We explain what types of dance exist and the specific characteristics of popular, classical and contemporary dances.
What types of dance are there?
The dance or dance is an art form that consists of the Body human in movement, performing movements, turns and pirouettes in a rhythmic, harmonic, sometimes theatrical way and in many cases following the swing of the music. Both in its artistic and popular variant, it represents one of the oldest cultural expressions of humanity.
Known as the "language of the body", dance is an extremely varied execution activity, since each town and each culture it has its own rhythms, its own dances and its own ways of performing music.
The first dances were probably part of rituals shamanic and religious, to ask the gods or worship the protective deities, and as societies grew and transformed, they came to occupy a more complex place, as part of popular celebrations, official state acts and even as stage show.
Dance commonly involves the execution of sequences of individual or group movements (choreographies), through which in some cases the emotion of the dancers, but above all an aesthetic experience is offered to the spectator. In fact, dancers require training and rigor similar to those of a professional athlete.
Although it is difficult to list all the existing dances, in general they can be grouped into three types:
- Popular dances.They are those that reflect the ancient culture of the peoples and lack individual authorship or a regulatory body.
- Classic dances. They are those that are executed with artistic intention and according to traditional patterns preserved over time.
- Contemporary dances. They are those that are in constant change and innovation and pursue experimentation and the living expression of the present.
popular dances
Also known as Folkloric dances (from Anglo-Saxon folklore, that is, folk lore, popular knowledge) or traditional dances, are those that reflect the tradition and the customs of a town, and that are transmitted from generation to generation. They usually accompany religious celebrations, holidays and events of local significance, so they are usually performed with traditional clothing, specific music and at certain times of the year.
Folk or traditional dances often act as national symbols, representing an entire local culture. Sometimes their value is only regional, that is, they are regional dances, typical no longer of a country but one of his regions. In all cases, popular dances are part of the heritage culture of nations and their own methods of expression.
Some examples of popular dances are:
- The Tamunangue. It is a South American dance of mestizo origins, with an important African and indigenous influence. It is practiced in different regions of Venezuela, Colombia and Chile, often in honor of Catholic patron saints. The dance involves a series of choreographies performed in pairs.
- The sailor. It is a typical dance from the coast of Peru, in which Hispanic, African and aboriginal elements converge. It is executed in pairs, with the help of scarves and with long and showy skirts by the women.Although it has clear roots in similar dances in Chile and the region, it has become a national icon of Peru since the 19th century.
- The tango. It is a typical dance of the cities of Buenos Aires and Montevideo, and of the entire Rio de la Plata area, the result of the crossroads of the gaucho culture, the African rhythms and the strong Italian immigration that the region had. It is danced in pairs and in a colorful way, to the sound of the accordion and songs written largely in the slang local, the lunfardo.
- The flamenco. It is a dance typical of the Spanish region of Andalusia, especially in Cádiz and its surrounding regions. It is the result of an important cultural exchange between the gypsies, the Moors and the Hispanic tradition, and since 2010 it is considered an intangible heritage of humanity. In the dance, women play a prominent role, dressed in skirts and often accompanied by castanets.
- The party. It is a dance and musical genre typical of 19th century Cuba, marked by a clear Hispanic-African heritage. It can be danced individually or in pairs, and is accompanied by different types of drums. The dance steps usually involve movements of the pelvis or the hips, depending on the specific style of rumba: the guaguancó, the columbia, among others.
Classic dances
Classical or academic dances are those that are taught in an academy and are often danced for artistic or aesthetic purposes, that is, as an execution of the Fine arts. They can be danced in a group or individually, but almost always accompanied by instrumental orchestral music, and according to a well-planned choreography.
In general, the dances of this group are heirs to the European Renaissance culture, and to the "classical" music typical of this historical period.They are usually danced accompanied by specific clothing and their learning takes place from early stages of life.
Some examples of classical dances are:
- The classical ballet. It is the most formal and orthodox of the classical dances, which can present variations depending on its specific school (Russian, French, Italian, among others), but in general it contemplates a harmonic and athletic dance with fluid, precise, graceful movements, performed in a individual or group way. Its Italian Renaissance origins were displaced by its popularity in 17th-century France, so its steps and pirouettes are still given Italian names.
- The opera-ballet. It is the combination of opera and dance that was born in the 18th century, based on courtly ballet and the Greco-Roman heritage of lyrical tragedy. This type of dance seeks to combine the aesthetic movements of classical ballet with the staging of a story told in several acts.
contemporary dances
Contemporary dances, also called modern, are those of a more innovative, diverse and modern nature, which can be performed inside or outside dance institutions, and by professional or amateur dancers. Normally they are not part of a defined corpus of practices, but rather they are the avant-garde in terms of body rhythmic expression, and for this they also use modern music, such as hip-hop, electronic music, among others.
We should not confuse this category with Contemporary Dance, which is an artistic style of classical dance that emerged at the end of the 19th century, as an alternative to the strict regimen of classical ballet. This style of dance is part of contemporary dance, but it is not the only one.
Examples of modern or contemporary dances are:
- The break dance.Like hip-hop music, this type of dance is linked to African-American culture and its street cultural expressions. In fact, it is usually accompanied by that music or by electronic music, and is danced individually, performing very showy and demanding turns and pirouettes, which require enormous flexibility, coordination and sense of rhythm.
- the electrodance. It is a fairly free style of dance, in which each dancer follows the rhythm of electronic music through full body movements, with their arms or legs.
- Twerking or reggaeton. This dance born in the Latin American Caribbean and accompanied by the music of the same name emerged at the beginning of the 21st century and has been tremendously successful as a social and party dance. The twerking it is its Anglo-Saxon variant, very similar but less prone to partner dancing.
- The contemporary dance. It is a style of modern dance that can be understood as an update and modernization of classical dance, to include movements and rhythms typical of the 20th and 21st centuries. Like its predecessor, it is very close to the performing arts and is practiced individually or in groups, but according to choreographies designed in advance, with notorious theatrical or dramaturgical aspects.