations. This is a dance with a definite form, a beginning and an ending. The principles of
art form are all observed in the composition of the dance.
Examples of creative dance are ballet, jazz, and modern or contemporary dance.
Different Types of Dances and Dancing Styles Across the Globe
Whatever it’s performed for religious reasons or simply as a hobby, any form of dance has the
power to bind people together from different parts of the world.
Dance is one of the most beautiful forms of art that has grown in leaps and bounds. Dance is no
longer just a hobby; it is also one of the most lucrative professions as well. Besides, dance
therapy is very much in vogue these days simply because the experience of dancing helps a
person to heal from within. Dance is a form of expression that helps a person bring forth who
they are, and what they’re passionate about.
The different types of dances and dance styles that are prevalent all over the world, are an
indication of the popularity of this art form. From the olden days till date, dance has always been
performed for social reasons or even if just something to aesthetically display. The various types
of dances are considered as an entertaining way to remain fit, with zumba, and other forms of
dance, being incorporated into workout routines.
Every dance form has its own unique identity. Each dance is beautiful in its own way and has a
different appeal to it. Every country has a distinctive approach about its dance style, and
ethnicities worldwide merging dance forms, and even creating new ones, transforming the very
idea of dance.
Glossary
Dance: refers to movement set to music where the emerge organizations, structure and pattern. Is
composition that implies arrangement of parts into a form.
Dancing: is a means of expressing one’s emotions through movement disciplines by rhythm.
