5 Western Dance Forms

Dance is one of the most expressive crafts discovered to mankind. Dance is admired by people worldwide and it’s evolving every single day in India as well. The growing popularity of Dance reality shows, club parties, wedding performances, health benefits, etc. among youth seems to have given birth to a global industry. In today’s fast pace world Western Dance is gaining popularity day by day, as the young generation wants some fast and energetic dance moves to impress the world. Below are the western dance forms popular among young generation:-

1. Jazz funk– Jazz Funk is a style closely associated with Modern Jazz and Ballet technique, basic grooves from Hip Hop and elements from Funk styles as Whacking, Voguing and etc. Getting yourself into Jazz funk dance classes can be very helpful to you when it comes to health benefits. Jazz funk helps in increasing strength, flexibility, coordination, and endurance. The athletic, full-bodied nature of modern jazz develops arm strength from floor work, leg strength from jumps, and core strength from coordinating the limbs. Jazz funk consists of stretching sequences that lengthen the larger muscles of the legs and lower back. Increased flexibility and range of motion in the hips, shoulders, and spine commonly develop from modern jazz training.

2. Contemporary– Contemporary is a form of expressive dance that combines components of different dance styles including modern, jazz, lyrical, and classical ballet. Dancers aim to correlate the mind and the body within fluid dance moves. Dancers enjoy performing contemporary as it struggles against traditional boundaries and usually combines versatility and improvisation. They are open to creating their moves or routines, from sharp and abrupt to flowing and long movements.

3. Ballet- Ballet is said to be a combination of choreography and art, scenic design, lighting, costume, graceful movements and usually solemn music. It is an artistic dance like no other, that can be used to express different emotions or to tell a story. Traditional classical ballet dance which was choreographed with elaborate costumes and staging has been replaced by the modern ballet dance styles which creates room for a variety of ballet dance forms. Some forms of ballet dance include classical ballet, contemporary ballet, neoclassical ballet and post-structural ballet dance.

4. Hip Hop – Hip hop as a musical and global cultural form forces us to think critically about what we define as valuable knowledge, who we recognise as knowledge producers, and how knowledge can be created and shared. Hip Hop is associated with street dance styles like Popping, Locking, House, and Krump. Choreographing and performing pieces is a departure from the freestyle circles at clubs and battles that most Hip Hop and street dancers are used to.

 

5. Salsa– The salsa originated in Cuba and Puerto Rico. It is performed on salsa or Latin-American music. Salsa dancing involves the shifting of body weight using the feet. The upper body remains straight. The salsa rhythm is widely recognized for being catchy, sensual, and easy to learn, yet very difficult to master. There are several academies throughout the world dedicated to teaching this dance at different levels of difficulty.