Types of Dance

We explain what types of dance exist and the specific characteristics of traditional, classical, modern, contemporary and urban dances.

What types of dance are there?

Dance is broadly classified into four types: traditional dance the classical dance the modern and contemporary dance,and the urban dance.

	traditional dance	classical dance	Modern and contemporary dance	urban dance
Origin	Popular customs and practices from different parts of the world.	Italian Renaissance, European courts.	Break with classical dance and evolution throughout the 20th century.	Urban communities (streets, clubs, public spaces).
Cultural significance	Symbol of regional or national identity.	Academic: It is part of the so-called fine arts.	Aesthetic renewal of dance.	Popular expression.
Context	Traditional celebrations and festivals.	Traditional settings.	Traditional settings or open spaces.	Dance studios, streets, events.
Music	Typical of the region.	Academic.	Of any kind.	Urban genres.
Examples	Tamunangue, marinera, tango, flamenco, tapatío syrup, rumba.	classical ballet, opera-ballet.	Choreographies by Isadora Duncan, dance theater by Pina Bausch.	Hip hop, breaking, electrodance, twerking.

The dance is an art form that consists of motion of the body in a rhythmic and harmonious way, accompanied by music. It involves the execution of individual or group choreographies that produce an aesthetic experience. It is one of the oldest cultural expressions of humanity.

The characteristics of dance vary depending on the context, since each town, each culture and even each social group has its own rhythmic codes and its own musical forms. The first dances were probably part of shamanic and religious rituals, in honor of protective deities or with functions related to the cult, in ancient civilizations such as the Greek, Egyptian and Mayan. As societies grew and became more complex, dance became part of other events, such as popular celebrations, official events or artistic shows.

traditional dance

Also known as folk dance, is one that reflects the tradition and the traditions of a town and is passed down from generation to generation. It usually accompanies religious celebrations, cultural events and popular festivals, so it is normally performed with traditional clothing and music.

Traditional dances are usually national symbols that represent a culture, although sometimes their scope can be regional. In any case, popular dances are part of the cultural heritage of nations and their own forms of artistic expression.

Some examples of popular dances are:

• Tamunangue. It is a dance of mixed origins, with an important African and indigenous influence. It is practiced in different regions of Venezuela, often in honor of the Catholic saint Anthony of Padua. It involves a series of choreographies performed individually, as a couple or in a group.
• Sailor. It is a typical dance from the coast of Peru, in which Hispanic, African and aboriginal elements converge. It is performed in pairs, with the help of scarves and with long, showy skirts worn by the women. Although it has clear roots in similar dances from Chile, it became a national icon of Peru since the 19th century.
• Tango. It is a typical dance of the cities of Buenos Aires and Montevideo, and of the entire Río de la Plata area. It comes from the cross between gaucho culture, African rhythms and the Italian migration that the region received. It is danced in pairs, with subtle and suggestive movements, to the sound of the accordion and songs with the local slang: lunfardo.
• Flamenco. It is a dance typical of the Spanish region of Andalusia, especially Cádiz and its surrounding areas. It is the result of an important cultural exchange between the gypsies, the Moors and the Hispanic tradition, and since 2010 it has been considered intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Women dance it dressed in striking skirts and often accompanied by castanets.
• Tapatio syrup. It is one of the most representative dances of Mexico, particularly of the Jalisco region. It is a fusion of several dances and cultural traditions, grouped during the Mexican Revolution into a single manifestation as a symbol of national unity. The men dance it in suits charro (hat, riding pants, shirt with decorations) and women with dress china poblana (wide skirt, colorful accessories and embroidered blouse).
• Rumba. It is a dance typical of 19th century Cuba, marked by a clear Spanish-African heritage. It can be danced individually or in pairs, and is accompanied by different types of drums. The dance steps usually involve movements of the pelvis or hips, depending on the style of rumba: the guaguancó, the columbia or the yambú.

classical dance

classical dance or ballet is a European dance form strongly attached to its traditional roots, which date back to Renaissance Italy. It became popular among European courts during the following centuries and was later institutionalized with the creation of the Royal Academy of Dance in 1661, in the France of Louis XIV. Since then, its practice has remained almost unchanged and is considered one of the fine arts.

In this form of dance, each movement is strictly codified and learning usually begins at a very early age. It can be danced in a group or individually, but always according to a rigorous choreography and with specific clothing that consists of tights, tutus (a short tulle skirt) and special pointe shoes.

Although various works of academic music are often adapted for classical dance, many great composers have created pieces specifically for ballet. Such is the case of Swan Lake (1877), The Bayadere (1877) or The nutcracker (1892), among many others.

Some examples of classical dances are:

• classical ballet. It is the most formal and orthodox of classical dances. It may present variations depending on the school (Russian, English, French or Italian, among others), but in general it includes a harmonious and athletic dance with fluid, precise and graceful movements, performed individually or in groups. Its Italian Renaissance origins were displaced by its popularity in 17th century France, so that many of the terms that designate its steps come from French, such as grand jeté (big jump) or plie (bent on knees).
• Opera-ballet. It is a combination of opera and dance that was born in the 18th century, based on court ballet and French lyrical tragedy, from which it is distinguished because it gives prominence to the dance, and not to the sung action. This type of dance seeks to combine the aesthetic movements of classical ballet with the staging of a story told in several acts.

Modern and contemporary dance

The emergence of modern dance occurred from the emergence of the avant-garde. Appeared at the beginning of the century by innovators such as Isadora Duncan (1877-1927) and Martha Graham (1894-1991), modern dance left aside the rigidity of tutus and pointe shoes to give way to dance forms freer and more spontaneous, with hybrid techniques, tribal influences, bare feet and movements at ground level. This new way of doing dance placed emphasis on individual expression and the connection with emotions, which paved the way for an evolution that occurred from the 1940s onwards and is distinguished by the name of contemporary dance.

Contemporary dance thus emerged as a continuation of the exploration of modern dance, but placing greater emphasis on experimentation and generating a much more direct relationship between choreography and scenography. The elements of the scene became an integral part of the dance, there was a commitment to the fusion between different dance forms, the styles were diversified and there was a significant opening towards integration with other disciplines and with elements from other cultures.

One of the most influential figures in contemporary dance has been the German dancer, choreographer and director Pina Bausch (1940-2009), with her dance theater proposal, a form of dance that relies on expressive elements of theater.

urban dance

Urban dances are not part of a defined corpus of practices, but are a very diverse set of styles that have developed in urban settings such as clubs, parties, public spaces and streets. Although once established they can be transmitted formally in specialized institutions, they generally originate spontaneously among young people.

Unlike classical dance and traditional dance, urban dance is characterized by very quickly reflecting social changes and new musical and cultural trends, so that it is constantly evolving.

Examples of modern or contemporary dances are:

• hip-hop It is a type of music, a form of dance and a cultural movement. He was born in the African-American communities of New York in the seventies and is characterized by his fluid movements and quick steps. It has been a great influence on the emergence of other urban styles.
• Breaking or breakdancing. It is a dance form that emerged in the Bronx in the seventies, as part of hip hop culture. It is danced individually, performing very showy and demanding acrobatic turns and pirouettes, which require enormous flexibility, coordination and a sense of rhythm. It has evolved over the years until it debuted as an Olympic discipline at the Paris 2024 games.
• Electrodance. It is a style of free dance that fuses elements of various disciplines with a dynamic and energetic result. The dancers follow the rhythm of electronic music through full-body movements.
• Twerking. It is a dance born in the Spanish-American Caribbean that usually accompanies the rhythm of reggaeton (although not always). It emerged towards the beginning of the 21st century and has been very successful as a social and party dance.

document.addEventListener(“DOMContentLoaded”, (e) => {

var sliderContainer, slider;
sliderContainer = document.getElementById(‘block_231bdb7b6895c8f0c28e82390b839211’);

if (typeof initSlider !== ‘function’) {

console.log(‘Swiper haven\’t been loaded’);
sliderContainer.className += ‘ fw scroll-snap’;
return;

};

options = {
direction: ‘horizontal’,
speed: 1000,

slidesPerView: ‘auto’,
// slidesPerGroup: 1,

centerInsufficientSlides: true,
// centeredSlides:true,

spaceBetween: 15,
breakpoints: {
720: {
// centeredSlides: false,
// slidesPerGroup: 2,
spaceBetween: 25
},
},

pagination: {
el: ‘.swiper-pagination’,
type: ‘bullets’,
clickable: true
},
}

slider = initSlider(sliderContainer, options);
})

References

• Abad Carlés, A. (2004). History of ballet and modern dance. Alliance.
• Baril, J. (1987). Modern dance. Paidós.
• Vox Channel. (2017). How the Bronx brought breaking to the world (Video). Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/