Group dances are danced by groups of people simultaneously, as opposed to individuals dancing alone or individually, and as opposed to couples dancing together but independently of others dancing at the same time, if any. A contemporary dancer rehearsing in a dance studio Dance (from Old French dance, further history unknown) generally refers to human movement either used as a form of expression (see also body language) or presented in a social, spiritual or performance setting. ... Solo dance is danced by an individual dancing alone or individually, as opposed to couples dancing together but independently of others dancing at the same time, if any, and as opposed to groups of people dancing simultaneously in a coordinated manner. ... Partner dances are the dances whose basic choreography involves coordinated dancing of two partners, as opposed to individuals dancing alone or individually in a non-coordinated manner, and as opposed to groups of people dancing simultaneously in a coordinated manner. ...

The dances are generally, but not always, coordinated or standardized in such a way that all the individuals in the group are dancing the same steps at the same time. Alternatively, various groups within the larger group may be dancing different, but complementary, parts of the larger dance. An exception to this generalization must be pointed out where groups of individuals are dancing independently of each other, but with the purpose of creating a "group" feeling or experience, such as might accompany various forms of ritual dancing. ... A ritual is a formalised, predetermined set of symbolic actions generally performed in a particular environment at a regular, recurring interval. ...

Group dances include the following dance forms or styles:

• Folk dance
  • Circle dance
  • English Country Dance
  • Maypole dance
  • Square dance
    • Traditional square dance
    • Western square dance
• Line dance
• Novelty and fad dances
  • Bunny Hop
  • Chicken Dance
  • Para Para
• Polonaise
• Round dance
• Universal Peace Dance

The following dance categories are closely related to each other: // Folk dance Folk dance is a term used to encompass a large number of dances that tend to share the following attributes: They were originally danced in about the 19th century or earlier (or are, in any case, not currently... Circle dance, is the most common name for a style of dance usually done in a circle without partners to musical accompaniment. ... English Country Dance, sometimes abbreviated ECD, is a form of folk dance. ... Dancing around the maypole, in Åmmeberg, Sweden Maypole dancing is a traditional form of folk dance from western Europe, especially England, Sweden and Germany. ... Square dance is a folk dance for four couples that was first described in 17th century England but was also quite common in France and throughout Europe, but which has become associated with the United States of America due to its historic development in that country. ... Western square dance (also called modern western square dance, contemporary western square dance, or modern American square dance) is one of two types of square dancing, along with traditional square dance. ... A line dance is a formation dance in which a group of people dance in a line formation or in lines, and they all execute the same dance moves individually. ... Fad dances are dances which are characterized by a short burst of popularity, while Novelty dances typically have a longer-lasting popularity based on their being characteristically humourous or humour-invoking, as well as the sense of uniqueness which they have. ... The Bunny Hop is a novelty dance that was created in a San Francisco high school in 1953. ... The Chicken Dance oom-pah song was composed by a Swiss accordion (Handharmonika) player Werner Thomas from Davos, Switzerland in 1950s. ... Para Para (Japanese: パラパラ; also Para-Para or ParaPara) is a Japanese form of solo popular dance. ... The polonaise (polonez, chodzony) is a rather slow dance of Polish origin, in 3/4 time. ... There are two distinct dance categories called Round dance. ... The Dances of Universal Peace are a form of spiritual meditative dance conducted in the company of a number of other dancers in a circle. ...

See also

• Wikipedia:Dance basic topics,
• List of dances