What Is Dancing?

Dancing involves moving the body rhythmically, often in a choreographed way and usually to
music. Dance can express aesthetic ideas and emotions as a form of performance art presented to
an audience. People also dance in nonperformance situations to release energy, express emotion,
connect with other people, or just enjoy the feeling of movement.
While the art of dance varies across history and cultures, it exists in all cultures. In many cultures,
both highly trained professionals and amateurs of all ages dance.

Universal Elements of Dancing

Dancing in all its forms involves five key elements:

1. 1. Body: The body is the primary instrument of dance. Dancers may use their entire bodies
or limit movement to certain body parts. Professional dancers train their bodies to have
exceptional agility and strength.
2. 2. Action: Action refers to what the dancer does while dancing, whether they stay rooted
in one spot or move across the floor and through the air.
3. 3. Space: Dancers move through space in every possible way, varying their level, direction,
and path as they move, no matter the form of dance. They also move, often in very specific
ways, in relation to other people taking part in a given dance.
4. 4. Time: Time is one of the key elements of dance, as it relates to the rhythm of the
movements. Performers often choreograph their dances to the meter of the music.
5. 5. Energy: The final element of dance, energy, speaks to how the dancers move through
space and time. Dancers can use their bodies and their dance technique to make movements
that are smooth or sudden, that feel tight and restricted or light and relaxed.

A Brief History of Dance

 Origins in antiquity: The earliest historical records showing the origins of dance are cave
paintings in India dating to about 8000 BCE Egyptian tomb paintings also depict dance in
about 3300 BCE These early dances may have been religious in nature, and by the era of
ancient Greece, people were incorporating dance into celebrations of the wine god
Dionysus (and later the Roman god Bacchus) and into ritual dances at the ancient Greek
Olympic Games. In addition, early people danced for enjoyment, seduction, and
entertainment.
 India and China: Dance throughout Asia has a rich history. While Hindu dancing in India
has a rich performance history going back millennia, in the late 1700s, dance was restricted
by British colonists, who considered the dances immoral. Once India gained its freedom
from Great Britain, the country revived its classical dance traditions. Chinese dance dates
back at least 3,000 years, with ceremonial dances and folk dances adapted for performance
at court. To this day, celebrations still include traditional dances such as the dragon dance
and lion dance.
 European social dances: Social dancing in most parts of the world grew out of folk
dances, many of which were simple and repetitive. In Europe, the folk dances of the Middle
Ages turned into formal ballroom dancing. These dances moved into royal courts
beginning in the Renaissance, becoming popular as dancing masters taught upper classes
the proper steps for court dances. As women's clothing allowed more freedom of movement
in the nineteenth century, social dancing became more lively. The waltz, in particular,
swept around the world as a major dance craze in the mid-nineteenth century, and social
dances began to focus on two-person dancing in the early twentieth century.
 Influence of ballet: Much of the dance created by choreographers and composers and
performed as professional entertainment today has its roots in ballet, which, in turn, dates
back to the Renaissance. Ballet dance became an art in the eighteenth century, when ballet
companies sprang up around the world, telling entire stories through the emotional
movements of the ballet dancers. As shoes and costumes changed, dancers gained greater
expressive freedom, but some ballet dancers found the rules (and the pointe shoes) of
classical ballet restrictive. In the twentieth century, modern dancers and choreographers
such as George Balanchine and Martha Graham began to deconstruct ballet to create new
forms of performance dance.
Top Dance Genres

Ballet

Ballet dance developed during the Italian Renaissance, before evolving in France and Russia into
a concert dance meant for public performance. This is in the form of a ballet, in which the dance
is choreographed with classical music.

Ballet productions vary between using elaborate costumes and staging and using minimal
costuming and bare staging.

Ballet is now a widespread, highly technical form of dance with many subgenres including classic,
romantic, neoclassical and contemporary.

With six core recognised methods: the Cecchetti method, the Bournoville method, the Vaganova
method, the French School, the Royal Academy of Dance method and the Balanchine method,
ballet is studied professionally at top dance schools all over the world.

Harlequin Floors have developed a range of specialist ballet dance floors providing enough
traction to prevent injury while still allowing for fluid movements demanded by ballet
dancing. Harlequin Cascade is one of our most popular ballet dance floors and can be laid over
many of our sprung floors.

Harlequin Floors also offer professional ballet barres available as either permanent wall
mounted, floor mounted or freestanding barres.

Scottish Ballet on Harlequin Cascade

Ballroom

Ballroom dance is a type of partner dance originating at the end of the sixteenth century in France.
Commonly used as shorthand for any partner dance, ballroom has today evolved into two main
subgenres – standard/smooth and Latin/rhythm.

Dances within these categories include the waltz, tango and foxtrot, and pasodoble, bolero and
samba.

Ballroom is a popular form of competitive dance, or dancesport, with competitions being held all
over the world.

With several sub-categories to ballroom dancing, dancers require a versatile floor. Harlequin
Fiesta and our specially crafted Harlequin Liberty Ballroom dance floor offer an excellent versatile
dance floor for all styles of ballroom dance.

Harlequin Liberty Ballroom is the used by the BBC’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ and Professional
World Ballroom Dance Champion, Christopher Hawkins.

Dance Against Dementia | Night of 100 Stars on

Harlequin Liberty Ballroom
Contemporary

Developed during the mid-twentieth century, contemporary dance is now one of the most popular
and technical forms of dance studied and performed professionally, especially in the US and
Europe.

Drawing on classical, modern and jazz dance styles, contemporary dance has evolved to
incorporate many characteristics of a broader range of dance forms.

Known for its emphasis on strong torso and legwork, contract and release, fall and recovery and
floor work, it is often known for unpredictable and disordered changes in speed and rhythm
throughout a performance.

Contemporary dancers therefore require a shock-absorbing surface to protect their feet, legs and
ankles from rapid movements and changes in rhythm. Harlequin’s innovative ‘triple
sandwich’ Harlequin Activity sprung floor can be paired with several of our vinyl dance floors, to
create the ideal surface for contemporary dance.

Rosie Kay on Harlequin Hi-Shine

Hip-Hop

Hip-hop dancing refers to a range of street dances that developed in relation to hip hop music and
culture. Hip-hop dancing dates back to the early 1970s in New York and California, evolving out
of Funk and the development of break beat.

Main styles of hip-hop dancing include Breaking, Locking and Popping, with derivative styles
emerging out of these including Memphis Jookin’, Turfing, Jerkin’ and Krumping. These were
often popularised and made mainstream after being featured in music videos of the time.

Today, hip-hop is performed in outdoor spaces, in dance studios and competitively.

Unlike many competitive dance styles, hip-hop is often improvisational with dance crews
challenging each other to dance battles.

At Harlequin Floors we have created Harlequin Freestyle, a specialist dance floor designed
specifically to meet the unique demands of Hip Hop and other street dance styles.

Da Rookies on Harlequin FreeStyle

Jazz

Jazz dancing has its roots in seventeenth-century African traditions, brought to the Americas via
the Atlantic slave trade as slaves continued dancing traditions in Brazil, the US and elsewhere on
the continents.
Known for its improvisational and dramatic body movements, the jazz dancing grew in popularity
in early twentieth-century jazz clubs.

Today, jazz dancing builds on African American vernacular dance styles that emerged along with
Jazz music in the US. Swing, the Lindy Hop, the Shimmy and the Charleston are popular kinds of
jazz dances.

For your Jazz dancers, our range of vinyl floors including Harlequin Studio and Harlequin
Allegro offer ideal surfaces for practice and performance.

Jazz Dance
Tap Dancing

Tap dancing is a type of percussive dance characterised by the “tap” of shoes hitting the floor as
the person dances. Tap dancers often wear metal “taps” on the heel and toe of a shoe to accentuate
the sound.

Often performed as part of musical theatre, tap dancing often focuses on choreography and
formations, with more than one tap dancer performing at once.

Tap dancing characterises a range of dances including flamenco, rhythm, classical, broadway and
postmodern tap.

As a percussive dance style, tap dancers are looking to achieve a crisp, hollow sound to accentuate
their performance. This unique characteristic of tap dancing requires a specialist floor for optimal
performance. Harlequin Fiesta is an excellent choice of tap dance flooring for your dance studio
or performance space. Lay over a sprung flooring system such as Harlequin Liberty to protect your
dancer’s joints and allow them to perform with complete confidence.

Tap Attack on Harlequin Cascade

Folk Dance

Folk dancing is celebrated worldwide with people of different cultures and religions using various
forms of folk dance to portray emotions, stories, historical events or even aspects of daily life.

Some well known types of folk dance include: Bharatanatyam (India), Samba (Brazil) and Hula
(Hawaii). Some cultures may even perform multiple variations of folk dances, with countries like
South Korea performing individual dances for key events such as victories in war, farming, music
and religion.

Folk dances are commonly held at public events, where people can participate regardless of
whether they are professional or complete beginners. Such dances are also accompanied by
traditional music to further enhance the cultural experience.
Our range of portable performance floors and dance floor hire services are excellent for folk
dances held at all types of public venues and events.

Folk Dance
Irish Dance

Originating in Ireland, this form of traditional dance has been popular for hundreds of years
amongst Irish people and other countries worldwide. Popularised by shows such as Riverdance,
Irish dancing is famously known for its fabulous display of footwork and dance formations.

Most Irish dancing events are traditionally accompanied by signing and music. During festivals,
dances are held to showcase talent and to compete for trophies or medals.

Whilst most people may recognise Irish dancing as being a group performance, there are many
well-known forms of solo Irish dances, such as the stepdance.

For Irish dance floors for your studio or performance space, consider our range of specialist sprung
dance floors. Couple with a Harlequin vinyl floor such as Harlequin Standfast to create an
excellent quality floor for your Irish dancers.

Riverdance on Harlequin Cascade

Modern Dance

Considered as being a broad genre of dance, modern dance primarily arose from western countries
such as the USA and Germany during the late 1900s. While most forms of dance are structured
and feature set steps, the purpose of modern dance is to rely on the dancer’s interpretation of the
music and feeling to guide movements.

Modern dance was initially born out of dislike for the limitations of traditional dances such as
ballet, which often oppressed dancers with rigid rules and techniques.

Currently, modern dance is enjoyed across the world with participants having the ability to practice
ballet dancing without having to place strict focus on their techniques or turnout. Instead, dancers
can choose a piece of music and use unconventional movements to convey emotions or to tell a
meaningful story.

Inject even more creativity into your performance with Harlequin’s printed vinyl performance
floors. Print bespoke designs inspired by your choreography or choose from one of our standard
patterns.

Due to the multidisciplinary nature and freedom of modern dance, dancers will also feel at home
on many of Harlequin’s vinyl dance floors.

Royal Academy of Dance on Harlequin Cascade

Swing

Swing is a variation of jazz dance which developed between the 1920s to the 1940s as a response
to the growing popularity of swing jazz in America. With the evolution of music that occurred
during the Jazz era, dance also began to change with the likes of swing music encouraging faster,
more rigorous movements.

Popular forms of swing dance include the Lindy Charleston, the Jitterbug, Lindy Hop and the
Balboa, many of which are still performed today. Swing dancing would commonly be
accompanied by Big Band musicians who often played upbeat melodies which were smooth and
easy to listen.

Swing dancers will feel at home on our range of vinyl dance floors. Similar to Jazz, Swing dancers
can create beautiful performances on Harlequin’s range of vinyl floors such as Harlequin
Reversible Pro with a high performance slip-resistant surface to protect your dancers.

Swing Dance

What is Social Dancing?

Social dancing is a non-competitive version of ballroom and latin dancing. It is comprised of all
the same dances, like Foxtrot, Tango, Swing, or Cha-Cha, but designed to be used in practical
settings like wedding receptions, nightclubs, business functions, or informal gatherings. Social
dancing is less formal that exhibition dancing and is meant to be enjoyed while socializing.

The International Style is the “English” form of partner dancing. This style is typically learned
after you have a base knowledge of the American Style. It most often is used competitively, but
many people enjoy dancing this style socially as well.

International Style has two categories: Standard – which includes the Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, and
Quickstep, , and Latin– which includes Cha Cha, Rumba, Samba, Jive, and Paso Doble.

International Ballroom Style, Standard Dances

Waltz

International Waltz is elegant and graceful and lots of fun! This dance will help you to acquire
poise and grace. The International version of Waltz differs from American Style as it stays in
closed positions throughout the dance. You will use this dance at Ballroom dances, weddings,
charity events as well as other events.
 International Ballroom Style, Standard Dances

Tango

International Tango is quite a dynamic and dramatic passionate dance that is so much fun. You
will be quickly caught up in the Tango’s powerful and rhythmic cadence. This form of Tango can
be done on both the social and competitive floor however we recommend social dancers to learn
the American style first.

International Ballroom Style, Standard Dances

Quickstep

A fast moving Foxtrot dance. The Quickstep is full of energy and so much fun! However we do
recommend that you be fluent in Foxtrot before learning Quickstep. This way you will enjoy
learning and dancing this great smooth dance! You will use this dance on the social floor as well
as at competitions.
International Ballroom Style, Standard Dances

Foxtrot

The International version of Foxtrot is smooth, elegant and rich in flowing movements. This form
of Foxtrot is danced mainly at competitions but advanced social dancers will also include this in
their repertoire as it can be danced to social Foxtrot music.

International Ballroom Style, Latin Dances

Samba
Brazilian rhythms that will keep you on the dance floor. Samba is packed with energy and
outstanding music that just makes you want to dance. You can use this dance easily on both the
social and competitive floor.
International Ballroom Style, Latin Dances

Rumba

A slow and romantic Latin dance that is timeless! This dance works well both on the social and
competitive floor but we recommend for social dancers to start with American style and then add
this form of Rumba on once you are moving with ease.

International Ballroom Style, Latin Dances

Paso Doble

The Paso Doble is mainly a competitive dance that depicts a bull fight. This dramatic dance
portrays the matador (leader) and his cape (follower).

International Ballroom Style, Latin Dances

Jive

This fast version of Swing is characteristic of international style. It is fast and furious and so much
fun. Many contemporary fast Swing songs can be used as well as traditional Jive music. This dance
is used at competitions but you will find fast Swings played at various events which Jive would be
perfect
 International Ballroom Style, Latin Dances

Cha Cha

Hot and sexy and lots of fun are the best ways to describe this Latin dance. This form of Cha Cha
can be used on the social dance floor and is used in competitions. If you are interested in social
dancing we recommend first learning the American style version to get started.