Outline of dance

Updated on Oct 01, 2024

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The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to dance:

Dance – human movement either used as a form of expression or presented in a social, spiritual or performance setting. Choreography is the art of making dances, and the person who does this is called a choreographer. Definitions of what constitutes dance are dependent on social, cultural, aesthetic, artistic and moral constraints and range from functional movement (such as Folk dance) to codified, virtuoso techniques such as ballet. A great many dances and dance styles are performed to dance music.

What type of thing is dance?

Dance (also called "dancing") can be described as all of the following:

an activity or behavior

one of the arts – a creative endeavor or discipline.

one of the performing arts – art performed for an audience and existing in time rather than as a permanent object.

Hobby – regular activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure, typically done during one's leisure time.

Exercise – bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness.

Recreation – leisure time activity

Motion – change in position over time.

Types of dance

Type of dance – a particular dance or dance style. There are many varieties of dance. Dance categories are not mutually exclusive. For example, tango is traditionally a partner dance. While it is mostly social dance, its ballroom form may be competitive dance, as in DanceSport. At the same time it is enjoyed as performance dance, whereby it may well be a solo dance.

List of dances

List of dance style categories

List of ethnic, regional, and folk dances by origin

List of folk dances sorted by origin

List of national dances

List of DanceSport dances

Dance genres

Acro dance

B-boying

Ballet

Glossary of ballet terms

Bollywood dance

Ballroom dance

Baroque dance

Belly dance

Glossary of belly dance terms

Country-western dance

Erotic dancing

Hip-hop dance

Indian classical dance

more...

Dance styles by number of interacting dancers

Solo dance – a dance danced by an individual dancing alone.

Partner dance – dance with just 2 dancers, dancing together. In most partner dances, one, typically a man, is the leader; the other, typically a woman, is the follower. As a rule, they maintain connection with each other. In some dances the connection is loose and called dance handhold. In other dances the connection involves body contact.

Glossary of partner dance terms

Group dance – dance danced by a group of people simultaneously. Group dances are generally, but not always, coordinated or standardized in such a way that all the individuals in the group are dancing the same steps at the same time. Alternatively, various groups within the larger group may be dancing different, but complementary, parts of the larger dance.

Dance styles by main purpose

Ceremonial dance –

Competitive dance –

Erotic dance –

Participation dance –

Performance dance –

Social dance –

Concert dance –

Geography of dance (by region)

AfricaAntarcticaNoneAsiaCentral AsiaKazakhstan • Kyrgyzstan • Tajikistan • Turkmenistan • UzbekistanEast AsiaChinaCaucasus (a region considered to be in both Asia and Europe, or between them)Europe Akrotiri and Dhekelia • Åland • Albania • Andorra • Armenia • Austria • Azerbaijan • Belarus • Belgium • Bosnia and Herzegovina • Bulgaria • Croatia • Cyprus • Czech Republic • Denmark • Estonia • Faroe Islands • Finland • France • Georgia • Germany • Gibraltar • Greece • Guernsey • Hungary • Iceland • Ireland • Isle of Man • Italy • Jersey • Kazakhstan • Kosovo • Latvia • Liechtenstein • Lithuania • Luxembourg • Macedonia • Malta • Moldova (including disputed Transnistria) • Monaco • Montenegro • Netherlands • Poland • Portugal • Romania • Russia • San Marino • Serbia • Slovakia • Slovenia •NorwaySpainSweden • Switzerland • Turkey • UkraineUnited KingdomVatican CityNorth AmericaCanada Provinces of Canada: • Alberta • British Columbia • Manitoba • New Brunswick • Newfoundland and Labrador • Nova Scotia • Ontario (Toronto) • Prince Edward Island • Quebec • SaskatchewanTerritories of Canada: Northwest Territories • Nunavut • YukonOceania (includes the continent of Australia)AustralasiaAustralia New ZealandMelanesiaFiji • Indonesia (Oceanian part only) • New Caledonia (France) • Papua New Guinea • Solomon Islands • Vanuatu •MicronesiaFederated States of Micronesia • Guam (USA) • Kiribati • Marshall Islands • Nauru • Northern Mariana Islands (USA) • Palau • Wake Island (USA) •PolynesiaAmerican Samoa (USA) • Chatham Islands (NZ) • Cook Islands (NZ) • Easter Island (Chile) • French Polynesia (France) • Hawaii (USA) • Loyalty Islands (France) • Niue (NZ) • Pitcairn Islands (UK) • Adamstown • Samoa • Tokelau (NZ) • Tonga • Tuvalu • Wallis and Futuna (France)South America Argentina • Bolivia • Brazil • Chile • Colombia • Ecuador • Falkland Islands • Guyana • Paraguay • Peru • Suriname • Uruguay • VenezuelaSouth Atlantic