Places of Dance
Dance is a universal expression that portrays one’s emotions through a series of rhythmic movement usually performed to music. Like other arts, dance allows one to tell a story and express their feelings through the fluid movement of his or her body. Given the different variations of dance, dancing styles differ from one another as the rhythm of the music and movements of the body are different. Although there are many different types of dance, the main type of dance styles can be classified as performance, social, and street dance.
Performance Dance
Performance dance is a theatrical art form that uses dancing, music, and scenery to convey a story in which traditional poses and steps are combined with light flowing figures. One of the first forms of performance dancing, is Ballet which was introduced in the early 15th century (5). Ballet is a classical genre of dance that is typically performed in front of rich audiences at expensive theaters. In this genre of dance, performance dancers usually incorporate movements such as leaps, turns and jumps with lite airy movements and structured poses. Seen in the popular ballet performance of Swan Lake, dancers performed to classical music, dressed in long flowy tutus and engaged in soft technical movement throughout the performance. Modern dance is another form of performance dance as it uses theatrical movement to portray a story. However, Modern dance is unlike Ballet as the movements of modern dance are not as restricted. In this genre, the performing dancers do not perform any set movements or positions. An example, in the professional performance of Alvin Ailey’s “Revelations”, the performing dancers are in control of the focus and of their head movement, along with the position and drastic motions of their body (7). Performance dance creates and imitate a free and lite spirit for the dancers and the viewers.
Social Dance
A famous style of dance where amiability and socializing are the primary focuses, social dance is a variety of dancing that has a set movement. The most popular form of social dancing is Ballroom, which involves the use of partners. Typically, in ballroom dancing standard and Latin styles of dance are performed. In standard ballroom dance, couples dance around the floor to Western music, performing styles such as the Waltz and Foxtrot. Whereas in Latin dance, couples perform styles such as the Cha Cha and Tango, staying in one spot to Latin music. Many social dances are partner dances, however groups of dances such as line dances, circle dances, and novelty dances are also a part of social dance. Allowing people to interact with one another, social dance builds an enjoyable way for people to express their emotions with others.
Street Dance
Primarily performed to hip-hop music in parks where people battle one another, street dance is a high-energy style of dance that uses sounds and beats of hip hop music to influence body movement. Street dance is powered by the popularity, exposure in media, and movie and television programs. In street dancing Breakdance is one of the popular genres, as it involves the use of different body movements such as spins, arm movement, and leg movement, that is done to the rhythm of hip hop music. Popping is another genre of street dance that includes arm, leg, chest, and neck pops. Along with Popping, Locking is also considered to be similar as it entails the quick movement “locking” into another position. These genres of street dance are performed in allies, parks and other areas where dancers battle one another. Encompassing movements that have the elements of popping, locking, and breaking, street dance allows dancers the opportunity to develop their own sense of style.