5. BELLY DANCE
This particular form of dancing originated from the Middle East, in an Arabic country. Every single part of the body is involved in this dance style but the most dominant of those parts is the hip. There are many different forms to this dance and it differs from country to country. The modern belly dance evolved in the western countries and it is popular globally. Belly dancing was popularized during the Romantic Movement that took place in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The dance requires a great deal of flexibility and is not at all easy.
4. BALLET
This is a performance dance and it originated in Italy during the fifteenth century. The dance developed in France and Russia and evolved from performance dance to concert dance. It is a very complicated form of dancing and is taught in different ballet schools all over the world. The dance is usually choreographed with vocal or orchestral music. It involves pointe work, flow and very precise acrobatic movements. The ballet went from romantic, to expressionist and neoclassical ballet. The word originally translates into ‘to dance’.
3. STREET DANCE
This form of dance is formally known as vernacular dance. It involves a lot of improvisation and these dances originated outside of dance studios wherever there was space available; streets, parks, school yards and nightclubs. Break dance is also included in street dancing and it is said it originated in the New York City. Another form is Melbourne Shuffle that originated in Australia and Electro Dance which has its root in Paris, France. It involves impossible body movements as you might have seen in the movie series ‘Step Up’. It is very difficult to master.
2. IRISH DANCE
As the name suggests, the style originated from Ireland. It is a group and is a part of a broader social activity. There are many different forms of this dance; of course I will not be getting into details. Although you should know that it was popularized in 1994 with Riverdance; you can find the clips on YouTube. It involves very fast leg and foot movements while your arms mostly stay stationary. It is very difficult to master especially the solo dances. The dance is performed with traditional Irish music.
1. SALSA
This particular dance style comes from Cuba and it originated in the 1920s. Salsa is usually danced to the salsa music although most people perform the steps with Latin American music as well. Salsa requires a couple, although you can choreograph it as a form of line dance in which a partner might not be necessary. You can perform salsa as an improvisation but generally it is choreographed. This dance style is very popular throughout the Latin America and over time it spread through North America, Europe, Australia, Asia and the Middle East.