Dance in the United States - Wikipedia Dance in the United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search Aspect of American culture This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Dance in the United States" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) This article is part of a series on the Culture of the United States of America Society History Language People Race and ethnicity Religion Arts and literature Architecture Art Dance Fashion Literature Comics Poetry Music Sculpture Theater Other Cuisine Festivals Folklore Media Newspapers Radio Cinema TV Internet Pornography Mythology Sport Symbols Flag Great Seal Monuments Motto Anthem Bird World Heritage Sites United States portal v t e Dance in the United States AK · AL · AR · AS · AZ · CA · CO · CT · DC · DE FL · GA · GU · HI · IA · ID · IL · IN · KS · KY · LA MA · MD · ME · MI · MN · MO · MP · MS · MT NC · ND · NE · NH · NM · NV · NJ · NY · OH OK · OR · PA · PR · RI · SC · SD · TN · TX · UT VA · VI · VT · WA · WI · WV · WY There is great variety in dance in the United States of America. It is the home of the hip hop dance, swing, tap dance and its derivative Rock and Roll, and modern square dance (associated with the United States of America due to its historic development in that country—twenty three U.S. states have designated it as their official state dance or official folk dance) and one of the major centers for modern dance[citation needed]. There is a variety of social dance and concert or performance dance forms with also a range of traditions of Native American dances. The reality shows and competitions So You Think You Can Dance,[1] America's Best Dance Crew, and Dancing with the Stars, have broadened the audience for dance. Contents 1 African American dance 2 Swing dance 3 Modern dance 4 Dance and society 5 American folk dances 6 Other American dances 7 Noted dancers 8 Companies 8.1 Ballet companies 8.1.1 Other companies 8.2 Former dance companies 9 Dance education 10 Festivals 11 See also 12 References African American dance[edit] Main article: African American dance See also: Lindy hop and Hip hop dance African American dances are those vernacular dances which have developed within African American communities in everyday spaces, rather than in dance studios, schools or companies. African American vernacular dances are usually centered on social dance practice, though performance dance and concert dance often supply complementary aspects to social dancing. Placing great value on improvisation, African American vernacular dances are characterized by ongoing change and development. Because they exist in social spaces and their main 'purpose' is self-expression, they are continually changing to reflect the needs, interests and personalities of their participants. Alvin Ailey and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is an important example of African American involvement in performance or concert dance. Swing dance[edit] Main article: Swing (dance) See also: Lindy hop Mia Goldsmith and Peter Loggins swing dancing at the 100th anniversary of the Moore Theatre (Seattle, Washington), 2007. The term "swing dance" refers to a group of dances that developed concurrently with jazz music in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. The most iconic among the various styles of swing dance is the lindy hop, which originated in Harlem and is still danced today. While the majority of swing dances began in African-American communities as vernacular African-American dances,[2] some forms, like Balboa, developed within Euro-American or other ethnic group communities. Dances such as the Black Bottom, Charleston, Shag, and Tap Dance travelled north with Dixieland jazz to New York, Kansas City, and Chicago in the Great Migration (African American) of the 1920s, where rural blacks travelled to escape persecution, Jim Crow laws, lynching and unemployment in the South (during the Great Depression). Swinging jazz music features the syncopated timing associated with African American and West African music and dance—a combination of crotchets and quavers which many swing dancers interpret as 'triple steps' and 'steps' — yet also introduces changes in the way these rhythms were played—a distinct delay or 'relaxed' approach to timing. Swing dance is now found globally, with great variety in their preferences for particular dances. Modern dance[edit] Isadora Duncan Main article: Modern dance in the United States American modern dance developed in the early 20th century alongside American music. Among the pioneers of modern dance were Isadora Duncan, the dance company of Ruth St. Denis and her husband-partner, Ted Shawn, and their pupils Doris Humphrey and Martha Graham. The early modern dance makers broke with European classical forms by giving into the weight of gravity, initiating movement from the center rather than the limbs, and emphasizing an emotional directness in their choreography. Many of Graham's most popular works were produced in collaboration with leading American composers -- "Appalachian Spring" with Aaron Copland, for example. Later choreographers, Merce Cunningham introduced chance procedures and composition by field, and Alvin Ailey incorporated African dance elements and black music into his works. Recently, Mark Morris and Liz Lerman have shown that graceful, exciting movement is not restricted by age or body type. Dance and society[edit] This section possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (February 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Dance is ingrained in society through events, the media, and awards like the Grammy awards, the Golden Globes, and the MTV video music awards which feature dancing. Some popular competition televised events that are made for dance are Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance and America's Best Dance Crew. These dancing shows allow society to interact with them, choosing who they think suits best in the competition. Popular songs like Michael Jackson's "Thriller", The Harlem Shake, and "Teach me how to dougie" have influenced dance moves that became trends in society. In social gatherings people may dance folk dances, ballroom dances, casual dances, or modern dances like hip-hop. American folk dances[edit] Play media Contra dancing in Vermont in 2019 Cajun Jig Cajun Jitterbug Contra dance Clogging English Country Dance Square dance Virginia Reel (dance) Zydeco (dance) Other American dances[edit] Bomba Boogaloo Breakdancing Cakewalk Charleston Country/Western Two-step Country/western dance Crip Walk Harlem Shake Hula Jazz dance Jive Modern Western square dance Moonwalk Perreo Plena Rock and roll Rumba Salsa Turkey Trot Twerking Urban dance Noted dancers[edit] Fred Astaire Isadora Duncan Suzanne Farrell Bob Fosse Savion Glover Martha Graham Gregory Hines Hunter Johnson Michael Jackson Gene Kelly Marilyn Miller Nicholas Brothers Donald O'Connor Sono Osato Jonathan Roberts Ginger Rogers Ariella Rush Edward Villella Mr. Wiggles Misty Copeland Companies[edit] Ballet companies[edit] Allen Civic Ballet Alameda Civic Ballet American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Anaheim Ballet Aspen Sante Fe Ballet Met Ballet Nouveau Ballet San Jose Ballet West Boston Ballet Carolina Ballet Chicago Festival Ballet Cincinnati Ballet Colorado Ballet Dayton Ballet Houston Ballet Joffrey Ballet Kansas City Ballet Miami City Ballet Nevada Ballet Theatre New York City Ballet New York City Center New York Theatre Ballet Pacific Northwest Ballet Oregon Ballet Theatre San Francisco Ballet The Sacramento Ballet Other companies[edit] Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater American Indian Dance Theatre Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company Paul Taylor Dance Company Nevada Ballet Theatre Dance Box Theater Chicago Dance Crash Dance Theater Workshop Judson Dance Theater Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company José Limón Dance Company Pilobolus Dance Theater Martha Graham Dance Company Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Lar Lubovitch Dance Company Mark Morris Dance Group Trisha Brown Dance Company Shen Wei Dance Arts The Rockettes Snappy Dance Theater Rock Steady Crew Duquesne University Tamburitzans Ice Theatre of New York Columbia City Jazz Dance Company Dance Theatre of Harlem Nimbus Dance Works Former dance companies[edit] Merce Cunningham Dance Company Dance education[edit] The Juilliard School National Dance Education Organization The Conservatory of Dance Festivals[edit] American Dance Festival Jacob's Pillow is a home for dance in the United States founded by Ted Shawn and Ruth St. Denis, were America's leading dance couple. It is a National Historic Landmark located in the town of Becket, Massachusetts, in the Berkshires. It encompasses an internationally acclaimed summer dance festival (the first and longest-running in the United States), a professional school, rare and extensive archives, an intern program, and year-round community programs. Fall for Dance Festival DanceAfrica See also[edit] Modern dance in the United States National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame Performing arts presenters List of U.S. state dances References[edit] ^ Fox Renews So You Think You Can Dance and Hell's Kitchen Archived 2006-11-27 at the Wayback Machine, Movieweb.com. 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state Outline Index Category Portal v t e Dance in North America Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States Dependencies and other territories Anguilla Aruba Bermuda Bonaire British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Greenland Guadeloupe Martinique Montserrat Puerto Rico Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten Turks and Caicos Islands United States Virgin Islands v t e Dance Index Outline Participation Solo Partner close embrace closed position open position slow dance Group Circle Contra Line Round Square Social Ceremonial Competitive Concert Ecstatic Erotic Fad Folk Sacred Street War Major present-day genres Acro Ballet Ballroom Waltz Formation Belly Breaking Contemporary Country–western Boogaloo Hip-hop Jazz Latin Lyrical Modern Polka Postmodern Swing Tap Technique Ballet technique Choreography Connection Dance theory Graham Lead and follow Pole dance Moves (glossary) Musicality Pointe Sequence dance Spotting Turnout Turns Regional (National dances) Arab Africa Armenia Assyrian Austria Azerbaijan Bulgaria Burma (Myanmar) Cambodia China Croatia Cuba Denmark Europe Georgia Greece India Indonesia Faroe Islands Israel Ireland Italy Japan Korea Kurdish Mexico Middle East Netherlands Persian Peru Philippines Poland Romani Russia Serbia Sri Lanka Thailand Turkey Ukraine United States African-American Venezuela Vietnam Related Dance and disability Dance and health Dance costume Dance etiquette Dance notation Dance in film Dance in mythology and religion Dance occupations Dance on television Dance research Dance science Dance technology Dance troupe Dancing mania History of dance Women in dance List of dances Retrieved from 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