Dance is one of the most popular ways to express yourself, your mood and emotions. Besides, dancing helps a lot. keep in good physical shape. Since ancient times, people have expressed their feelings through movements, which are then combined into styles. Nowadays in the dance world there are a large number of directions and trends. Contemporary dance styles are very diverse and widely popular among various age groups. To learn how to dance, it is absolutely not necessary to be a child, this wisdom can be done even by older people.
List of dance styles
The ability to dance is becoming more and more in demand in the modern world. Dance is not only a set of movements, it is sometimes a sign of belonging to a certain subculture. Modern dance styles give everyone who cares about this art form an opportunity to express themselves. 
To understand the whole variety of directions, you can make a kind of, which includes the most popular genres:
- hip hop dancing(very popular among young people, performed to rhythmic recitative);
- jazz dance(energy of movements is combined with energetically strong music);
- oriental dance styles(for those who love smooth and beautiful movements);
- bollywood dancing(appeared along with popular colorful Indian films);
- disco dancing("springy" and very rhythmic style of dancing);
- street dance styles(as a rule, they do not have clear sets of movements, they are designed to express the mood of modern youth).
Vogue dance style
Among the large number of areas of modern dance, it occupies a special place. It is believed that we owe its appearance to the singer Madonna, who came up with the movements for one of her videos. Now vogue is a great opportunity to keep in excellent physical shape, as the dance involves arm and leg muscles. Among the main features of this direction are:
- all movements are like walking on a catwalk (hence the name);
- special emphasis is placed on facial expressions (a kind of parody of models at fashion shows);
- the outrageousness of the dance is often used as a way to relax and fool around.
In addition, vogue is great for those who want to lose excess fat: dance movements involve the arms, legs and abdominal muscles. There is also a load on the hips. This is a very fast and energetic dance, so if you decide to do vogue, be prepared for serious physical exertion. Unfortunately, it is quite difficult to find teachers in Vogue, but you can learn the basics on your own. It is enough to apply patience and devote a few minutes a day to classes. It is noteworthy that in this direction there is both a youth movement and a set of movements for older people.
house dance style
The dynamic style of house dance appeared in the 80s of the last century in Chicago. At the beginning, the dance was characterized by sharp, jerky movements, then more and more plastic body movements appeared. Like the music of this style, house - very rhythmic, energetic and positive dance. For those who want to master the art, you need to know that there are a number of required elements:
- Qual. That is, the body sways in a certain rhythm.
- Wave. The peculiarity of this element is that the body moves regardless of the rhythm of the music.
- Footwork. A very important element, since the legs perform "springs", steps, pushes and various rotations.
It is the combination of all dance elements that creates the unique individual style of professional house dancers. Everyone who is involved in this direction knows that the most important thing in house dancing is to find your leading element. Most of the time it's footwork. All other details of the dance are built on top of the leader. You don't have to be a professional to learn how to dance house. You need to master the technique and your body well. The house style is quite simple to perform, and the movements involve all muscle groups. Therefore, this dance is great for those who care about their physical form.
jazz funk dance style
The last ten years in the world is gaining popularity. This style is characterized by jerky movements and plasticity of their execution. This direction arose from hip hop and wog. Jazz-funk dance is actively used in the production of clips of famous artists such as Britney Spears and Beyoncé. For those who want to learn how to dance jazz funk, you need to remember the main rule: if a mistake is made in the dance, then it must be beaten in such a way that to make a standalone element. Choreographers who are involved in jazz-funk productions claim that everyone can learn to dance “like in clips”. Jazz funk is a female dance. As a rule, it is performed by a group of girls, but recently more and more young men are turning to dance studios, wanting to learn how to dance jazz-funk. To learn how to play jazz funk, you need to remember a few essential elements:
- movements of arms and legs should be rhythmic and synchronous;
- all emotions from the dance are expressed on the faces of the dancers - facial expressions play a leading role;
- the combination of movements should be as original and unpredictable as possible.
Jazz funk originated in Los Angeles, but the dance was actively developed in Europe.
Dance style where the booty is shaken
Among modern dance styles, booty dance is very popular. A very sexy direction of dance in which booty movements play a leading role. In addition to the fact that girls who have mastered the art of booty dance always attract attention, this dance very useful for training the buttocks and abdominal muscles. It also improves blood circulation in the pelvis and relieves women of a number of gynecological problems. Moreover, dancing booty dance is quite easy, because it is based on two movements:
- Hip rolling - rolling with the hips. In this element, smoothness of movement is especially important. You need to learn how to draw smooth “eights” with your hips.
- Booty shake - relaxation and tension of the gluteal muscles. the main task is to learn how to do it not abruptly, but gradually, smoothly.
In order to dance booty dance, you do not need to resort to the help of a professional choreographer, your desire to learn is enough. And, of course, the clothes in which you dance are very important. These should be very short shorts that do not hinder your movements and emphasize your butt.
krump dance style
Among modern trends in dance, it occupies a special place. Initially, this dance was a protest against violence in the US ghetto. One local clown specially came to the "black" areas and performed dances on the street, in which he mixed movements of different directions. However, he did it so incendiary that very soon he had followers - local teenagers. The only obligatory attribute of krump was clown face painting. But gradually this element has become obsolete. Now krump is very popular among young people. Among the main characteristics of krump are:
- rhythm;
- energy;
- impulsiveness;
- some aggression.
A distinctive feature of modern krump is physical contact with a partner, a kind of dance fight. That is, it is a contact dance that requires not only knowledge of technique, but also ability to work in a group. At the same time, krump is a child of the street, so partners are very often unfamiliar with each other. Dance battles in the US, for example, sometimes become so massive that they look like a fight. But in fact, krump is a great way to relax and get rid of negative emotions.
Dance has always been associated with the spiritual side and state of mind of a person. It is worth noting that even holidays and rituals were never held without a corresponding dance. Nowadays, there are a huge number of styles of this type of art, each of which has its own characteristics.
A bit about the history of dance
As mentioned above, dance is an art form that existed in antiquity. Literally everything had its own special style of dance: each rite, every holiday or event, not to mention individual peoples and tribes. In any case, it has always been important for a person, and earlier dances were worn more sacred character and in certain cases could be performed only by knowledgeable people who put a deep meaning into this action. Today, the art of dance is available to everyone, and the world knows a huge variety of dance styles and trends.
With the development of mankind, choreography also developed. Early with her help shamans caused rain and performed rituals, then, epoch after epoch, it became more diverse and colorful, different peoples created their own trends and styles, selected appropriate outfits for them, began to divide them into male and female. Each style has acquired its own rhythm and movement.
For a long time, the most famous and mass trend was folk dance, which was performed at all holidays and other events, but now this style is preserved only on stage, although in a number of countries it is still popular and is performed at weddings and other festivities. Today, modern rhythms, youth trends, corresponding to modern music, have gained the greatest popularity.
How did modern dance originate?
Modern dance styles began to appear in the first half of the 20th century, gradually pushing ballet art into the background. At first they penetrated the masses imperceptibly, but then various schools began to open that no longer adhered to the old rules. Thus, the ballet, which for a long time held a leading position, began to recede into secondary roles.
In general, that period was distinguished by unpredictable changes not only in choreography, but also in music. First became popular free style where there were no conventions, and they were replaced by freedom and improvisation.
Styles popular today
It is worth noting that the choreography never stands still, and even today the emergence and formation of new dance styles is proceeding at an active pace. But speaking more generally, it is worth highlighting several styles that were formed at the end of the 20th century and are still popular today. and here is their description:
Some of the presented dance directions are created mainly only for girls, but for the most part they can be performed by both sexes.
Today, the choreography should be free, modern, imbued with improvisation, and street dance has all these qualities. It is interesting precisely because it is performed by non-professionals and includes movements from almost all dance styles, even from classical ones. An interesting combination of one style with another, adapted to each other, filled with unusual beauty, so well-known hip-hop, popping, and many others stood out here.
Dancing for girls
Due to the fact that the choreography still attracts more female attention than male, then among the various dance styles there are a number of female ones:
- Bellydance, also known as oriental dance or belly dance. This style has gained unprecedented popularity among girls due to its color and incredible beauty. This is a truly feminine direction in choreography, which not only develops plasticity, but also strengthens women's health. Bellydance can be soft and fluid and yet rhythmic and filled with lots of movement;
- strip plastic is another popular style that develops the grace of the female body. Thanks to strip plastic, stiffness and complexes go away. This is a fairly frank dance, reminiscent of a striptease, but excluding the element of exposure;
- Go-Go dance is a club dance that combines rhythmic and strip-plastic elements;
- and, in fact, just a club dance, which includes elements from hip-hop, funk, go-go and many others. Here, both a combination of several styles and a separate selection of one of them are allowed.
In addition to these styles, such as modern, vogue, booty dance and many others are also popular. It is almost impossible to list all the styles, because there are a lot of them, but they all have the right to be noticed, since each of them has its own beauty and grace, its own unique rhythm and accent. Dance has always been, is and will be an integral part of a person's life, because emotions and a state of mind are transmitted through it.
Modern dance consists of a huge number of types and subspecies of dance movements, therefore it is considered the most extensive section in choreographic art.
It includes such types of dances as ballroom, jazz, modern, contemporary and other slightly less popular types of modern dance. Each direction has its own characteristics, which makes modern dance a rich and vibrant direction in choreography.
Types of modern dance: jazz dance
Despite its name, modern dance is not so young compared to other types of dance art. For example, jazz dance is the most "mature" subsection of this direction, since it originates at the end of the 19th century.
Jazz dance has its own trends, which differ both in dance techniques and in the manner of performance. These are step, funk, soul, broadway jazz, classical jazz, afro-jazz, street, freestyle and many other types.
The youngest direction of jazz dance is soul. Its distinguishing feature can be considered a large number of different movements per unit of pace, which are performed with maximum stretch in time.
However, the most striking type of modern dance is flash jazz, which amazes with the complexity of dance tricks, virtuosity and a large number of dance techniques, which makes it similar to.
Jazz dance, especially street jazz, played an important role in the development of modern choreographic art and became the progenitor of one-day dances and youth dance styles such as boogie-woogie, break, rap, house. You probably noticed that the names of the dances coincide with the common ones.
Types of modern dance: ballroom dance
Ballroom dance today is an independent kind of sports art, which was formed from a mixture of historical and everyday, jazz dance, as well as one-day social dances. In the modern dance world, ballroom dance includes Latin American and European programs.
The Latin American program includes dances such as:
- Cha-cha-cha
- Samba
- Rumba
- paso doble
- Jive
Performers of the European program dance:
- Slow waltz.
- Viennese waltz.
- Slow Foxtrot.
- Quickstep.
- Tango.
These types of modern dances involve a beautiful movement not only of the body, but also of the face. This betrays ballroom dancing even more expressiveness and liveliness.
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Types of modern dances: modern
A feature of this type of modern dance is a philosophical approach to movement and the rejection of the canons of classical dance. This type of dance is characterized by the relationship of the dancer's movements and rhythm-forming foundations, as well as the search for a second, third plan of musical accompaniment.
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Types of modern dance: contemporary dance
An important point in this modern direction of choreographic art is the connection between the inner emotional state of the dancer and the very form of dance. Contemporary dance involves the maximum use of internal resources with the help of various techniques, such as dance and contact improvisation, release.
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Many types of modern dances, however, as well as, are very popular, both among young people and among people of mature age. This is not surprising, because the beauty of the virtuosity of jazz dance performance, the soulfulness and harmony of the slow waltz and the transfer of state and mood in contemporary dance are not only very impressive, but also make you think about the scale of this trend in choreographic art.
What kind of activity can be a good way to keep yourself fit and have fun at the same time? Of course it's dancing! For some, it's just a passion and favorite hobby, for some it's a profession, and for some it's a way to gain new skills and gain self-confidence. If you want to join the ranks of dancers and choose a dance to your liking, we will tell you which types of modern dances are especially popular now.
Waltz
This graceful and elegant dance was first presented to the public in the middle of the 19th century and was widely spread thanks to the music of the famous composer Johann Strauss. It is characterized by slow smooth movements and long turns. Waltzing couples look like they are effortlessly gliding across the parquet.
Now the waltz is considered the gold standard of ballroom dancing and the most common style to learn among the population.
Tango
Perhaps everyone has heard of such a reverent dance as the Argentine tango. The popularity of tango in the 21st century has only increased due to its popularization in the films Let's Dance, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Scent of a Woman and others. In tango, a man and a woman show their passion and express deep feelings for each other.
The movements in this dance are free, rhythmic and abrupt. Tango is considered one of the most passionate dances due to the nature of the music that accompanies it and the closeness in the dance between partners.
Foxtrot
A beautiful romantic dance that has become one of the most popular ballroom dances in history. It is based on fairly simple combinations of slow and fast dance steps, walking and lateral, and is characterized by ease and smoothness of movements.
The foxtrot is danced mainly to swing music, although you can experiment with musical accompaniment.
Rumba
Considered one of the sexiest ballroom dances, Rumba is also a popular social dance - one that is used not only in the dance competition program, but also as a form of leisure. Rumba is characterized by very slow, fluid hip movements and heavy offensive steps.
This dance is interesting to watch, because it is built on passion and sensuality, and carries the theme of flirting: a woman in a dance flirts with a man, and then rejects him, and the man still tries to win her heart.
salsa
This type of modern dance comes from Cuba. Sensual and energetic salsa can be performed with elements of improvisation, but usually the choreography is set in advance. It is most often danced to salsa music, although many people dance it to Latin American music in the same way.
Salsa, in turn, is divided into other types: linear and circular. The first is danced along one line, and the second is danced around its axis.
paso doble
Paso doble depicts a bullfight - a man plays the role of a fearless matador, and a woman - his cloak, less often - another matador or bull. In paso doble, there is one step for each count, which resembles the marching steps “one-two”, and in Spanish “paso doble” just means “double step”.
Paso Doble is theatrical and passionate. The movements in this dance are sharp and clear, imbued with a sense of dignity, confidence and arrogance, with straight shoulders and a high head raised.
Belly dance
Belly dance, or oriental dance, is popular not only in Arab countries and the Middle East, but also in our country. There are about 50 different styles of oriental dance.
Not only is it a beautiful form of dancing, but it's also a great way to keep yourself in good shape with proper exercise on your abdominal muscles. This plastic type of dance is characterized by swinging hips, undulating movements of the abdomen and smooth movements of the hands.
Modern
Speaking about the types of modern dances, one cannot help but recall modern. It emerged as an opposition to ballet and pays more attention to the mood, emotions of the dancer and his own interpretations than to structured choreography.
Modern is often performed barefoot. It is also opposed to ballet in that modern dancers often use the weight of their body in dance to emphasize some moment, drama - in ballet, dancers always keep themselves on their feet easily and smoothly.
Jazz
Jazz, along with modern, represents the types of modern dances based on ballroom techniques and is similar to it in that performing this style, the dancer demonstrates his own originality and interprets all movements in his own unique style.
It is an energetic and fun dance, with unique moves, bizarre footwork, big jumps and sharp turns, so a jazz dancer must have ballet training to achieve stability and grace in movement.
Brakedance
The types of modern dance presented would not be complete without the hip-hop dance styles that evolved from the corresponding musical movement that emerged in the 1970s. Breakdancing was formed along with hip-hop music in the early stages of development and is the oldest of all hip-hop dances.
The component levels of this style are top-rock (running before the lower level of breaking, performing elements on the floor), footwork (footwork), power moves (power rotational movements and twists) and freeze (the dancer freezes in some position for a while). All levels, in turn, consist of a wide variety of individual elements.
The performance of this dance implies good physical preparation, endurance, plasticity and stretching.
krump
Crump was formed in disadvantaged areas of the United States against the backdrop of street violence and robberies. It is generally accepted that krump is a rather aggressive type of dance, although it rather expresses not aggression, but strength.
The movements in the krump are sharp, concentrated, fast and very energetic. As in other hip-hop styles, krump dancers often arrange dance duels - battles in which they compete in technique and general dance skill.
Locking
Locking owes its origin to the American dancer Don Campbell. One day, he decided to show his friends what different styles he had learned, and began to dance improvisations, sometimes stopping when he did not know what else to do. These intermittent movements were called "locks", and the style was called locking (from the English "lock" - "castle").
In addition to such movements, this type of modern dance is characterized by splits and hand claps.
Popping
Types of modern hip-hop dances are also represented by popping - a style that appeared along with locking in the 70s of the last century.
The name comes from the English word "pop", which means clap - during the performance, the dancer compresses and unclenches the muscles of different parts of the body, imitating a sharp start. Although the main movement of popping is the same "pop", this dance is also divided into types, including many different techniques.
reggaeton
Reggaeton is an incendiary dance mix that contains such types of modern dances as dancehall, hip-hop and reggae. The style originally originated in Panama and Puerto Rico. The daring and erotic movements of reggaeton have recently not left the public indifferent - in just a few years it has reached unprecedented popularity, and reggaeton groups in dance studios are packed to capacity.
And ballroom, and street, and many other types of modern dance do not lose their popularity and continue to win the attention of active people around the world. If you also want to learn how to dance, choose a direction based on personal preferences in music, the pace of the dance, and the possible level of physical activity required to master a particular dance style.
We tried to make a classification of dance types with the possibility of describing each dance direction (links with the name of the dances are clickable). This classification of dance types will be updated and supplemented over time and with the addition of new styles and types of dance.
Main directions
Among the various dance styles and trends that exist today are the following, the most popular and famous:
Ballet
● classic;
● romantic;
● modern.
Ethnic (folk) dances that reflect the essence and rituals, traditions and rituals of certain peoples. Among them are the following groups:
● European;
● Asian (oriental);
● African;
● Latin American.
In each of them there are different types of folk dances: group, individual, pair and others.
historical dances
These are dances popular in past eras and performed today, for example, ballo, contradans, polonaise and others.
ballroom dancing
Includes two main programs: European and Latin American.
Here is the name of the types of dances included in the Latin program:
In the standard European program, the following types of dances are performed:
Let us dwell in more detail on each of them, since they had a great influence on the formation and development of many styles and trends of modern dance art.
free dance
First of all, this is a special worldview of the performer, formed under the influence of Nietzsche's ideas. The performer, denying the canonical rules of ballet choreography, sought to combine dance and real life, manifesting himself as a liberated spirit of creativity. It was on the basis of the free style that such trends as modern and butoh, jazz-modern and contemporary were born and developed.
Modern
Established at the beginning of the century, this dance direction is very popular today and is one of the leading ones in the Western choreographic school. As well as free dance, modern denies any ballet norms and seeks to embody various forms on the stage using new original methods. It is characterized by semantic fullness, a wide range of movements, high jumps and flexibility, “broken” poses and movements unusual for ballet choreography, various twists.
contemporary dance
It is quite reasonable to say that such popular styles in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as free dance and modern served as the basis for the formation of such a direction as contemporary (contempo). This dance, as an art form, offers the dancer, through various choreographic styles, to demonstrate as fully as possible in improvisation all the inner emotions and resources he has.
Jazz Modern
The main feature of this direction is the combination of jazz improvisational rhythms and energy, coordination and work with the body and breath of a modernist performer, as well as movements inherent in the classical ballet school. Thus, the body of a jazz-modern dancer becomes another musical instrument that manifests the melody through the plasticity of its own body.
Buto
This is one of the youngest dance techniques that appeared in the fifties of the XX century in Japan. Buto, despite its rather long existence, remains the most difficult for people in the Western world to understand today. It is based on the cultural, philosophical, religious and aesthetic values of the Land of the Rising Sun. This dance seeks to show the earthliness of the everyday life of an ordinary person, as well as to comprehend and demonstrate the body and its capabilities in space and time.
Modern dance of the late XX and early XXI century
The whole variety of contemporary dances can, of course, be conditionally divided into two large groups:
● street;
street dance
Hip-hop and Krump, popping and locking, breakdance and C-walk - all these are the names of the types of dances, "born" not on stages and in choreographic studios, but on the streets and in the courtyards of megacities, discos and clubs.
Most of them are based on hip-hop. In street style, the performer is not limited to any form and can boldly improvise and experiment, creating an individual and unique pattern of movements, as well as interact with both other dancers and the public. In a "pure" form, they are extremely rare, and for the most part they began to be performed in clubs, and not on the streets, which is why they often fall into the club category.
Here are the most popular and common destinations:
● Ragga (ragga) and many others
It is impossible to list all kinds of dances. The list of names of modern styles and trends is constantly changing and supplementing. Today, dancing is not only a plastic art, but also a fairly common sport.
Dance Sport
If in the old days dancing was perceived only as an art form, then the complication of technical and choreographic requirements for performance led to the need for excellent physical shape of those who do it.
Today, the main types of sports dances are, first of all, ballroom dances. Their feature is the performance by partners of a set of certain mandatory movements and figures to a predetermined music. The ballroom sports dances evaluated at the competitions consist of a European and Latin American program, as well as a biathlon (competitions in 10 dances).
Over time, new musical and choreographic styles and trends appear. And now such modern types of sports dances as break or locking, jumpstyle or pole dance (dancing on a pole) attract more and more fans from different age groups. To participate in competitions in these areas, athletes need not only excellent choreographic, but also physical training.
