Dance in the United States
Encyclopedia
There is great variety in dance in the United States of America. It is the home of the hip hop dance
and its derivative Rock and Roll
, and modern square dance
(associated with the United States of America due to its historic development in that country—nineteen U.S. states have designated it as their official state dance) and one of the major centers for modern dance . There is a variety of social dance
and concert or performance dance
forms with also a range of traditions of Native American dances.
The reality shows and competitions So You Think You Can Dance, Americas Best Dance Crew, and Dancing with the Stars
have broadened the audience for dance.
communities in everyday spaces, rather than in dance studios, schools or companies. African American vernacular dances are usually centered on social dance
practice, though performance dance and concert dance
often supply complementary aspects to social dancing
.
Placing great value on improvisation
, African American vernacular dances are characterised by ongoing change and development. Because they exist in social spaces and their main 'purpose' is self-expression, they are continually changing to reflect the needs, interests and personalities of their participants.
Alvin Ailey
and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
is an important example of African American involvement in performance or concert dance
.
The term "swing dance
" refers to a group of dances that developed concurrently with jazz music in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. The prototypical swing dance is lindy hop
, a popular partner dance
that originated in Harlem
and is still danced today. While the majority of swing dances began in African American
communities as vernacular African American dances , some forms, like Balboa
, developed within Anglo-America
n or other ethnic group communities.
Dances such as the Black Bottom
, charleston
and tap dance
travelled north with Dixieland
jazz to New York, Kansas City
, and Chicago in the Great Migration (African American)
of the 1920s, where rural blacks travelled to escape persecution, Jim Crow laws
, lynching
and unemployment in the South (during the Great Depression
).
Swinging jazz music features the syncopated timing associated with African American
and West African music and dance — a combination of crotchets and quavers which many swing dancers interpret as 'triple step
s' and 'steps' — yet also introduces changes in the way these rhythms were played — a distinct delay or 'relaxed' approach to timing.
Swing dance is now found globally, with great variety in their preferences for particular dances.
American modern dance
developed in the early 20th century alongside American music
. . Among the pioneers of modern dance were Isadora Duncan
, the dance company of Ruth St. Denis
and her husband-partner, Ted Shawn
, and their pupils Doris Humphrey
and Martha Graham
. The early modern dance makers broke with European classical forms by giving into the weight of gravity, initiating movement from the center rather than the limbs, and emphasizing an emotional directness in their choreography. Many of Graham's most popular works were produced in collaboration with leading American composers -- "Appalachian Spring" with Aaron Copland
, for example.
Later choreographers, Merce Cunningham
introduced chance procedures and composition by field, and Alvin Ailey
incorporated African dance elements and black music into his works. Recently, Mark Morris
and Liz Lerman
have shown that graceful, exciting movement is not restricted by age or body type.
Hip hop dance
Hip-hop dance refers to dance styles primarily performed to hip-hop music or that have evolved as part of hip-hop culture. It includes a wide range of styles notably breaking, locking, and popping which were created in the 1970s by African Americans and made popular by breaking, locking, and...
and its derivative Rock and Roll
Rock and Roll (dance)
Acrobatic Rock'n'Roll is a very athletic, competitive form of dance that originated from lindy hop. Unlike lindy hop, however, it is a choreographed dance designed for performance. It is danced by both couples and groups, either all-female or 4-8 couples together...
, and modern square dance
Square dance
Square dance is a folk dance with four couples arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, beginning with Couple 1 facing away from the music and going counter-clockwise until getting to Couple 4. Couples 1 and 3 are known as the head couples, while Couples 2 and 4 are the side couples...
(associated with the United States of America due to its historic development in that country—nineteen U.S. states have designated it as their official state dance) and one of the major centers for modern dance . There is a variety of social dance
Social dance
Social dance is a major category or classification of danceforms or dance styles, where sociability and socializing are the primary focuses of the dancing...
and concert or performance dance
Concert dance
Concert dance is dance performed for an audience. It is frequently performed in a theatre setting, though this is not a requirement, and it is usually choreographed and performed to set music.By contrast, social dance and participation dance may be performed without an audience and, typically, these...
forms with also a range of traditions of Native American dances.
The reality shows and competitions So You Think You Can Dance, Americas Best Dance Crew, and Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars (US TV series)
Dancing with the Stars is a reality show airing on ABC in the United States, and CTV in Canada in 2011. The show is the American version of the British BBC television series Strictly Come Dancing...
have broadened the audience for dance.
African American dance
African American dances are those vernacular dances which have developed within African AmericanAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
communities in everyday spaces, rather than in dance studios, schools or companies. African American vernacular dances are usually centered on social dance
Social dance
Social dance is a major category or classification of danceforms or dance styles, where sociability and socializing are the primary focuses of the dancing...
practice, though performance dance and concert dance
Concert dance
Concert dance is dance performed for an audience. It is frequently performed in a theatre setting, though this is not a requirement, and it is usually choreographed and performed to set music.By contrast, social dance and participation dance may be performed without an audience and, typically, these...
often supply complementary aspects to social dancing
Social Dancing
Social Dancing is the second studio album by the Scottish musical trio Bis.-Track listing:# "Making People Normal" – 2:28# "I'm A Slut" – 2:44# "Eurodisco" – 4:41# "Action And Drama" – 2:29...
.
Placing great value on improvisation
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
, African American vernacular dances are characterised by ongoing change and development. Because they exist in social spaces and their main 'purpose' is self-expression, they are continually changing to reflect the needs, interests and personalities of their participants.
Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey, Jr. was an American choreographer and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York. Ailey is credited with popularizing modern dance and revolutionizing African-American participation in 20th century concert dance...
and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is a modern dance company based in New York, New York. It was founded in 1958 by choreographer and dancer Alvin Ailey...
is an important example of African American involvement in performance or concert dance
Concert dance
Concert dance is dance performed for an audience. It is frequently performed in a theatre setting, though this is not a requirement, and it is usually choreographed and performed to set music.By contrast, social dance and participation dance may be performed without an audience and, typically, these...
.
Swing dance
Swing (dance)
"Swing dance" is a group of dances that developed with the swing style of jazz music in the 1920s-1950s, although the earliest of these dances predate swing jazz music. The best known of these dances is the Lindy Hop, a popular partner dance that originated in Harlem and is still danced today...
" refers to a group of dances that developed concurrently with jazz music in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. The prototypical swing dance is lindy hop
Lindy Hop
The Lindy Hop is an American social dance, from the swing dance family. It evolved in Harlem, New York City in the 1920s and '30s and originally evolved with the jazz music of that time. Lindy was a fusion of many dances that preceded it or were popular during its development but is mainly based...
, a popular partner dance
Partner dance
Partner dances are dances whose basic choreography involves coordinated dancing of two partners, as opposed to individuals dancing alone or individually in a non-coordinated manner, and as opposed to groups of people dancing simultaneously in a coordinated manner.In the year 1023 the German poet...
that originated in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
and is still danced today. While the majority of swing dances began in African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
communities as vernacular African American dances , some forms, like Balboa
Balboa (dance)
Balboa today is commonly used both as a term to describe a fusion of dances that originated in Southern California during the 1920s and 1930s, and also referring to a specific dance from that era that was the original Balboa .The original Balboa dance is a form of swing dance that started as early...
, developed within Anglo-America
Anglo-America
Anglo-America is a region in the Americas in which English is a main language, or one which has significant British historical, ethnic, linguistic, and cultural links...
n or other ethnic group communities.
Dances such as the Black Bottom
Black Bottom (dance)
Black Bottom refers to a dance. which became popular in the 1920s, during the period known as the Flapper era.The dance originated in New Orleans in the 1900s. The theatrical show Dinah brought the Black Bottom dance to New York in 1924, and the George White's Scandals featured it at the Apollo...
, charleston
Charleston (dance)
The Charleston is a dance named for the harbor city of Charleston, South Carolina. The rhythm was popularized in mainstream dance music in the United States by a 1923 tune called "The Charleston" by composer/pianist James P. Johnson which originated in the Broadway show Runnin' Wild and became one...
and tap dance
Tap dance
Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sound of one's tap shoes hitting the floor as a percussive instrument. As such, it is also commonly considered to be a form of music. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses more on the...
travelled north with Dixieland
Dixieland
Dixieland music, sometimes referred to as Hot jazz, Early Jazz or New Orleans jazz, is a style of jazz music which developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century, and was spread to Chicago and New York City by New Orleans bands in the 1910s.Well-known jazz standard songs from the...
jazz to New York, Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, and Chicago in the Great Migration (African American)
Great Migration (African American)
The Great Migration was the movement of 6 million blacks out of the Southern United States to the Northeast, Midwest, and West from 1910 to 1970. Some historians differentiate between a Great Migration , numbering about 1.6 million migrants, and a Second Great Migration , in which 5 million or more...
of the 1920s, where rural blacks travelled to escape persecution, Jim Crow laws
Jim Crow laws
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "separate but equal" status for black Americans...
, lynching
Lynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...
and unemployment in the South (during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
).
Swinging jazz music features the syncopated timing associated with African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
and West African music and dance — a combination of crotchets and quavers which many swing dancers interpret as 'triple step
Triple Step
Triple Step is a generic term for dance step patterns that describes three steps done on two main beats of music. Usually they are two quick steps and one slow one, i.e., often they are counted as "quick-quick-slow", "one-and-two", "three-and-four", etc....
s' and 'steps' — yet also introduces changes in the way these rhythms were played — a distinct delay or 'relaxed' approach to timing.
Swing dance is now found globally, with great variety in their preferences for particular dances.
Modern dance
American modern dance
Modern dance
Modern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.-Intro:...
developed in the early 20th century alongside American music
Music of the United States
The music of the United States reflects the country's multi-ethnic population through a diverse array of styles. Among the country's most internationally-renowned genres are hip hop, blues, country, rhythm and blues, jazz, barbershop, pop, techno, and rock and roll. The United States has the...
. . Among the pioneers of modern dance were Isadora Duncan
Isadora Duncan
Isadora Duncan was a dancer, considered by many to be the creator of modern dance. Born in the United States, she lived in Western Europe and the Soviet Union from the age of 22 until her death at age 50. In the United States she was popular only in New York, and only later in her life...
, the dance company of Ruth St. Denis
Ruth St. Denis
Ruth St. Denis was an early modern dance pioneer.-Biography:Ruth St. Denis founded Adelphi University's dance program in 1938 which was one of the first dance departments in an American university...
and her husband-partner, Ted Shawn
Ted Shawn
Ted Shawn , originally Edwin Myers Shawn, was one of the first notable male pioneers of American modern dance. Along with creating Denishawn with former wife Ruth St. Denis he is also responsible for the creation of the well known all-male company Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers...
, and their pupils Doris Humphrey
Doris Humphrey
Doris Batcheller Humphrey was a dancer and choreographer of the early twentieth century. Humphrey was born in Oak Park, Illinois but grew up in Chicago, Illinois. She was the daughter of Horace Buckingham Humphrey and Julia Ellen Wells and was a descendant of pilgrim William Brewster...
and Martha Graham
Martha Graham
Martha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence Picasso had on modern visual arts, Stravinsky had on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture.She danced and choreographed for over seventy years...
. The early modern dance makers broke with European classical forms by giving into the weight of gravity, initiating movement from the center rather than the limbs, and emphasizing an emotional directness in their choreography. Many of Graham's most popular works were produced in collaboration with leading American composers -- "Appalachian Spring" with Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later in his career a conductor of his own and other American music. He was instrumental in forging a distinctly American style of composition, and is often referred to as "the Dean of American Composers"...
, for example.
Later choreographers, Merce Cunningham
Merce Cunningham
Mercier "Merce" Philip Cunningham was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of the American avant-garde for more than 50 years. Throughout much of his life, Cunningham was considered one of the greatest creative forces in American dance...
introduced chance procedures and composition by field, and Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey, Jr. was an American choreographer and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York. Ailey is credited with popularizing modern dance and revolutionizing African-American participation in 20th century concert dance...
incorporated African dance elements and black music into his works. Recently, Mark Morris
Mark Morris
Mark William Morris is an American dancer, choreographer and director whose work is acclaimed for its craftsmanship, ingenuity, humor, and at times eclectic musical accompaniments...
and Liz Lerman
Liz Lerman
Liz Lerman is an American choreographer and founder of Liz Lerman Dance Exchange.They have appeared at the National Cathedral, Kennedy Center Opera House, and Millennium Stage, Lansburgh Theater, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center,and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.She plans to retire...
have shown that graceful, exciting movement is not restricted by age or body type.
American folk dances
- Cajun JigCajun JigCajun Jig, or pop music is the most traditional music for itCajun One Step, is among the simplest of Cajun dance forms. It has only one basic step. The Cajun Jig was popular in Louisiana in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but remains a mainstay of dancers...
- Cajun JitterbugCajun JitterbugCajun Jitterbug is a style of Cajun dancing with two variations. The main style is a classic two-step form of a six-count East Coast Swing, which is differentiated from the one-step Cajun Jig...
- Contra danceContra danceContra dance refers to several partnered folk dance styles in which couples dance in two facing lines...
- CloggingCloggingClogging is a type of folk dance with roots in traditional European dancing, early African-American dance, and traditional Cherokee dance in which the dancer's footwear is used musically by striking the heel, the toe, or both in unison against a floor or each other to create audible percussive...
- English Country DanceEnglish Country DanceEnglish Country Dance is a form of folk dance. It is a social dance form, which has earliest documented instances in the late 16th century. Queen Elizabeth I of England is noted to have been entertained by "Country Dancing," although the relationship of the dances she saw to the surviving dances of...
- Square danceSquare danceSquare dance is a folk dance with four couples arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, beginning with Couple 1 facing away from the music and going counter-clockwise until getting to Couple 4. Couples 1 and 3 are known as the head couples, while Couples 2 and 4 are the side couples...
- Tango (dance)Tango (dance)Tango dance originated in the area of the Rio de la Plata , and spread to the rest of the world soon after....
- Virginia Reel (dance)Virginia Reel (dance)The Virginia reel is a folk dance that dates from the 17th century. Though the reel may have its origins in Scottish country dance and the Highland reel, and perhaps have an even earlier influence from an Irish dance called the Rinnce Fada, it is generally considered to be an English country dance...
- Whip (dance)Whip (dance)Whip is a kind of swing dance popular in Texas, USA, which is danced to Rhythm and Blues music.-Dance style:Whip is a slotted dance similar to West Coast Swing. Because of cross-pollination, the two dances may look pretty similar. Some say that Whip is more sensual and uses more body work , while...
- Zydeco (dance)Zydeco (dance)Zydeco as a dance style has its roots in a form of folk dance that corresponds to the heavily syncopated zydeco music, originated in the beginning of the 20th century among the Francophone Creole peoples of Acadiana...
Other American dances
- B-boyingB-boyingB-boying, often called "breakdancing", is a popular style of street dance that was created and developed as part of hip-hop culture among African Americans and Latino youths in New York City. The dance consists of four primary elements: toprock, downrock, power moves and freezes...
- CakewalkCakewalkThe Cakewalk dance was developed from a "Prize Walk" done in the days of slavery, generally at get-togethers on plantations in the Southern United States. Alternative names for the original form of the dance were "chalkline-walk", and the "walk-around"...
- Cha-cha-chaCha-cha-cha (dance)The Cha-cha-cha is the name of a dance of Cuban origin.It is danced to the music of the same name introduced by Cuban composer and violinist Enrique Jorrín in 1953...
- CharlestonCharleston (dance)The Charleston is a dance named for the harbor city of Charleston, South Carolina. The rhythm was popularized in mainstream dance music in the United States by a 1923 tune called "The Charleston" by composer/pianist James P. Johnson which originated in the Broadway show Runnin' Wild and became one...
- Country/Western Two-stepCountry/Western Two-stepThe country/western two-step, often called the "Texas two-step" or simply the "two-step," is a country/western dance usually danced to country music....
- Country/western danceCountry/western danceCountry/western dance, also called Country and Western dance, encompasses many dance forms or styles, which are typically danced to country-western music, and which are stylistically associated with American country and/or western traditions...
- Jazz danceJazz danceJazz dance is a classification shared by a broad range of dance styles. Before the 1950s, jazz dance referred to dance styles that originated from African American vernacular dance. In the 1950s, a new genre of jazz dance—modern jazz dance—emerged, with roots in Caribbean traditional dance...
- MaxixeMaxixe (dance)The maxixe , occasionally known as the Brazilian tango, is a dance, with its accompanying music , that originated in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro in 1868, at about the same time as the tango was developing in neighbouring Argentina and Uruguay...
- Modern Western square danceModern Western square danceModern Western square dance is one of two types of square dancing, along with traditional square dance. As a dance form, modern Western square dance grew out of traditional Western dance...
- Turkey TrotTurkey TrotA Turkey Trot is a fun run or footrace, usually of the long-distance variety, that is held on or around Thanksgiving Day in the United States. Americans anticipate indulgent Thanksgiving feasts and run in turkey trots to burn off calories before the big meal....
- Rock and rollRock and rollRock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
Noted Dancers
- Fred AstaireFred AstaireFred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
- Gene KellyGene KellyEugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...
- Ginger RogersGinger RogersGinger Rogers was an American actress, dancer, and singer who appeared in film, and on stage, radio, and television throughout much of the 20th century....
- Donald O'ConnorDonald O'ConnorDonald David Dixon Ronald O’Connor was an American dancer, singer, and actor who came to fame in a series of movies in which he co-starred alternately with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule...
- Gregory HinesGregory HinesGregory Oliver Hines was an American actor, singer, dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Born in New York City, Hines and his older brother Maurice started dancing at an early age, studying with choreographer Henry LeTang...
- Savion GloverSavion GloverSavion Glover is an American tap dancer, actor, and choreographer. As a learning prodigy, he was taught by notable dancers from previous generations. Glover is currently interested in restoring African roots to tap...
- Suzanne FarrellSuzanne FarrellSuzanne Farrell is an eminent 20th century ballerina and the founder of the Suzanne Farrell Ballet at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C....
- Edward VillellaEdward VillellaEdward Villella is an American ballet dancer and choreographer, frequently cited as America's most celebrated male dancer at the time....
- Mr. WigglesMr. WigglesSteffan "Mr. Wiggles" Clemente is a street dancer, noted for his popping skills. He is a member of the Rock Steady Crew, The Electric Boogaloos, Tribal Click and Zulu Nation. Wiggles has been active as a dancer, actor, choreographer, dance instructor, music producer and graffiti...
- Nicholas BrothersNicholas BrothersThe Nicholas Brothers were a famous African American team of dancing brothers, Fayard and Harold . With their highly acrobatic technique , high level of artistry and daring innovations, they were considered by many the greatest tap dancers of their day...
- Marilyn MillerMarilyn MillerMarilyn Miller was one of the most popular Broadway musical stars of the 1920s and early 1930s. She was an accomplished tap dancer, singer and actress, but it was the combination of these talents that endeared her to audiences. On stage she usually played rags-to-riches Cinderella characters who...
- Patrick SwayzePatrick SwayzePatrick Wayne Swayze was an American actor, dancer and singer-songwriter. He was best known for his tough-guy roles, as romantic leading men in the hit films Dirty Dancing and Ghost, and as Orry Main in the North and South television miniseries. He was named by People magazine as its "Sexiest...
- Hunter JohnsonHunter Johnson (choreographer)-Biography:Johnson met his partner and wife while teaching ballroom dance at Londance in Southern California. They compete in the professional American-style division, and have opened an Arthur Murray dance studio and settled down in Cypress, Texas...
- Sono OsatoSono OsatoSono Osato is an American dancer and actress of half-Japanese, half European descent.Osato began her career at the age of fourteen with the Ballet Russe; she later went on to dance with American Ballet Theatre...
- Justin TimberlakeJustin TimberlakeJustin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
- Ariella RushAriella RushAriella Maree Rush is an American ballroom dancer noted for dazzling and complex dance routines with her various professional dance partners, the most notable being Keith Knox, from 1976 through 1981. Rush and Knox were best known for their tango, cha-cha and mambo routines, as well as,...
- Jonathan RobertsJonathan RobertsJonathan Roberts was a United States Representative and Senator from Pennsylvania from 1811 to 1814 and 1814 to 1821 respectively.-Life and career:...
- Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
- [Isadora Duncan]
- [Martha Graham]
Ballet companies
- Alameda Civic BalletAlameda Civic BalletThe Alameda Civic Ballet , founded in 2003 by the Artistic Director, Abra Rudisill, is the official dance company for Alameda, California, USA...
- American Ballet TheatreAmerican Ballet TheatreAmerican Ballet Theatre , based in New York City, was one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century. It continues as a leading dance company in the world today...
- American BalletAmerican BalletThe American Ballet was the first professional ballet company George Balanchine created in the United States. The company was founded with the help of Lincoln Kirstein and Edward Mortimer Morris Warburg, managed by Alexander Merovitch and populated by students of Kirstein and Balanchine's School of...
- American Chamber BalletAmerican Chamber BalletThe American Chamber Ballet was a troupe of 15 professional dancers founded by Joel Benjamin.Though they operating out of Carnegie Hall, the company rehearsed at Trutti Gasparinetti's studio...
- Ballet Magnificat!Ballet Magnificat!Ballet Magnificat! is a Christian dance company located in Jackson, Mississippi and considered the premiere Christian dance company in the United States. Their location is in the same city as the USA International Ballet Competition and some dancers in this company have won medals in that competition...
- Ballet RejoiceBallet RejoiceBallet Rejoice is a pre-professional Christian dance company in Rocklin, California, USA, . They believe in glorifying God through excellence in art....
- Ballet San JoseBallet San JoseBallet San Jose in San Jose, California, USA, was founded in 1986 as the "San Jose Cleveland Ballet," a co-venture with the ten-year old Cleveland Ballet which offered to the dancers added performing exposure, and each city a ballet company for a moderate, shared investment...
- Carolina BalletCarolina BalletCarolina Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1997 which performs primarily in Raleigh, North Carolina and throughout the state. It has toured to New York City, Hungary and China. Robert Weiss, the artistic director, danced for George Balanchine for sixteen years at New York City Ballet and...
- Chicago Festival BalletChicago Festival BalletChicago Festival Ballet is a professional ballet company performing a repertoire of classical, romantic and neoclassical works in venues around the United States. Chicago Festival Ballet is also known as Von Heidecke’s Chicago Festival Ballet...
- Dayton BalletDayton BalletThe Dayton Ballet is a professional ballet company located in Dayton, Ohio.It was founded in 1937, making it the second oldest regional ballet company in the United States. It is also called the "Company of Premieres" as it is committed to presenting new works, including a new full-length ballet...
- Folsom Lake Civic BalletFolsom Lake Civic BalletFolsom Lake Civic Ballet is the official dance company for Folsom, California, USA. It is primarily a pre-professional ballet, and most performers are auditioned from the Folsom dance school Hawkins School of Performing Arts although adult dancers are invited as 'guest artists'.-Important people:*...
- Miami City BalletMiami City BalletMiami City Ballet is an American ballet company based in Miami Beach, Florida. It was created in 1986 by former New York City Ballet principal dancer Edward Villella and flourishes today as one of America's most respected ballet companies...
- Nevada Ballet Theatre
- New York City BalletNew York City BalletNew York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company...
- New York City CenterNew York City CenterNew York City Center is a 2,750-seat Moorish Revival theater located at 131 West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in Manhattan, New York City. It is one block south of Carnegie Hall...
- New York Theatre BalletNew York Theatre BalletNew York Theatre Ballet was founded in 1978 by its artistic director, Diana Byer. Dedicated to the principles of the Cecchetti-Diaghilev tradition, the company both reprises classic masterworks and produces original ballets....
- Pacific Northwest BalletPacific Northwest BalletPacific Northwest Ballet is a ballet company based in Seattle, Washington in the United States. Founded in 1972 as part of the Seattle Opera and named the Pacific Northwest Dance Association, it broke away from the Opera in 1977 and took its current name in 1978. It is said to have the highest per...
- Oregon Ballet Theatre
- Placer Theatre BalletPlacer Theatre BalletPlacer Theatre Ballet ballet company in Placer County, California, USA, and holds performances in Auburn, California. Practice for this company takes place at the school The Conservatory of Dance in Rocklin, California.-Important people:...
- San Francisco BalletSan Francisco BalletThe San Francisco Ballet is a ballet company, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, under the direction of Helgi Tomasson. SFB is the first professional ballet company in the United States...
- The Mendocino BalletThe Mendocino BalletThe Mendocino Ballet is the official dance company for Mendocino County, California, USA. It consists of two main parts, the Mendocino Ballet Company formed in 1984 and the Mendocino Ballet School, formed in 2001 as a classical ballet school....
- The Sacramento BalletThe Sacramento BalletThe Sacramento Ballet was founded in 1954 by Barbara Crockett and Deane Crockett. During Ms. Crockett’s tenure as Company Director, The Sacramento Ballet gained national recognition as one of the finest regional arts companies...
Dance companies
- Alvin Ailey American Dance TheaterAlvin Ailey American Dance TheaterThe Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is a modern dance company based in New York, New York. It was founded in 1958 by choreographer and dancer Alvin Ailey...
- American Indian Dance TheatreAmerican Indian Dance TheatreAmerican Indian Dance Theatre is a professional performing arts company presenting the dances and songs of Native Americans in the United States and the First Nations of Canada...
- Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance CompanyBill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance CompanyThe Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company is an American dance company based out of Harlem in New York City. Founded in 1983 by Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane, the company made its debut performance at the Brooklyn Academy of Music with the world premiere of Intuitive Momentum with lauded drummer...
- Paul Taylor Dance CompanyPaul Taylor Dance CompanyPaul Taylor Dance Company, is a contemporary dance company, formed by Paul Taylor, an American choreographer of the 20th century. One of the early touring companies of American modern dance, the Company has "performed in more than 500 cities in 62 countries" and still spends more than half of each...
- Merce Cunningham Dance Company
- Nevada Ballet Theatre
- Dance Theater WorkshopDance Theater WorkshopDance Theater Workshop, colloquially known as DTW, is a New York City performance space and service organization for dance companies. Located as 219 West 19th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, DTW was founded in 1965 by Jeff Duncan, Art Bauman and...
- Judson Dance TheaterJudson Dance TheaterJudson Dance Theater was an informal group of dancers who performed at the Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village, Manhattan New York City between 1962 and 1964. It grew out of a dance composition class taught by Robert Dunn, a musician who had studied with John Cage...
- Ririe-Woodbury Dance CompanyRirie-Woodbury Dance CompanyRirie-Woodbury Dance Company is an American contemporary dance company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Founded in 1964 by University of Utah dance instructors Joan Woodbury and Shirley Ririe the company is dedicated to furthering contemporary dance by creating and performing original works of...
- Jose Limon Dance CompanyJosé LimónJosé Arcadio Limón was a pioneer in the field of modern dance and choreography. In 1928, at age 20, he moved to New York City where he studied under Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman. In 1946, Limón founded the José Limón Dance Company...
- Pilobolus Dance Theater
- Martha Graham Dance Company
- Cedar Lake Contemporary BalletCedar Lake Contemporary BalletCedar Lake is a New York City-based contemporary ballet company dedicated to the continued development of dance by providing choreographers a comprehensive environment for creation as well as curating work for presentation to a worldwide audience...
- Hubbard Street Dance ChicagoHubbard Street Dance ChicagoHubbard Street Dance Chicago is an American dance company based in Chicago. HSDC performs in downtown Chicago and its metropolitan area and tours nationally and internationally throughout the year....
- Lar Lubovitch Dance CompanyLar Lubovitch Dance CompanyLar Lubovitch Dance Company is a dance company based in New York City and founded by Lar Lubovitch in the late 1960s. They have performed at Carnegie Hall, and worldwide....
- Mark Morris Dance Group
- Trisha Brown Dance CompanyTrisha BrownTrisha Brown is a postmodernist American choreographer and dancer.Brown was born in Aberdeen, Washington, and received a B.A. degree in dance from Mills College in 1958. Brown later received a D.F.A. from Bates College in 2000. For several summers she studied with Louis Horst at the American Dance...
- Shen Wei Dance ArtsShen Wei Dance ArtsShen Wei Dance Arts is a modern dance company based out of New York City, New York founded by Chinese artistic director Shen Wei in 2000.- Shen Wei Dace Arts' acclaimed touring repertory includes: :*Folding *Behind Resonance ...
- The RockettesThe RockettesThe Rockettes are a precision dance company performing out of the Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, New York City. During the Christmas season, the Rockettes have performed five shows a day, seven days a week, for 77 years...
- Snappy Dance TheaterSnappy Dance TheaterSnappy Dance Theater is a non-profit Postmodern dance company located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was founded by current artistic director Martha Mason, Marjorie Morgan and George Whiteside.-The Company:...
- Rock Steady CrewRock Steady CrewRock Steady Crew is a b-boying crew and hip hop group that was established in the Bronx, New York City in 1977. The group was initially formed by b-boys named Jimmy D and Jojo. In subsequent years, Rock Steady Crew became a franchise name for groups in other locations. The Manhattan branch was...
- Duquesne University TamburitzansDuquesne University TamburitzansThe Duquesne University Tamburitzans are the longest-running multicultural song and dance company in the United States. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the company's members are full-time Duquesne University students who receive scholarships for their activities...
- Ice Theatre of New YorkIce Theatre of New YorkThe Ice Theatre of New York is a professional figure skating group that performs modern dance choreography on ice. It was founded in 1984 by Moira North, and is currently based at the Chelsea Piers rink complex in New York City. David Liu was appointed Co-Artistic Director for the 2007-2008 season...
- Columbia City Jazz Dance CompanyColumbia City Jazz Dance CompanyThe Columbia City Jazz Dance Company was formed in 1990 by artistic director Dale Lam and was named one of the "Top 50 Dance Companies in the USA" by Dance Spirit magazine for the 2002/2003 season...
- Dance Theatre of HarlemDance Theatre of HarlemDance Theatre of Harlem is a ballet company and school of the allied arts founded in Harlem, New York City, USA in 1969 by Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook...
(not performing since 2004) however its Dancing Through Barriers Ensemble continues to perform
Dance education
- The Juilliard School
- National Dance Education OrganizationNational Dance Education OrganizationThe National Dance Education Organization , located in Washington, D.C., was established in 1998 as a national non-profit organization supporting dance education and dance in the United States generally....
- The Conservatory of DanceThe Conservatory of DanceThe Conservatory of Dance is a ballet school in Rocklin, California, USA and is also the official ballet school and training space for Ballet Rejoice Christian dance company.-Important people:* Sarah Branaman, Owner and Director...
Festivals
- American Dance FestivalAmerican Dance FestivalThe American Dance Festival is a six and four-week school for dance and a six-week summer festival of modern dance performances, currently held at Duke University and the Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham, North Carolina....
- Jacob's PillowJacob's PillowJacob’s Pillow Dance is a dance center, school and performance space located in Becket, Massachusetts, in the Berkshires. The organization is known for the oldest internationally acclaimed summer dance festival in the United States. The facility also includes a professional school and extensive...
is a home for dance in the United States founded by Ted ShawnTed ShawnTed Shawn , originally Edwin Myers Shawn, was one of the first notable male pioneers of American modern dance. Along with creating Denishawn with former wife Ruth St. Denis he is also responsible for the creation of the well known all-male company Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers...
and Ruth St. DenisRuth St. DenisRuth St. Denis was an early modern dance pioneer.-Biography:Ruth St. Denis founded Adelphi University's dance program in 1938 which was one of the first dance departments in an American university...
, were America’s leading dance couple. It is a National Historic LandmarkNational Historic LandmarkA National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
located in the town of Becket, MassachusettsBecket, MassachusettsBecket is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,779 at the 2010 census.- History :...
, in the Berkshires. It encompasses an internationally acclaimed summer dance festival (the first and longest-running in the United States), a professional school, rare and extensive archives, an intern program, and year-round community programs. - Fall for Dance FestivalFall for Dance FestivalFall for Dance is an annual dance festival presented by New York City Center in New York City. Established in 2004 as a means to introduce new audiences to dance, and loosely based on the Delacorte Dance Festival model of the 1960s and 1970s, Fall For Dance showcases as many as five different dance...
- DanceAfricaDanceAfricaDanceAfrica is a heritage and community celebration centered on the diverse dance forms of the African Diaspora held annually in New York City, Washington, DC, and Chicago...
See also
- Dance US - Dance Studios, Lessons, Classes, Resources in USA
- Argentine Tango Dance, History, Tango Dance Studios and Classes in USA
- Modern dance in the United States
- Performing arts presentersPerforming arts presentersAccording to the Urban Institute, "A performing arts presenting organization is an organization, or department or program of a larger organization, that works to facilitate exchanges between artists and audiences through creative, educational, and performance opportunities...
- List of U.S. state dances