Dancing

Dance is a type of art that generally involves movement of the body, often
rhythmic and to music. It is performed in many cultures as a form of emotional
expression, social interaction, or exercise, in a spiritual or performance
setting, and is sometimes used to express ideas or tell a story. Dance may also
be regarded as a form of nonverbal communication between humans or other
animals, as in bee dances and behaviour patterns such as a mating dances.


Definitions of what constitutes dance can depend on social and cultural norms
and aesthetic, artistic and moral sensibilities. Definitions may range from
functional movement (such as folk dance) to virtuoso techniques such as ballet.
Martial arts kata are often compared to dances, and sports such as gymnastics,
figure skating and synchronized swimming are generally thought to incorporate
dance.


There are many styles and genres of dance. African dance is interpretative.
Ballet, ballroom and tango are classical dance styles. Square dance and electric
slide are forms of step dance, and breakdancing is a type of street dance. Dance
can be participatory, social, or performed for an audience. It can also be
ceremonial, competitive or erotic. Dance movements may be without significance
in themselves, as in ballet or European folk dance, or have a gestural
vocabulary or symbolic meaning as in some Asian dances.


Choreography is the art of creating dances. The person who creates (i.e.,
choreographs) a dance is known as the choreographer.