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The world of dance is expansive and covers a wide variety of styles and forms, encompassing tap dancing, ballet, modern dance, line dances, and much more. Dance is a universal language that can communicate emotions directly and sometimes more powerfully than words.
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Dance Encyclopedia Articles By Title

Christensen, Lew
Lew Christensen was an American dancer, teacher, and choreographer whose work with the San Francisco Ballet Company......
Christensen, Willam
Willam Christensen was an American dancer, choreographer, and teacher who, along with his brothers, Harold and......
Chávez, Carlos
Carlos Chávez was a Mexican conductor and composer whose music combines elements of traditional folk songs and......
Clarke, Martha
Martha Clarke is an American choreographer and dancer whose emotionally evocative work draws extensively on theatrical......
classical ballet
classical ballet, system of dance based on formalized movements and positions of the arms, feet, and body designed......
clog dance
clog dance, kind of dance in which the dancer accentuates the rhythm of his feet by wearing wooden-soled shoes,......
Cocteau, Jean
Jean Cocteau was a French poet, librettist, novelist, actor, film director, and painter. Some of his most important......
Collins, Janet
Janet Collins was an American ballet dancer and choreographer, acclaimed for the beauty of her dancing on the Broadway......
concheros
concheros, Mexican ritual dance that preserves many elements of pre-Columbian religious ritual. It apparently originated......
contredanse
contredanse, genre of dance for several couples. The contredanse was an 18th-century French development of the......
Copeland, Misty
Misty Copeland is an American ballet dancer who, in 2015, became the first African American female principal dancer......
Copland, Aaron
Aaron Copland was an American composer who achieved a distinctive musical characterization of American themes in......
Coppélia
Coppélia, comic ballet by French composer Léo Delibes that premiered in Paris on May 2, 1870. It was an immediate......
Coralli, Jean
Jean Coralli was a French dancer and choreographer who was ballet master of the Paris Opéra and who, with Jules......
costume, ballet
ballet costume, clothing designed to allow dancers freedom of movement while at the same time enhancing the visual......
cotillion
cotillion, late 18th-century and 19th-century French court dance, popular also in England. A precursor of the quadrille,......
country dance
country dance, genre of social dance for several couples, the characteristic form of folk and courtly dances of......
Couperin, François
François Couperin was a French composer and harpsichordist, the most renowned of the Couperin dynasty of 17th-......
courante
courante, court dance for couples, prominent in the late 16th century and fashionable in aristocratic European......
Cranko, John
John Cranko was a dancer, choreographer, and ballet director best known for his work with the Stuttgart Ballet.......
cueca
cueca, folk dance of northern Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. A courtship dance known since the period of......
Cunningham, Merce
Merce Cunningham was an American modern dancer and choreographer who developed new forms of abstract dance movement.......
czardas
czardas, national dance of Hungary. A courting dance for couples, it begins with a slow section (lassu), followed......
dance criticism
dance criticism, the descriptive analysis of a dance performance that is printed, broadcast, or transmitted electronically.......
Dance of the Hours
Dance of the Hours, musical episode from Act III, scene 2, of Amilcare Ponchielli’s opera La gioconda that is often......
Danilova, Alexandra
Alexandra Danilova was a prima ballerina who brought to American ballet the training and traditions of both the......
Dauberval, Jean
Jean Dauberval was a French ballet dancer, teacher, and choreographer often credited with establishing the comic......
Davis, Sammy, Jr.
Sammy Davis, Jr. was an American singer, dancer, and entertainer. At age three Davis began performing in vaudeville......
de Mille, Agnes
Agnes de Mille was an American dancer and choreographer who further developed the narrative aspect of dance and......
de Valois, Dame Ninette
Dame Ninette de Valois was an Irish-born British dancer, choreographer, and founder of the company that in October......
Debussy, Claude
Claude Debussy was a French composer whose works were a seminal force in the music of the 20th century. He developed......
Delibes, Léo
Léo Delibes was a French opera and ballet composer who was the first to write music of high quality for the ballet.......
Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts
Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts, dance school and company founded in 1915 by Ruth St. Denis and her......
DePrince, Michaela
Michaela DePrince was a Sierra Leonean-born American ballet dancer known for her technical prowess and tenacious......
Diaghilev, Serge
Serge Diaghilev was a Russian promoter of the arts who revitalized ballet by integrating the ideals of other art......
Didelot, Charles
Charles Didelot was a Swedish-born French dancer, choreographer, and teacher whose innovative work anticipated......
Dienes, Valéria
Valéria Dienes was a dancer, teacher, and choreographer, considered the most important exponent of the Hungarian......
Dolin, Sir Anton
Sir Anton Dolin was a British ballet dancer, choreographer, and director who, with his frequent partner Alicia......
Dollar, William
William Dollar was an American ballet dancer, choreographer, and ballet master associated with numerous American......
Donen, Stanley
Stanley Donen was an American motion-picture director and choreographer who was one of the most influential directors......
Dorati, Antal
Antal Dorati was a Hungarian-born American conductor notable for his promotion of 20th-century music, particularly......
Dorsey, Jimmy
Jimmy Dorsey was an American musician who—both independently and with his brother Tommy—led one of the most popular......
Dorsey, Tommy
Tommy Dorsey was an American musician who—both independently and with his brother Jimmy—led several of the most......
Doubrovska, Felia
Felia Doubrovska was a Russian ballerina who gave critically acclaimed performances as the bride in Igor Stravinsky’s......
Douvillier, Suzanne Théodore Vaillande
Suzanne Théodore Vaillande Douvillier was a Franco-American dancer, mime, and probably the first woman choreographer......
Dukas, Paul
Paul Dukas was a French composer whose fame rests on a single orchestral work, the dazzling, ingenious L’Apprenti......
Duncan, Isadora
Isadora Duncan was an American dancer whose teaching and performances helped to free ballet from its conservative......
Dunham, Katherine
Katherine Dunham was an American dancer and choreographer who was a pioneer in the field of dance anthropology.......
Duport, Louis
Louis Duport was a French ballet dancer who refined classical technique, excelling particularly in multiple pirouettes......
Durang, John
John Durang was the first U.S.-born professional dancer of note, who was best known for his hornpipe dance. In......
développé
développé, (French: “developed,” or “unfolded”), in ballet, a smooth, gradual unfolding of the leg. The dancer......
d’Amboise, Jacques
Jacques d’Amboise was an American dancer and choreographer of the New York City Ballet (1949–84), admired for his......
ecossaise
ecossaise, variety of contredanse that was popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries in France and England.......
Egk, Werner
Werner Egk was a German composer primarily of music for the theatre. Egk studied composition with Carl Orff in......
Eglevsky, André
André Eglevsky was a Russian-born American ballet dancer and teacher widely regarded as the greatest male classical......
Elssler, Fanny
Fanny Elssler was an Austrian ballerina who introduced theatricalized folk dance (character dance) into ballet.......
English National Ballet
English National Ballet, British dance troupe. Organized in 1950 by Alicia Markova, Anton Dolin, and Julian Braunsweg......
entrechat
entrechat, (probably from Italian intrecciare: “to weave,” or “to braid”), jump in ballet, beginning in the fifth......
Escudero, Vicente
Vicente Escudero was a Gypsy dancer widely respected for his mastery of flamenco dance and for his adherence throughout......
estampie
estampie, courtly dance of the 12th–14th century. Mentioned in trouvère poetry, it was probably danced with sliding......
Estancia
Estancia, orchestral suite and one-act ballet by Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera that, through its references......
eurythmics
eurythmics, harmonious bodily movement as a form of artistic expression—specifically, the Dalcroze system of musical......
Falla, Manuel de
Manuel de Falla was the most distinguished Spanish composer of the early 20th century. In his music, he achieved......
fandango
fandango, exuberant Spanish courtship dance and a genre of Spanish folk song. The dance, probably of Moorish origin,......
farandole
farandole, lively and popular chain dance—an ancient dance style in which dancers form a chain, usually by linking......
Farrell, Suzanne
Suzanne Farrell is an American dancer especially known for her performances with New York City Ballet. Roberta......
Feld, Eliot
Eliot Feld is an American dancer, choreographer, and director. He choreographed a number of successful dances while......
Fernandez, Royes
Royes Fernandez was an American dancer who was a soloist (1950–53) and principal dancer (1957–72) for American......
Feuillet, Raoul-Auger
Raoul-Auger Feuillet was a French dancer, dancing master, and choreographer whose dance notation system was published......
Field, John
John Field was a British ballet dancer and director, long-time artistic director of the Royal Ballet’s touring......
Firebird, The
The Firebird, ballet by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, first performed in Paris on June 25, 1910. It was the......
flamenco
flamenco, form of song, dance, and instrumental (mostly guitar) music commonly associated with the Andalusian Roma......
Flatley, Michael
Michael Flatley is an American dancer who transformed traditional Irish dancing into a popular spectator attraction.......
Fokine, Michel
Michel Fokine was a dancer and choreographer who profoundly influenced the 20th-century classical ballet repertoire.......
folk dance
folk dance, generally, a type of dance that is a vernacular, usually recreational, expression of a past or present......
Fonteyn, Dame Margot
Dame Margot Fonteyn was an outstanding ballerina of the English stage whose musicality, technical perfection, and......
Forsythe, William
William Forsythe is an American choreographer who staged audaciously groundbreaking contemporary dance performances......
forty-nine dance
forty-nine dance, social dance and song repertoire that developed among Native American peoples in the southern......
Fosse, Bob
Bob Fosse was an American dancer, choreographer, and director who revolutionized musicals with his distinct style......
fouetté en tournant
fouetté en tournant, (French: “whipped turning”), spectacular turn in ballet, usually performed in series, during......
fox-trot
fox-trot, ballroom dance popular in Europe and America since its introduction around 1914. Allegedly named for......
Françaix, Jean
Jean Françaix was a French composer and pianist whose music in a light neoclassical style displays the wit and......
Froberger, Johann Jakob
Johann Jakob Froberger was a German composer, organist, and harpsichordist whose keyboard compositions are generally......
Fuller, Loie
Loie Fuller was an American dancer who achieved international distinction for her innovations in theatrical lighting,......
galliard
galliard, (French gaillard: “lively”), vigorous 16th-century European court dance. Its four hopping steps and one......
galop
galop, lively and playful social dance, possibly of Hungarian origin, that was popular as a ballroom dance in 19th-century......
garba
garba, type of Indian dance commonly performed at festivals and on other special occasions in the state of Gujarat,......
Gardel, Carlos
Carlos Gardel was an Argentine singer and actor, celebrated throughout Latin America for his espousal of tango......
Gautier, Théophile
Théophile Gautier was a poet, novelist, critic, and journalist whose influence was strongly felt in the period......
gavotte
gavotte, lively peasants’ kissing dance that became fashionable at the 17th- and 18th-century courts of France......
Geltzer, Yekaterina Vasilyevna
Yekaterina Vasilyevna Geltzer was the prima ballerina of the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre who, during the period of disorder......
Genée, Dame Adeline
Dame Adeline Genée was a dancer, choreographer, and teacher who was founder-president of the Royal Academy of Dancing.......
giddha
giddha, traditional pastoral dance performed by women of the Punjab, India, and Pakistan at festival times and......
gigue
gigue, popular Baroque dance that originated in the British Isles and became widespread in aristocratic circles......
Gilbert, Anne Jane Hartley
Anne Jane Hartley Gilbert was an American dancer and actress, popular on the 19th-century stage for her character......
Gilmore, Patrick
Patrick Gilmore was a leading American bandmaster and a virtuoso cornetist, noted for his flamboyant showmanship,......
Ginastera, Alberto
Alberto Ginastera was a leading 20th-century Latin-American composer, known for his use of local and national musical......
Giselle
Giselle, ballet by French composer Adolphe Adam, first performed in Paris on June 28, 1841. Other than the Christmas......
Glazunov, Aleksandr
Aleksandr Glazunov was the major Russian symphonic composer of the generation that followed Tchaikovsky. Glazunov’s......

Dance Encyclopedia Articles By Title