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Because of the volume of articles and page-load speeds, we've had to separate these topics: Dance related on this page: [go to Music]

General

Career Opportunities in Dance There are many career avenues a graduating dancer can pursue. It is important to understand that while some careers only require an undergraduate degree at the entry level, most will demand appropriate postgraduate degrees, certifications, specific skills and/or experience.

CyberDance is an extensive internet dance database containing thousands of  links to classical ballet and modern dance resources on the Internet.

Dance Magazine This monthly magazine focuses on the dance community and offers feature articles, interviews and performance reviews.

A Short Note on the History of Dancing in America

Misconceptions Men Have About Dancing.

Rules for Behavior While Dancing, 1925.  This is an interesting document that lays out the rules and regulations governing dance hall behavior in Cleveland, circa 1925.

Why Social Dance Etiquette?  Dancing is one of the few social activities that can put you "cheek to cheek" with a complete stranger.  Dance etiquette is a set of informal guidelines that help make social dance interaction enjoyable for everyone.  Dance etiquette is nothing more than polite consideration for others around you, as well as a concern for the safety of everyone involved and helps in the effort to avoid inadvertently offending or harming other dancers or people around you. 

American Social Dance: The Dance Is Us This is an original essay by Richard Duree which discusses why we dance the way we do

Folk vs. Ethnic Dance This is an original essay by Richard Duree which discusses the differences between folk and ethnic dance

Twentieth Century Social Dance History This is an original essay by Carol Teten presenting a history of twentieth century social dance

Western - history of western dancing

50's Dance

Twist - history of the twist

Some Favorite 50's Dances It's funny how dance crazes come and go. Some it seems, like swing and jive, will never really go out of style. During the 50s, there were several dances that were "it" at the school prom, the high school homecoming dance, and anywhere a band could play a tune. So, now's the time to kick back the rug, remember some of those old dances and how to do them with us. Put on a record on the record machine and have yourself a sock hop!

60's Dance

Funk Funk dancing originated on the West coast of the United States, where it developed in the late 60’s as a reaction to the fusion of Soul and Disco, as well as early R’n’B and Hip Hop music.

R’n’B R’n’B dancing has its strongest association with the dance styles that have developed in the last four decades on the East coast of the United States of America.

African

Cha Cha The Cha Cha is believed to have derived from the Afro-Cuban dance, the 'Mambo'. In the slow Mambo tempo, dancers began to dance a 'triple step' movement to a unique beat in the music, eventually leading to the development of a dance form in its own right.

Ballet

The origins of ballet dance Ballet is a standard art form today, known and loved by audiences across the world. But how did this beautiful art get its start? When and how did the concept of ballet form? Read this article for a brief history of the origins of ballet.

American Ballet Theatre dictionary.  A chance to investigate how your steps should look.

Ballroom

Ballroom dance Tempi - Dance tempi in measures per minute as recommended by the National Dance Council of America, Inc.

Argentine Tango - history of Argentine Tango and Milonga

Argentine Tango History - Milonga and Argentine Tango history by Mike Higgins

Tango - history of tango dancing

Foxtrot - history of foxtrot

Waltz - history of waltz dance

Tango If dance is the vertical expression of a horizontal desire, then the Tango is its purest evocation.

Argentine Tango Like its more famous counterpart, the Argentine Tango developed in the bars, clubs and brothels of Buenos Aires around the late 1880’s.

Cocktail Samba Cocktail Samba is a combination of Ballroom Samba and Brazilian Samba.

Nuevo Tango Nuevo Tango is a combination of traditional Ballroom Tango and Argentine Tango.

Peabody - history of peabody

Baroque

Baroque Dance Among the important facets in the development of French Baroque dance was the invention of a dance notation system, which was originally conceived as a method whereby courtiers could learn the fashionable dances. With the adoption of this system for recording various dances, the French court dance and manners spread far beyond the borders of France.

What is Baroque Dance? – My own attempt at describing baroque dance.

John Essex's The Dancing Master – An HTML version of the 1728 translation of Rameau's Le Maître à danser.

Kellom Tomlinson's The Art of Dancing Explained – An almost-finished HTML version of the manual published in 1735.

Baroque Dance – A Brief Introduction Baroque dance, the precursor of classical ballet, was established and developed in France at the court of Louis XIV.  This style of dancing dominated the Western world – it was introduced to the English court by Charles II, and French dancing masters were employed at theatres and courts throughout Europe.

Belly Dancing

Belly Dance Egyptian Style - article by Jasmin Jahal

Raks Sharki: a brief history - article by Venus

Debke - FAQ's from Aziza Sa'id's website

Folkloric Dance Styles - from Venus's website

Folkloric Dances - article by Jasmin Jahal

Guedra: the FAQ - by Karol Harding

Hagallah - The folkloric dance of celebration known as the hagallah is performed by the settled Bedouin (bedu) of Mersa Matruh in Western Egypt and is often performed during the date harvest, which is the wedding season in that area.

Khaleegy - FAQ's from Aziza Sa'id's website

Ouled Nail - from Belly Dance Museum website

Trance Dance: the Zar - from Med-Guide page

The Zar: exorcism of demons - from the Influence of Animism of Islam page

The Zar Revisited - by Me'ira

The Many Styles of Belly Dance

The Belly Dance is identified by swaying hips, undulating torso, and articulated isolations employed in a range of dynamic and emotional expressions. Characteristic movements in the dance include curving patterns, undulations, thrusts, lifts, locks, and drops, and shaking or quaking body movements.

Defining the Dance - by Jen Al-Amina 

Middle Eastern Dance: the emergence of the new sacred temple priestess - article by Z-Helene Christopher

A Short History of the Ghawazee - by Sayyid Asim al-Talib

Khairiyya Mazin Struggles to Preserve Dying Tradition of Ghawazi Dance in Egypt - article by Edwina Nearing

The Ghawazee of Egypt - article by Jasmin Jahal

The Exquisite Art of Persian Classical Dance - by Robyn c. Friend

Persian Dance - by Jasmin Jahal

Persian Dance and it's Forgotten History - by Nima Kiann

Persian Dance History - by Shahrezad

American Tribal Belly Dance - FAQ's from Aziza Sa'id's website

The Elusive Definition of Tribal Belly Dance - by Aharon Moore

Tribal Belly Dance - FAQ's from Middle Eastern Dance Resource Guide.  Topics: What is American Tribal Belly Dance?,  Geographic Location, Ethnic and Folkloric Dance and Attitudes Towards Tribal Belly Dance.

How to Analyze Dance Styles by Meissoun For a long time, the term “style” was something that I didn’t really understand. I watched performances or videos of Oriental dancers and was able to tell if I liked them or not – but if they danced Egyptian, Turkish, Lebanese, American, old, new, Sharqi or Baladi style was something I couldn’t really discern.

Caribbean

Cha Cha The Cha Cha is believed to have derived from the Afro-Cuban dance, the 'Mambo'. In the slow Mambo tempo, dancers began to dance a 'triple step' movement to a unique beat in the music, eventually leading to the development of a dance form in its own right.

Lambada Synonymous with Brazilian and Caribbean culture, it is believed that the Lambada is influenced by such dances as the Samba, Merengue, Rumba and Maxixe.

Rumba The Rumba is believed to have derived from dances performed by gatherings of slaves and free Africans of Cuba in the mid 1800's.

Salsa Salsa is a term used to describe a variety of Latin American couple dances, both Cuban and Columbian. Fuelled by the growth of Hispanic Communities in the United States, it arose from a conscious attempt to re-brand Latin American dance music and bring it out of its decline.

Samba The Samba most likely originated in Brazil, and derived from the dance styles brought to the country by West African Slaves.

Salsa - history of salsa dancing

Cha Cha - history of cha cha

Rumba - history of rumba dancing

Mambo - history of mambo

Country  

Western - history of western dancing.

Janet's Country-Western Dance Floor Etiquette & Tips

Honky-Tonkin Canada - Find the country western dance halls nearest to you.

McArtor Dancing - Mark & Erica McArtor - dancers photo album, links, pictures, etc...

Two Step Tidewater Virginia - Country & Western two-step and other couple dancing, WCS, Ballroom, Swing dancing

Western Partner & Couples Dancing - Western partner dance, information, links, condensed step sheets.

Disco

Disco - history of disco dancing

Disco Dance Steps @ Disco-Disco.com

Folk 

Polka - history of polka

Folk Dance Notes Here are notes (Steps) for a LARGE number of dances.

The Folk Music Journal is the scholarly journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society and has a particularly close association with the Society's Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, including an occasional series on Resources in the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library.

Kentucky Running Sets

Pontian Music and Dance This is an original essay by Dennis Boxell in which he discusses Pontian music and dance

Serbian Days and Dance Nights This is an original essay by Dennis Boxell in which he describes a memorable 1963 trip to Serbia.

16 Count Tsamikos Greek Dances

An Introductory Bibliography on Clog and Step Dance by Chris Metherell.

Sword Dancing in Britain by Stephen D Corrsin

English Folk Song - A Select Discography by David Atkinson

Folkdance & Midi Archive A site devoted to Austrian and German folk dance. Unfortunately, while this link will take you to the home page in English, the rest of the site is in German. But there are a lot of midi files for hearing the dance music, a link to pictures of traditional costumes, and a page of videos of Austrian folk dances (real player required).

Cypriot Folk Dances Contains a quick reference to types of Cypriot dances and an articles on Cypriot Folk Dances. The article is by Alecos lacovides and talks only about Greek Cypriot dances.

Finnish Folk Dancing An article written for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1992 and updated in 1998.

Georgian Folk Dances This page was set up by Nino Gigineishvili, and contains information about and pictures of a number of different Gerogian folk dances.

Hellenic Houston (Greek dancing) This site has excellent sections on the history of Greek dances and on Greek costumes. They have quite a few graphics, however, so if you have a slow modem, be prepared to wait while the page loads.

John Pappas' site on Greek folk music and dance [Updated 2/3/11 - sorry about that]

Scandinavian Folklore Links for Scandinavian music and dance resources. (You'll have to scroll past the mathematics information.)

Introduction to Danish folk dancing

Indian/Eastern

Natya -- Dance Styles :: The classical dance tradition of India is one of the oldest dance traditions in the world. It encompasses seven dance styles, four originating in the South, Bharatha Natyam (Tamil Nadu), Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh), Kathakali (Kerala), Mohini Attam (Kerala), and three originating in the North, Odissi (Orissa), Kathak and Manipuri (Manipur). Bharatha Natyam | Kathak | Kathakali | Kuchipudi | Manipuri | Mohiniattam | Odissi 

Indian/Pow Wow

Pow-Wow Dance Styles 

Pow-Wow Dance Styles As even the most novice of visitors will notice, there are many different styles of dance seen at pow wows. Although every dancer looks different, there are certain guidelines that all dancers follow when making their regalia. (Notice the lack of the word costume.) These styles have evolved from the old days and each has its own unique story and traditions.

Jazz 

Jazz - history of jazz dancing

Jazz Dance History World War I had ended and a social revolution was under way! Customs and values of previous generations were rejected. Life was to be lived and enjoyed to the fullest. This was the era of the "lost generation", and the "flapper" with her rolled stockings, short skirts, and straight up-and-down look. They scandalized their elders in the cabarets, night clubs, and speakeasies that replaced the ballrooms of pre-war days. Dancing became more informal - close embraces and frequent changes of partners were now socially acceptable.

Jazz Drawing mainly from African rhythms, Jazz as a term first came to play during WWI, and by the 1920s had been well absorbed into white American society.

Latin

Flamenco and the Spanish Gypsy - History of Flamenco Dance & Music

Merengue - history of merengue dancing

Samba - history of samba

Cocktail Samba Cocktail Samba is a combination of Ballroom Samba and Brazilian Samba.

Merengue Known since the beginning of the 19th Century, the Merengue is the national dance of the Dominican Republic. The Merengue hit its peak in the mid 1950's in America, where popular culture adopted any Latin style that could feed their desire for exotic dancing.

Paso Doble Paso Doble is a representation of a 'Bullfight', where traditionally the male dancer takes on the role of the Matador (the bullfighter) and the partner takes on the role of his cape.

Paso Flamenco Paso Flamenco is a marriage of the Paso Doble and Flamenco dance styles.

Samba The Samba most likely originated in Brazil, and derived from the dance styles brought to the country by West African Slaves.

Middle Eastern

A Primer on Middle Eastern Dance Styles by Soher Azar. Beginners are often confused about the many dance styles in Middle Eastern dance. Our dance comes from many countries, so there is great variety. The wide range of choices is one of the charms. There are general characteristics in each style, however, which differentiate them.

Modern

Hip Hop Hip Hop culture originated in New York amongst young Hispanic and African American communities during the late 1960's. Synonymous with rap, scratch music and graffiti art, the style encompasses the movements of break-dancing and body-popping, and has been internationally recognised since the 1970's.

Polynesian 

Dances of the South Pacific have meaning beyond words and are a along the stories and legends of their culture to subsequent generations.

Polynesian Dance - tribe.net This group is dedicated to the preservation of the Hula dance and Hawaiian and Polynesian culture & Hawaiian Sovereignty & Independence. Announce Upcoming Hula, Hawaiian & Polynesian Events Worldwide. Discussion about all aspects of the Hula dance & all Hawaiian issues. Observe different Hula Styles, Hawaiian Hula both Ancient Hula (Kahiko) & Modern Hula (Auana), Tahitian dance, Samoan dance, Maori dance. Too share ideas with Hula dancers from around the world. Please join Polynesian Dance and make this an wonderful club full of the Aloha Spirit!

Renaissance

Burgundian Dance in the Late Middle Ages Aldrich, Elizabeth: 

Renaissance Dance Aldrich, Elizabeth: 

SCA Renaissance Dance Cheat Sheets Lindahl, Greg: 

The Letter of Dance, a newsletter for Renaissance Dance hobbiests.

Del's Dance Book

Renaissance Dance Dancing was a favorite pastime in the Renaissance. Dancing was an elegent form of exercise and an expected social skill for the noble. (Franko, 37) There were basically two types of social dances in the Renaissance. The first type were simple dances that were performed by an unlimited number of people. These dances were usually performed in cirles or lines. The second type were more complex dances that required a dancing master and practice. These complex dances were usually performed for an audience.

SCA Renaissance Dance Homepage Western social dance in the Renaissance is also being actively studied and recreated by many groups. There is an active Internet mailing list, named RENDANCE, whose members include SCAdians, historical dance professionals, and amateurs. There is also an SCA-specific mailing list, called sca-dance. RENDANCE subscription information is on the RENDANCE homepage; for sca-dance, email [email protected] and say subscribe sca-dance. (Here's the archive for sca-dance.)

Square

Square Dance History in the US - DOSADO.COM The square dance is an American institution. It began in New England when the first settlers and the immigrant groups that followed, brought with them their various national dances, which we now call folk dances, but which were the popular dances of the day in the countries of their origin - the schottische, the quadrille, the jigs and reels and the minuet, to name a few. After a week of toil in building new homes and carving homes out of virgin forest, the settlers would gather in the community center on Saturday evening and enjoy dancing their old-world favorites. As the communities grew and people of different backgrounds intermingled, so did their dances. As the repertoire increased, it became increasingly difficult for the average person to remember the various movements.

Have Fun Square Dancing!! animations to describe basic movements of Square Dance. Noriko Takahashi

History and Heritage of modern American Square Dancing - site is in Germany


Swing 

SWING DANCE: Styles & History Dozens of significant regional swing dance variations are alive in the USA and Europe. The number of distinct regional styles is far greater than the number of distinct musical styles. To make matters even more interesting, not only do important sub-regional variants exist, but experienced and creative dancers may have radically different (fascinating, beautiful, and developing) personal styles! Many swing dance forms originate in a specific city, in a particular dance club, or even owe their birth to a one inspired individual.

Jive Jive is the name given to improvised swing dancing that relies on individual expression as well as partnered steps.

Lindy, Jitterbug: Harlem, NYC

Carolina Shag: Myrtle Beach, SC

'50s Rock & Roll: Philadelphia,PA

West Coast Swing: Southern California

Balboa, Bal Swing: Southern California (excellent UK article on Bal history)

Hepster's Dictionary.  Ever wonder what "Hepcat", "Ickeroo" and all that other "Jive" talk means?

Ten Ways to Become a  Better Swing Dancer.

Swing - history of swing dance and Lindy Hop

Stage/Chorus

Showtime Showtime is a dance form that plays out the lyrics of the music, evoking the drama, tension and emotions in each song.

Tap

Performers - a sampling of the range of tap dancers and tap masters.

Tap Origins: A Brief History by Paul Corr

Tap! The Greatest Tap Stars and Their Stories

Jazz Dance: The Story of American Vernacular Dance

List of Books on Tap Dance

A Tap Timeline sorted by birth date

A Tap Timeline sorted by last name 

Paddle and Roll

Shim Sham Shimmy

Basic Timesteps

Other Steps

Tap Glossary and Notations

Choreography

Choreography and Dance for Cheerleading Choreography Resources for Cheerleading and Dance Routines, from your About Cheerleading Guide

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