Some dances are here and now little or no (more) danced. nutshell

But in the texts they can be listed because they are a precursor to contemporary dance, or have previously supplied elements. Below is some quite succinctly information gathered.

 

Acro-rock

acrobatic European rock dance 1970

Alegria

means joy. Flamenco Style of Cadiz

Allemande

(originally German?) French two-part step dance, later we find parts back in Ländlertanz, even in the Sarabande, Gigue, Courante. Launching to alemana.

Andalusian tango

with castanets, lies at the basis of Milonga, 1850, Cadiz

Anglaise

1680, English country dance (Folk Dance, Contra Danse)

Ballroom West Coast Swing

dance school swing Californian clubs

Bambuco

Columbian (national) samba -like folk dance, also occurs in Venezuela

Batuque

Angolan Congolese (ritual) precursor of samba, danced in a circle with clapping and percussion (bater (Fr): knock), and danced by one couple in the circle

Bharata natyam

ancient classical temple dance from South India, later performed on stage.

Béguine

19th century (called Martinique Tango) Lesser Antilles, rumba -like (e.g. Cole Porter 1935: Begin the Beguine, theme song Star Trek by Alexander Courage)

Black bottom

1919 New Orleans, NY and Detroit, Foxtrot and Quickstep precursor. Tap and kick dance, replaced around 1926 Charleston

Blues

slow melancholic dance music

Bolero Cuban

late 19th century. slow, romantic sentimental singing style in Cuba, Mexico and Puerto Rico with African influences and stringed instruments, rumba -like.

Bolero Spanish

southern Spanish development of the Contra Dance 1780 (e.g. Bolero by Ravel). Solo or couple dance, slow pace. Combination of vocals, guitar and castanets.

Bomba

Puerto Rican, 1937 by Mateo Flecha

Bossa nova

literally 'new wave') 1960 Brazilian style (Mas que nada). Dance of Joe Lanza was briefly popular

Bostella

Bostella 1965, Paris, journalist Brewing invents the dance. Movie 'What's new Pussycat? " introduces him, Johnny Kraaykamp and Rijk De Gooyer scored a hit in the Netherlands.

Boston waltz

delayed (North American) Viennese waltz

Bourrée

French 16th century court dance (Auvergne), formerly a popular round dance

Branle(s)

16th century circle dance (to the left) led by a prominent person

Briû (of braûl)

lively round dance from Romania. Originally danced only by men, now mixed. The dancers hold each other on the shoulder or belt.

Bump

disco dance from around 1970, with the hips bumping together

Cajun Swing

Lindy Hop in Cajun music, Louisiana

Cake walk

jive, so named for the contest prize to win: a cake, arm in arm, walking parody of blacks, petticoat swings, grotesque movements

Calypso

slave song from Trinidad, later a Caribbean swing

Cancan

in 1830 derived from the Moulin Rouge Quadrille dance with legs pitched high up

Candobe

dance of blacks in Buenos Aires, athletic

Carolina Shag

Shag Swing, lot of footwork

Casatchock

Russian folk dance (squat legs stretch)

Castle Walk

forerunner of Slowfox 1913 (in the nightclub of Vernon and Irene Castle)

Chacarera

kind of Argentine folk here also danced at milongas

Chamame

Argentine dance, popular in Uruguay, influence of polka, mazurka and waltz

Charleston

around 1925, Prohibition in U.S.. X - O leg movements, circling hands, bends

Clog dancing

dancing on clogs, clogs do percussion

Conga

Brazilian folklore dance, but also chachacha like latin dance

Contra-danze

country dance, English French forerunner of the Danzon

Contra-danze

U.S. square dance, couples consecutively follow the instructions of the prompter

Cotillon

18th century French social couple dance, forerunner of Quadrille (Square)

Country-Western Swing

1980 Jitterbug in country music

Cumbia

Guinean circle dance: cumbe later Columbian. Slave mix of Spanish and African. Revival around 1990.

Danza

Caribbean dance in 2 or 3 parts

Danzon

Cuban- Creole, one of the first known accelerating dances, forerunner of the rumba, slower than son, small steps and bends

Dreher

Bavarian round dance, waltz precursor with big hug to spin together quickly

East Coast Swing

Lindy Hop on six counts

Fandago

17th century, Spain, the sarabande, suggestive pantomime

Forró

rhythmic, sensual Brazilian dance in contact, forerunner of Lambada

Frevo

late 19th century, Recife (Brazil), capoeira -like acrobatic show dance

Gaillarde

1400, French, jumping and walking dance

Galop

originally Hungarian company dance, forerunner of the polka

Gavotte

Baroque, fast company dance (circa 1730) from Brittany

Guagira

Cuban, forerunner of the rumba

Guaracha

Cuban, forerunner of the rumba

Guige anglaise

French-Italian lively dance from the 17th century) (jig in England)

Gunjei

is a traditional couples dance of the Garifuna.

Habanera

Cuban walking dance, Latin (= European) and African rhythms melt in the Creole culture together and make the Contradanze Habanera, later syncopated to Danzon.

Hand Dancing

Washington DC 1950 synthesis of Lindy Hop and Swing

Hesitation Waltz

English? Approx. 1890, Boston -like successor to the Glide waltz with music breaks

Hiphop

1970 break, sliding, jumping,,,

Hora (ook: zhok)

slow and ornate dance of gypsy and Jewish communities in Romania, Balkans and Israel in several variants. (From the klezmer repertoire) Often in 3/8 rhythm.

Horlepijp Horlepiep

jig A lively Scottish solo fishermans dance. Also a wooden shawm -like wind instrument exiçsting of two bovine horns

Huckle buck

slang for sex act, roots to 1900, summit in 1949. Now a party instead of couple dance

Hula

Hawaiian (originally prayer) dance, grass skirt and coconut bra, swaying

Hüngü-hüngü (of fedu)

traditional round dance of the Garifuna women.

Imperial Swing

St. Louis, Missouri

Jazz

end of World War I, New Orleans

Jóropo

Venezuelan dance and music form, complex rhythm, usually in 6/8

Jump

Belgium '90. cheerful melodies with strong bass sound of a well-known movie in a typically male vocal.

Kathak

Singing and dance of religious and mythological stories with graceful and stylized gestures accompanied with percussion, flute, harmonium, sarangi, ankle bells. (North India)

Kecak or Ketjack

Monkey Dance, Balinese music drama by many dancers in traditional scarce attire. In a circle they repeat 'cak', with up and down folding arms. They show the struggle of apeman Varana who helped Prince Rama in his fight against the evil king Ravana.

La Bamba

Mexican folk dance, now kiss dance

Ländler tanz

fast, humorous group and couple dance, folk dance with graceful arm movements. From Bavaria. Later passed into Mazurka

Limbo

Trinidad, 1920, dance under a stick through

Lundu

Angola, 1680, by Bantu slaves

Macarena

1993, Los Del Rio, kind of party dance

Maxixe

Rio, in 1868, merging of Lundu and Polka. Also 'Brazilian tango’. Precursor of samba and lambada

Mazurka

Polish intricate dance with kicks and hopping

Menuette

French folk dance after 1750, forerunner of the waltz

Naningo

Cuban, forerunner of the rumba

Nightclub Two-Step

smooth social dance, 1980 by Buddy Schwimmer

One Step

simple, march -like step dance that came around 1910 from the U.S. to Europe

Pantomime

mime, Roman, 1st century?

Partydance

or line dance, group dance, line dance, e.g. the Hucklebuck

Peabody

fast foxtrot, made by one captain who was so fat he had to dance alongside his partner wth long gliding steps 1915

Plena

Puerto Rican

Pony Swing

Cajun Swing on country music

Punta

traditional dance style of the Garifuna in Belize, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua, where men and women challenge and chasing each other. Sensual lap dance with request and response vocals.

Push

Dallas spinning swing

Quadrille

French, 1800, dashing and acrobatic precursor of the Cancan

Redowa

Bohemian waltz

Reggea

Protest music from Jamaica, originally not a dance

Sabre Dance

Be traced back to Sparta? Rome? Scotland.. Every dance with swords.

Sarabande

Andalusian Arabic, 1650, considered lewd cheerful Baroque court dance

Savoy swing

Swing popular in NY Savoy Ballroom 1930-1940, fast, jumpy

Shag

swing couple dance, 1940, based on the Foxtrot, hopping, sweeping and lateral adjust

Shim sham

tap dance elements, based on swing and lindy, 1920, the end of a choreographed performance

Shimmy

derived from Shika Nigerian dance, shake and rotate hips and shoulders, Mae West was in 1926 arrested for it.

Shuffle

U.S. Ragtime Dance 1920

Sirtaki

choreography for the film Zorba, 1964

Son

Cuban, forerunner of the rumba. Abbreviated from Danzon, is slower and younger.

Square dance

U.S. folk dances in groups or four couples in square shape

Supreme Swing

Tusla, Oklahoma

Tahitian dance

hula dancing, but faster

Tarantelle

Italian, 17th century, wild dance to defuse the bite of a tarantula

Trego

Gallo - Latin dance mother lying through Portugal and the Caribbean at the basis of many Latin dances (Danzon, rumba, mambo)

Two Step

U.S. couple dance on Cajun music, polka -like with chasses, affected the Discofox. Got many names.

Vals Cruzado

Argentine tango waltz. (also - Criollo)

Veleta

designed by Arthur Morris

Volta

French or Italian "twist dance”. Big hug to run without the feet touch the ground, spinning around. Early 19th century: Landler popular in Austria, forerunner of the waltz (1559). As of 1754, there was German Waltzen music.

Voodoo dance

ritual dance from Haiti. The quiver comes back into the Shake, hence to disco, salsa..

West Coast Swing

Californian, 30-40, many nimble footwork

Whip

Houston Swing, many turnings

Zamba

Argentine handkerchiefs dance, originated in Peru in the 19th century from the Spanish fandango.

Zeven sprong

(7 jump) Netherlands (and Belgium), originally religious dance for Saint John. Later (round) folk dance