This question is often asked in the context of the debate over whether dancing as a practice should be promoted or restricted. Those who advocate freedom should not limit it solely to people involved in a traditional dancing movement. It is important to understand that a society without dancing has lost the ability to maintain a healthy balance. For example, in New Zealand, where many people still dance to traditional music, the ability to dance without having to be in a dance group is essential for the creation of healthy and meaningful life. It is for this reason that dancing as a practice should not be restricted.
Dancing can and has been practised since before recorded history and has been the subject of many folk songs, poetry and art, from which contemporary dance came to be. The practice is not limited to people who are involved in traditional, western European, or African traditions or culture. All types of humans in the world have danced, including people who have moved around the globe because of the many advantages that it brings to their lives.
How many styles of dance do people dance in today?
The number of dance styles currently practised worldwide is not known, although there are a number of organisations devoted to the study of dance patterns with various approaches. The best sources for dance data on the Internet are Wikipedia and the World Dance Federation’s annual Dance Census.
The general assumption is that there have been approximately four main dance styles since the beginning of history (see Figure 1). The first is choreo but choreo has been around for a long time; it evolved out of a number of regional types of dancing, including vaudeville, bachata, cabaret, and the so-called ‘vaudeville dance school’ of Spain and Italy (which is now a type of dance known as tango). The second is calypto, a dance developed by French scientists in the middle of the 19th century. Calypto was based on vaudeville, and the movements were taken from the movements of popular vaudeville performers and their choreographed dance routines. This type was known as the ‘French Vaudeville Dance School’ (see Figure 1).
Figure 1 Traditional Dance Formative Periods. Source: Wikipedia.
Who is involved in modern dance?
Modern dance is an ever-evolving form, not like ancient dance and music traditions. It will be no different – it will evolve into an ever-changing form that suits modern lifestyles. For example,
social partner dancing, social dance skills, dance and body, intimate dance types, problems of dance