10 Most Popular Dances in the World

Did you know that the earliest records show that some of the first dances came from either Ancient Greece or India that were approximately 5300 and 9000-year old at the time? Yup, I know what you are thinking, that was a long time ago. Although ancient dances might have originated from the Indian or Egyptian civilizations, documents also show that the roots of most styles can be traced back to Greece and China.

Wherever they came from, it is a well-known fact that people have been dancing for a long time, especially as a way to express their emotions. Ballet, for example, has origins that go back 600 years, other dances, such as hip-hop are relatively new and modern. Each dance is performed in a different style, but all of them have one objective – artistic expression. If you are interested in reading about the most popular dances, you are reading the right article.

The text below features 10 dances, from all over the world. Let’s take a closer look:

1. Swing

Let’s kick this list off with an energetic and lively dance. To put it simply, swing is a group of different dances such as Boogie Woogie, Lindy hops, and Jitterbugs danced to jazz music during a 30-year period from the 1920s to the 1950s. This dance is always fun to watch, and quite interesting to perform. The dancers are usually required to wear stylish dresses, however, do not worry, the dresses are quite comfortable and easy to move in.

2. Ballet

Now, a little bit more class. Ballet is a word that refers to several different dance forms including classical, neoclassical, and contemporary ballet. In order to become the perfect ballet dancer, one needs to have discipline and endless training, as well as work hard to achieve the postures required for this dance. Without hard work and dedication, a ballet dancer cannot smoothly glide across a stage. Some common things that all ballet dancers have are the love for discipline, beauty, and elegance. Although it can be learned by both men and women, women tend to learn ballet more often.

3. Break Dancing

Street dance or as it is most commonly known, breakdance came from Puerto Rican Youth and African Americans. This dancing style incorporated four basic movements – power moves, top-rock, down-rock, and freezes. This is a modern dance type that usually incorporated abstract and somewhat weird body movements. The dance might or might not convey a message to the audience and will mostly depend on the location and occasion it is performed at. It is most commonly performed by teenagers.

4. Waltz

A favorite for a lot of people, Waltz is a ballroom dance performed by a couple in close positions. It came from England, 203 years ago and you can find records of several Victorian novels mentioning and describing this elegant dance style. While the couple is dancing, the men are required to clasp their arms around the waist of their female partner. This dance will require performers to execute fluid, delicate moves to a slow, melodic song.

5. Salsa

The strong influences of Latin America prompted people to invent Salsa in New York City. Salsa is a dancing style that almost all people know about, and it is performed all over the globe. In the case of this and other similar dances, the performers usually use their lower body parts including the hips, legs, as well as body to express their emotions. However, the upper body usually remains at its level. This dance can be performed in a wide range of styles which can be identified by turns, footwork, figures, body rolls, attitude, and so on. If you are interested in attending Salsa Latin dance lessons, learn more about it here.

6. Kabuki

Kabuki is definitely worth mentioning. It is a classic, traditional Japanese dance-drama known for its precise styling of choreography and the extremely complicated costumes and makeup worn by the dancers. Since the costumes are complicated, as well as heavy, Kabuki involves a lot of precision and practice in handling the costumes at the same time the dancers perform their steps. For about four centuries, it was a major theatrical and dance performance in Japan.

7. Tap Dance

Now, this dance will require an individual to tap their shoes on a wooden floor. The shoes for tap dancing are made from metal soles on the toe and heel, which is what provides and creates the tapping sound. There are two well-known styles, including the Rhythmic and Broadway tap styles. It is also done in the Cappella style which requires the people to perform on songs created specifically for tapping.

8. Irish Dancing

As the name implies, Irish dancing came from green Ireland and it can be categorized into a social category and performance category dance. Though this dance was usually performed in Ireland only, the famous dancing trope “Riverdance” lead by the amazing Michael Flatley made it extremely recognized and popular all over the world. It is characterized by stiff arms with quick foot and leg moves. Performers are required to wear hard and soft shoes, however, the shoe style will depend on the style. People performing this dancing style are known to have beautifully detailed dresses and costumes.

9. Disco

This dance dates back to the early ‘70s where it began from the urban nightlife scene in America, where for a time, it was restricted to house parties only. However, it quickly gained popularity, which did not only make it a popular dance style, it also made it a regular mainstream way of life and appearance. The peak of its popularity was in the early 1980s.

10. Folk Dance

Folk dancing is usually done in rural areas, where a traditional type of dance exists for a specific community or group of people. Folk dancing usually talks about village plight and folklore connected to the community performing the dance. The most interesting thing you will notice about it is the traditional dresses and costumes worn by the dancers.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are various dance styles famous and performed by millions of people around the world. Hence, if you were thinking about learning a particular dance style, do not waste any more time and start looking for dance lessons where you will be able to learn the basic dance moves but will help you stay active and healthy as well.