Did you know the oldest type of dance styles is belly dance? Some historians date the origin of this dance style to 6,000 years ago in the fifth century BC. But, since then, there have been hundreds of different types of dance styles that have emerged from every corner of the earth.
That’s why in today’s post, we’re going to go through some of the most popular dancing styles that exist today. Thus, make certain to put on your best moving shoes!
Ballet
If you’re a dancing guru, you’ll know that ballet has some of the best dance routines in the world. And even though most people associate ballet with Russia, the origins of this dance stems from the Italian Renaissance thanks to their love for classical music and theatre.
Nowadays, there are six different ballet methods:
- Cecchetti method
- Bournville method
- Vaganova method
- French School method
- Royal Academy of Dance method
- Balanchine method
Learning to dance ballet takes time and dedication, so you’ll want to make sure to attend a sophisticated dancing school. And if you have a child that likes ballet, be sure to check out sanelijodance.com for some of the best dance classes for kids.
Ballroom
Originating in France towards the end of the sixteenth century, ballroom dancing has become one of the world’s most popular partner dances. Within ballroom dancing, you’ll find two subgenres: smooth and Latin. The smooth subgenre covers the categories of waltz, tango, and foxtrot, while the Latin one covers pasodoble, bolero, and samba.
Additionally, ballroom dancing is a competitive dance style, which is why dance shows like Dancing with The Stars or So You Think You Can Dance? Have couples compete for a grand prize.
Hip-Hop
This dance style originated in the late 1970s when Funk and Breakbeat were popular music styles. There are several subcategories of hip-hop, but here are the most popular ones:
- Breaking
- Locking
- Memphis Jookin’
- Turfing
But, hip-hop stands out among the other types of dance styles because it heavily relies on improvisation. So, if you plan to learn how to hip-hop, you’ll also need to learn how to improvise each move.
Swing
Swing is a type of Jazz dance style that became popular thanks to people like Frankie Manning in the mid-1930s. This dance style requires faster and rigorous movements that often have people “swinging” off the dance floor. There are four different swing styles: the Charleston, the Jitterbug, the Lindy Hop, and the Balboa.
Types of Dance Styles You Should Learn
Hopefully, with this post, you have learned some of the most popular types of dance styles in the world. As you can imagine, there are plenty of other dance styles you can learn about, but these were the ones we found the most popular. So, which one of these dance styles will you pick?
Did you learn something new today? If so, we offer more interesting topics that’ll catch your attention, so be sure to check them out!