Dance Style Resource
Check here for brief overviews and definitions of everything from acro to zumba!
Ballet
Ballet was initially created as a form of court entertainment for King Louis XIV in the 17th century in France. The basic concepts of the technique were formulated in the early 1800s, when Italian ballet master Carlo Balsis published his treaty on dancing, and illustrated the five positions of the arms and legs that are still the basis for dancing today.
While the core of the technique is universally accepted today, throughout history several distinct schools of ballet have emerged.
Ballet - Bournonville Technique
Sometimes called the Danish School, this style originated with August Bournonville, the 19th-century Danish choreographer and ballet master. The most obvious characeristics include intricate, fast and flowing footwork and foot combinations, with a firm and steady torso.
Ballet - George Balanchine
In addition to working as a ballet master, Balanchine is perhaps most well known as a choreographer who based his work largely on his idea that it was possible to “see the music and hear the dance”. His works are performed by all major ballet companies around the world and remain internationally popular. Along with ballet impresario Lincoln Kirstein, Balanchine also founded what is now New York City Ballet and the School of American Ballet.
Ballet - Vaganova Method
Vaganova developed her method in 1930s Soviet Russia. Having been schooled herself in Russia’s Imperial Ballet Method, her method was highly influenced by it. Trademarks of her style include an expressive upper body, a pliant back and big travelling steps and jumps.
Ballet - Cecchetti Style
Italian ballet master Enrico Cecchetti was a premier dancer in Saint Petersburg who was celebrated for his technical feats as the creator of the Blue Bird role in Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty. The main characteristics of his style include dynamic modulations of the upper body and crisp footwork.
Ballet - Royal Academy of Dancing (RAD)
The Royal Academy of Dancing was founded in England in 1920 and is a leading international dance examination board specializing in classical ballet.
Belly Dance
Belly Dance is a widespread and popular form of dance in many Arab countries. Its movements are characterized by the articulation of the torso, including fluid movement in the abdominal muscles, hips, lower back and pelvic areas.
Break Dance
Break Dance began as part of a general hip hop movement in the 1970s. The moves of break dancing were designed to look casual but were anything but to execute, trademarks include popping and locking, horizontal front dives, promenading in a circle while holding the body in a push up position, and spins on one shoulder or the top of the head. Habitually performed solo, break dance events tend to have a sense of showmanship and competition.
Ballroom Dance
The term “ballroom dance” doesn’t stand for one style of dancing, but rather encompasses two major styles, Standard, including the Fox Trot, Quick Step and Waltz, and Latin, which includes the Jive, Rumba, Samba and Cha-cha. All styles require an upright, elegant posture with stylized arms and intricate footwork.
Bharata Natyam
Bharata Natyam is a solo dance form from southern India that originated with female temple dancers. It is characterizd by the isolation of various body parts such as the feet and hands with movements of the neck, head and eyes in a distinct synchronized progression.
Bollywood
Bollywood represents the genre of film musicals, and today signifies one of the largest exports of Hindi pop-culture. Even the very name “Bollywood” is an urban twist that describes a combination of the Bombay, today’s Mumbai, with Hollywood - its famous American commercial film counterpart. From the inception of the genre, Bollywood films symbolize the synthesis of modern and traditional in the Indian culture. The movie themes draw on urban contemporary life, but also include eclectic ideas from mythical and epic stories, through the love fests and melodramas, to the more recent action-flicks with violence and catchy popular songs.
As a dance style, Bollywood was initially modeled on the classical Indian or folk dances. Today’s aesthetic fuses this tradition with Western pop-culture moves. Although not performed as a theatrical dance today, the type of dance seen in Bollywood films is rapidly becoming one of the most popular independent dance styles. The dancers outfitted in bright and colourful modern versions of the traditional Indian outfits perform fast paced rhythmic combinations, choreographed to catchy, melodic songs.
Sources: International Encyclopedia of Dance. (1998) Selma
Jeanne Cohen (ed.). Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press
and
Bollywood Song and Dance on www.bollywoodworld.com
Bachata
A popular Dominican dance, the bachata includes quick footwork, strong hips and a loose upper body for the men. The dancers maintain bodily contact either by holding hands or dancing in an embrace.
Butoh (Butō)
Butō is a contemporary Japanese dance that was conceived in the 1950s, after the US bombing of Hiroshima. Butoh is an avant-garde movement whose purpose is to rebel from Western style and conformity and juxtapose it with the essence of the introspective Japanese philosophical approach to life.
Bèlè
Bèlè - a folkloric dance found mainly in the Eastern Caribbean, of predominantly West African and some European influences. It is performed by a male and female or by a group of males and females. The females, who wear large skirts in bright coloured materials, dance to "tease" the men while competing against each other, displaying their dance skills, creating unique foot gestures and intricate patterns with their skirts. This dance is found in many Caribbean islands, including Martinique, Guadeloupe, St Lucia, Dominica and Trinidad & Tobago. It's name comes from the French word "belaire".