dance

ballet

1400

Ballet started in Italy around the year 1400, but didn’t really become popular until around the year of 1500. Ballet gained its popularity when a lady of the arts, Catherine de Medici, married King Henry 11 and threw festivals where they would preform ballet dances. Ballet is believed to be the main core of every single dance style.

Masque

1600

Masque dancing started from elaborate pageants and shows in the 16th century. Masque dancing involved intricate costuming and stage designing that also incorporated singing and acting as well as dancing. It was often used as a court entertainment.

Classical Persian

1795

This style of dance evolved from courtroom dancing. An era influencing Persian dance was the Qajar Dynasty which lasted from 1795 to 1925. Dancers would preform artistic and lively dances for the Shah. The music is usually played by a small band.

tap

1800

Tap dancing originated from African tribe dancing. It is believed that tap dancing started in the mid-1800s. Tap dancing makes percussion sounds because of dancers most commonly wearing leather shoes with two pieces of metal and clip and clap against hard floors. Tap is still very popular to this day.

Merengue

1890

Merengue was first a music style that originated in the Dominican Republic before it became a dance style. The style originated from laborers working in sugar beet fields. It is a Caribbean dance style that involves partners holding each other in a tango-like position and moving their hips side to side.

Jazz and Acro

1900

Jazz dance originated from Africa and puts an emphasis on rhythm and timing. Some older styles of jazz movements include the shimmy, the Lindy hop, and the Charleston. Acro dance is short for acrobatics. It originated in circuses such as Cirque De Soleil. It involves doing smooth and flexible movements, and lots of backbending and tricks. Both these styles are widely popular to this day.

contemporary

1950

Contemporary dance is a style that combines jazz, ballet, and modern dance. Its said that the first ever contemporary choreographer was Merce Cunningham. Contemporary can be many different styles, but most of the time it is melancholy and or intense. It involves a lot of technique usage. It is very popular among the competitive dance scene today.

Hip Hop

1970

Hip hop dance made an entrance in the 1970s. It originated from African tribe dances, but did not become popular until way after the time it was started. Hip hop involves sharp movements. There are many styles of hip hop that include breaking, popping, locking, and more.