The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to dance:

Dance

Dance

Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....

– human movement either used as a form of expression

Emotional expression

In psychology, emotional expression is observable verbal and nonverbal behaviour that communicates emotion. Emotional expression can occur with or without self-awareness...

 or presented in a social

Social

The term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...

, spiritual

Spirituality

Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...

 or performance

Performance

A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...

 setting. Choreography

Choreography

Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...

 is the art of making dances, and the person who does this is called a choreographer. Definitions of what constitutes dance are dependent on social

Society

A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...

, cultural

Culture

Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...

, aesthetic, artistic and moral

Moral

A moral is a message conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim...

 constraints and range from functional movement (such as Folk dance

Folk dance

The term folk dance describes dances that share some or all of the following attributes:*They are dances performed at social functions by people with little or no professional training, often to traditional music or music based on traditional music....

) to codified, virtuoso

Virtuoso

A virtuoso is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in the fine arts, at singing or playing a musical instrument. The plural form is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation, virtuosos, and the feminine form sometimes used is virtuosa...

 techniques such as ballet

Ballet

Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...

.

Nature of dance

Dance can be described as all of the following:

• One of the arts
  ARts
  aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
  
  
  • Performing art
    Performing arts
    The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
    
    
• Hobby
  Hobby
  A hobby is a regular activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure, typically done during one's leisure time.- Etymology :A hobby horse is a wooden or wickerwork toy made to be ridden just like a real horse...
  
  
• Recreation
  Recreation
  Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...
  
  

Types of dance

Dance categories are not mutually exclusive. For example, tango

Tango (dance)

Tango dance originated in the area of the Rio de la Plata , and spread to the rest of the world soon after....

 is traditionally a partner dance. While it is mostly social dance, its ballroom

Ballroom dance

Ballroom dance refers to a set of partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world. Because of its performance and entertainment aspects, ballroom dance is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and television....

 form may be competitive dance, as in DanceSport

DanceSport

Dancesport denotes competitive ballroom dancing, as contrasted to social or exhibition dancing. It is wheelchair dancesport where at least one of the dancers is in a wheelchair....

. At the same time it is enjoyed as performance dance, whereby it may well be a solo dance. Furthermore, there are tangos among round dance

Round dance

There are two distinct dance categories called round dance. The specific dances belonging to the first of these categories are often considered to be ethnic, folk or country dances...

s, participation dances can involve tango mixer

Participation dance

Participation dance, also known as group-participation dance or audience participation dance, is a major category or classification of dance forms or dance styles based on purpose. The purpose of this type of dance is to actively encourage dancing in a group...

s, and tango-style dances may be used in ice dancing

Figure skating

Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...

 or in burlesque

Neo-Burlesque

Neo-Burlesque is the revival and updating of the traditional burlesque performance. Though based on the traditional Burlesque art, the new form encompasses a wider range of performance styles; Neo-burlesque acts can be anything from classic striptease to modern dance to theatrical mini-dramas to...

 theatre.

Types of dance by number of interacting dancers

• Solo dance
• 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...
  
  
• Group dance
  Group dance
  Group dances are danced by groups of people simultaneously, as opposed to individuals dancing alone or individually, and as opposed to couples dancing together but independently of others dancing at the same time, if any....
  
  

Types of dance by main purpose

• Ceremonial dance
  Ceremonial dance
  Ceremonial dance is a major category or classification of dance forms or dance styles, where the purpose is ceremonial or ritualistic.This compares to other major dance categories based on purpose:* Celebration dance** Festival dance...
  
  

Competitive dance

• Erotic dance
• Participation dance
  Participation dance
  Participation dance, also known as group-participation dance or audience participation dance, is a major category or classification of dance forms or dance styles based on purpose. The purpose of this type of dance is to actively encourage dancing in a group...
  
  
• Performance dance
• 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...
  
  
• 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...
  
  

History of dance

• History of dance
  History of dance
  Dance does not often leave behind clearly identifiable physical artifacts that last over millennia, such as stone tools, hunting implements or cave paintings...
  
  
• National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame
  National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame
  The National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame, in the Saratoga Spa State Park, Saratoga, New York, was established in 1986 and is the only museum in the nation dedicated entirely to dance. It contains photographs, videos, artifacts, costumes and biographies. The museum is located in the former and...
  
   (United States
  United States
  The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
  
  )

Dance technique

• Choreography
  Choreography
  Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
  
  
• Connection
  Connection (dance)
  Connection is essential to all partner dancing and is the primary means to communicate synchronized dance movement between the lead and follow. It is especially important in Argentine Tango, Lindy Hop, Balboa, East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, Salsa, Contra dance, Modern Jive and other styles of...
  
  
• Dance move
  Dance move
  Dance moves or dance steps are the building blocks of many dances.More complex dance moves are called dance patterns, dance figures or dance variations....
  
  s
• Lead and follow
  Lead and follow (dance)
  In partner dancing, the two dance partners are never equal. One must be the Lead and the other will be the Follow.The Lead is responsible for choosing appropriate steps to suit the music , and leading the Follow by hand pressure and signals to complete the chosen steps smoothly and safely...
  
  
• Musicality
  Musicality (dance)
  Musicality is a noun that means sensitivity to, knowledge of, or talent for music. The word also refers to the quality or state of being musical A musical person has the ability to perceive differences in pitch, rhythm and harmonies...
  
  
• Dance theory
  Dance theory
  Dance theory is a fairly new field closely related to music theory and specifically musicality used to describe the nature and mechanics of dance. While musicality deals with finding a particular matching pair of dance and music that fit each other in various respects, dance theory is a broad term...
  
  

Dance topics

• Dance etiquette
  Dance etiquette
  Dance etiquette are the conventional rules which govern the social behavior of dance by its participants. Such rules include the way in which the participants should look and the way in which they approach, dance with and leave their partner...
  
  
• History of dance
  History of dance
  Dance does not often leave behind clearly identifiable physical artifacts that last over millennia, such as stone tools, hunting implements or cave paintings...
  
  
• Dance in mythology and religion
  Dance in mythology and religion
  Dance is present in mythology and religion globally. Dance has certainly been an important part of ceremony, rituals, celebrations and entertainment since before the birth of the earliest human civilizations...
  
  
• Dance in film
  Dance in film
  This is a list of movies featuring recognizable dance forms, demonstrating them, shedding light on their origin, or being the base of a plot.This article is not about Dance film or Dance for camera which are separate genres. It is also not about Musical films, although they often contain a...
  
  
• Dance music
  Dance music
  Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
  
  
• Dance and health
  Dance and health
  Dance and health has been subject of a number of research studies which show dance to be a very healthy exercise. However there are a number of health risks of professional dance which require careful attention...
  
  
• Dance notation
  Dance notation
  Dance notation is the symbolic representation of dance movement. It is analogous to movement notation but can be limited to representing human movement and specific forms of dance such as Tap dance...
  
  
• Dance science
  Dance science
  Dance science is the scientific study of dance and dancers, as well as the practical application of scientific principles to dance. Its aims are the enhancement of performance, the reduction of injury, and the improvement of well-being and health....
  
  

Glossaries

• Glossary of partner dance terms
  Glossary of partner dance terms
  This is a list of dance terms that are not names of dances or types of dances. See List of dances and List of dance style categories for those.This glossary lists terms used in various types of partner dances, leaving out terms of highly evolved or specialized dance forms, such as ballet, tap...
  
  
• Glossary of dance moves
  Glossary of dance moves
  This glossary of dance moves gives brief descriptions of various dance moves commonly used various contemporary social dances.This list includes*Simple dance steps and actions that require 2-3 sentences to describe.*Summaries of moves used in many dances....
  
  
• Musical terminology
  Musical terminology
  This is a list of musical terms that are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian , in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special musical meanings of these phrases differ from...
  
  
• Glossary of ballet terms

Dance-related lists

• List of ballroom and social dance albums
• List of dance organizations
• List of dance style categories
• List of dance topics
• List of dance wikibooks
• General index list of dances
• List of DanceSport dances
• List of folk dances sorted by origin
• List of New York City Ballet repertory
• List of novelty and fad dances
  Novelty and fad dances
  Fad dances are dances which are characterized by a short burst of popularity, while novelty dances typically have a longer-lasting popularity based on their being characteristically humorous or humor-invoking, as well as the sense of uniqueness which they have.-Fad dances:These are also called...
  
  
• List of quotations about dance
• List of ethnic, regional, and folk dances sorted by origin

External links

• Historic Illustrations of Dancing from 3300 B.C. to 1911 A.D. from Project Gutenberg
  Project Gutenberg
  Project Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...
  
  
• United States National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame