Key Difference: Dance is a beautiful art in which body movements are set in accordance to the rhythm of music. There are many different types of dances in the world which can be primarily differentiated on the basis of style.

Dances hold a special place in most of the cultures and societies. There are different types of dances and differ in many context like, place of origin, pace, types of steps, etc. However, we can still list some popular types of dances based on their difference in styles–

Jazz Dance – This style of dance has originated from American vernacular dance. However the modern jazz dance shares its roots from Caribbean traditional dance. It is done by using some energetic and rapid moves.

It includes turn like pencil turn, barrel turn, Piruette and Triplet turn. Satin clothes are recommended during dancing in this particular style. It also gives full scope for showcasing individual unique dancing style.

Ballet Dance – This dance requires a lot of dedication and hard work as it is not easy to master this style of dance. Generally an artist performs this dance on music which narrates a story. It is often preferred for romantic style lovers. Many of the steps in ballet are performed on the toes and therefore pointe shoes are preferred. These shoes have a stiff sole, and are covered with a piece of fabric.

Ballet dance can narrate a story, express a certain mood or can be performed simply on some kind of music. It is known for being a very graceful dance. A good amount of flexibility and body control is required to be a good ballet dancer.

Hip Hop Dance – It is officially considered that this style originated in New York City during late 1960s. It uses the natural instinct for movement. It is a popular form of street dancing and known for its originality. It seems to be inspired by the down to earth movement style from African dancing. This extremely energetic dance has its root in hip hop music and street jazz. Moves like Humpty dance made it more popular. Unlike ballet, it does not keep chest in upright position and body is also not stiff. It mainly involves moves in which a particular body part is moved in isolation. Styles like breaking, locking, and popping have become very popular.

Ballroom Dance – It is a popular type of social dancing. It emerged in Europe and the United States initially and gradually spread in other parts of the world. This type of dance is performed with partner. This is often performed in closed dance positions between the couples. Waltz, swing, salsa and tango are some popular types of this Ballroom dance.

• Walt – It follows a slow rhythm. It is also included in the International style ballroom dance group
• Tango – It originated in Argentina. The American style of tango gives more freedom to dancers than in comparison to Tango.
• Swing – it is often known by its movements in which a partner often  lifts the other.  It is performed on a peppy beat.
• Salsa – it is performed on salsa style of music which is basically a fusion of many Cuban styles like son. It is performed on eight beats music, where performers dance on three beats and then pause for one. Then repeat the same sequence of three beats movement and 1 beat pause.

Folk Dance – It is a popular dance form which is not associated with any particular type of style. It covers all dances which have become inseparable with the traditions of people from a particular region. These dances are generally performed at social or ritual events.

These dances bring the essence of the region from which they are associated. It is often performed for sheer enjoyment. People prefer to wear traditional clothes while performing these dances. It generally involves steps which are not very difficult to learn and often includes repetitive moves.

Tap Dance – This dance is based on the sound created by the tap shoe. This tap shoe is a special type of show which consists of a plate of metal at the heel and also a wider one across the ball of the foot into the toe region. Some of the important steps or movemnts of tap dance are Stamp, Spring, Step-heel, Ball-change, Drop, etc.

It is generally performed by using a combination of simple and complex movements.  The noise of tapping is generated in a certain way that it becomes a rhythm.

Belly Dance – Belly dancing is supposed to have originated in the Middle East and Africa. Then later it moved towards the west. It has emerged as a cultural dance as well as a form for exotic entertainment.

Movements are generally localized to hip and pelvic region with focus on abdominal movements. It is generally considered as a torso driven dance. Movements like percussive, fluid and vibrations are common in belly dancing. It is also recommended for its health benefits. This dance has gained lots of popularity by performances of some superstars like Shakira.

Break Dance – It is also known as B-boying. It is also a type of street dance which originated in the New York City. Performers use hip-hop or funk music for this dance. Four important movements of B-boying are downrock, toprock, freezes and power moves. It can also be considered as a form of hip hop dance.

It requires great skills of balacing and strenght. This dance form is also considered as one of the element of Hip hop dance form.

Dances may vary in context to style, form, techniques, but still all dances are perfored for some kind of enjoyment. This art form is appreciated world-wide. There are numerous dance forms in the world, and many of them share lots of simmilarities with each other. The best part of a good dancing style is that it becomes popular worldwide, and thus does not remain restricted within a certain region.

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