Explore by Genre
500 Years of Dance
38 genres, 258 dance styles — from Renaissance courts to modern competition floors.
Dance Genealogy Tree
Trace how dance styles evolved and branched across centuries. Click any node to explore its history.
Competitive Ballroom
International Standard
Modern ballroom dances codified in early 20th century England, characterized by upright posture, closed position, and smooth traveling action.
England · 1920–Present
American Smooth
Ballroom dances adapted for American competition with greater freedom of movement and separation than International Standard.
United States · 1971–Present
International Latin
Five partner dances (Cha-Cha, Rumba, Samba, Paso Doble, Jive) codified in England by the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing between 1947 and 1955, drawing on Caribbean, Latin American, and Spanish sources. The technique centers on Cuban motion — the hip action produced by alternating knee bend and weight transfer.
England/Latin America · 1947–Present
American Rhythm
Competitive Latin dances with Cuban motion and syncopated rhythms, developed in America with emphasis on hip action and rhythm.
United States · 1965–Present
Social & Cultural
Swing & Jazz
Partner and solo dances rooted in the Lindy Hop, developed in Harlem in the late 1920s and codified during the Swing Era (1935-1945), with later regional variants (East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing) and revival scenes from the 1980s onward.
United States · 1930–Present
Argentine Tango
Traditional Argentine tango styles emphasizing improvisation, close embrace, and street-tango origins.
Argentina · 1880–Present
Club & Social Latin
Partner social dances that share contemporary nightclub and social-dance spaces, drawn from Caribbean, Latin American, and Lusophone-African traditions. Constituent dances include Salsa (NYC, mid-20th century, from Cuban son and Puerto Rican forms), Bachata and Merengue (Dominican Republic), Cumbia (Colombia), Forro/Lambada/Lambazouk (Brazil), Zouk (Guadeloupe/Martinique), and Kizomba (Angola).
Caribbean/Latin America · 1960–Present
Country & Western
Social couple dances associated with country and western music, including line dances and partner two-steps.
United States · 1940–Present
Theatrical & Performance
Ballet
The codified Western theatrical dance form that grew out of Italian and French Renaissance court spectacle, acquired its five positions and turnout under Louis XIV, and evolved through Romantic, Classical, Neoclassical, and Contemporary eras into a global concert art with several distinct training methods.
Italy / France · 1500–Present
Contemporary Dance
The lineage of Western concert dance that broke from ballet in the early 20th century—through the modern-dance pioneers and the codified techniques of Graham, Humphrey–Limón, and others—then passed through postmodern experimentation (Cunningham, release technique, contact improvisation) into today's hybrid contemporary practice.
United States / Germany · 1900–Present
Jazz Dance
A family of American performance dance rooted in African American vernacular movement and jazz music—its 'trunk' the Charleston and Lindy Hop—branching into theatrical (Broadway) jazz, lyrical jazz, jazz funk, the Afro-Caribbean Dunham technique, and much commercial and street-influenced dance.
United States · 1900–Present
Tap Dance
An American percussive dance in which metal-plated shoes make the dancer an audible rhythm-maker; it fused African and African American step traditions with the Irish jig and British clog and Lancashire step, and split into a grounded, jazz-rooted rhythm (hoofing) style and a lighter, presentational Broadway style.
United States · 1800–Present
Irish Step Dance
The solo percussive step dance of Ireland—from the improvised, low-to-the-floor sean-nós of the Gaeltacht, through the rigid-armed competitive style codified by An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha (1927), to the theatrical hard-shoe spectacle popularized worldwide by Riverdance from 1994.
Ireland · 1750–Present
Historic Eras
Historic Renaissance Court
Stately Renaissance court dances from 15th-16th century Italian and French courts, emphasizing geometric patterns and noble bearing.
Italy/France · 1450–1600
Historic Baroque Court
Baroque court dances from the 17th and 18th centuries, characterized by ornamented step vocabulary, turned-out lower body, sustained carriage of the arms (port de bras), and choreographic notation in the Beauchamp–Feuillet system.
France/Italy · 1600–1750
Historic Regency Country
English country dance and Regency-era ballroom dance (1651–c.1850): longways, square, and circular figure-dances documented from John Playford's English Dancing Master (1651) through Thomas Wilson's Complete System of English Country Dancing (1815, 1820), with French cotillons (from 1768) and quadrilles (from 1815) sharing the Regency ballroom.
England · 1700–1850
Historic Gilded Age Ballroom
Partner ballroom dances of the Victorian and Edwardian periods (genre window 1850-1920), including the Polka, Mazurka, Schottische, Galop, Victorian Waltz, Boston, and Hesitation Waltz, with the Foxtrot appearing at the close of the period.
Europe/America · 1850–1920
Historic American Contra
American contra dances developed from 17th-c. English country dances, with secondary Scottish and French influences. They are danced in two facing lines of couples, with a caller prompting figures over live music — primarily a New England tradition with related forms in Appalachia.
United States · 1750–Present
Global Traditions
Global South Asian Classical & Folk
Classical and folk dance traditions from South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal), characterized by codified hand gestures (mudras), rhythmic footwork, and origins in temple ritual and royal court patronage.
India, Sri Lanka, Nepal · -1000–Present
Global East Asian Classical & Modern
Classical and contemporary dance forms from China, Japan, and Korea, ranging from ancient ritualistic traditions to modern avant-garde movements.
China, Japan, Korea · -1000–Present
Global Southeast Asian Court & Folk
Classical court dances and folk traditions of mainland and maritime Southeast Asia — Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines — shaped by Hindu, Buddhist, and Islamic traditions and, in the north, by Chinese influence.
Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos · -1000–Present
Global Central Asian Nomadic & Folk
Dance traditions from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, rooted in nomadic culture, felt-making, and courtly traditions.
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan · -1000–Present
Global African Warrior, Ceremonial & Urban
Documented dance traditions from sub-Saharan Africa — warrior, ceremonial, and 20th-century urban forms — drawn from South Africa, West Africa, and East Africa. Archaeological evidence (Saharan rock art, c. 6000-4000 BCE) places African dance practice millennia before the catalogue's pragmatic 1000 BCE start year; LODance uses the later date as the floor for traditions with continuous documented transmission.
South Africa, West Africa, East Africa · -1000–Present
Global Middle Eastern & Arab Classical & Folk
Dance traditions from the Middle East, North Africa, and Levant, including classical court dances, Sufi spiritual dances, and folk traditions.
Egypt, Levant, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Morocco · -3000 (or retain -1000 and add a hedge to historical_origins explaining the cutoff — see rationale)–Present
Global Pacific Islands & Oceania
Dance traditions from Hawaii, New Zealand (Māori), Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, and French Polynesia, often featuring storytelling, warrior traditions, and community celebration.
Hawaii, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Polynesia · -1000–Present
Global Americas Indigenous & Colonial Fusion
Pre-Columbian indigenous traditions and colonial-era syncretic dances from the Americas, blending indigenous, African, and European elements.
North, Central, and South America (Indigenous traditions and colonial-era fusion forms) · 1 (with caption "Pre-Columbian roots; documented evidence extends millennia before 1500 CE; colonial-era fusion forms emerge after 1500 CE.")–Present
Surfaces, Aerial & Movement Arts
Ice Dance & Skating
The family of dance-on-ice disciplines—ice dance, singles figure skating, pair skating, and synchronized skating—in which choreographed movement is performed on blades to music, judged on both technical elements and artistic/program components under the International Skating Union.
Britain / Austria / North America · 1860–Present
Roller Dance & Skating
Dance performed on roller skates—rhythm/roller dance at the rink, the acrobatic funk-driven jam skating tradition, and the codified artistic discipline on quad and inline skates—spanning social, club, and competitive forms.
United States / Britain · 1860–Present
Aerial Dance
A family of performance disciplines in which dancers move, pose, and create shapes while suspended on fabric or apparatus—aerial silks, the aerial hoop (lyra), and the aerial hammock/sling—blending circus apparatus skill with dance vocabulary and choreography.
Europe / global circus tradition · 1900–Present
Flow & Fire Arts
Movement-and-object manipulation disciplines—poi, fans, and staff (often performed with fire), plus modern hoop dance and flag/silk spinning—in which a hand-held prop is spun and woven around the body in continuous, dance-like 'flow,' fusing object manipulation with choreographed movement.
New Zealand (Māori poi) / global flow community · 1900–Present
Cheer, Pom & Guard
Specialty competitive performance dance forms tied to athletics and ensemble spectacle—dance-team cheer dance and pom, acrobatic 'acro' dance, and the flag/rifle/sabre traditions of marching-band color guard and its indoor competitive form, winter guard.
United States · 1900–Present
Para DanceSport
Competitive and recreational ballroom and Latin dancing for athletes who use wheelchairs—contested in combi style (one wheelchair user with a standing partner), duo dance (two wheelchair users), and single dance—governed internationally by the Para Dance Sport committee of World Abilitysport.
Sweden / international · 1968–Present
Diaspora, Fusion & Sacred Traditions
Street & Funk Styles
African-American street and funk dance styles born in California in the 1970s and after—popping, locking, boogaloo, gliding/floating, and the later krumping—built on isolation, groove, illusion, and battle, danced to funk, soul, and hip-hop.
California, United States · 1969–Present
House, Vogue & Club Dance
Club and ballroom-scene dances from Black and Latino communities—house dance from the house-music clubs of Chicago and New York, and vogue and waacking from LGBTQ ballroom and disco culture—built on footwork, lines, performance, and battle.
Chicago / New York / Los Angeles, United States · 1972–Present
Stepping & Strolling
African-American percussive group traditions of historically Black fraternities and sororities (the 'Divine Nine')—stepping, a body-percussion performance of stomps, claps, and chants, and strolling (party-walking), a line-based party dance of signature group footwork.
United States (HBCU / Black Greek-letter organizations) · 1900–Present
Modern Fusion & Commercial
Contemporary popular and screen-driven dance forms that fuse multiple traditions for film, stage, and mass culture—Bollywood film dance, K-pop performance choreography, disco social dance, and burlesque/neo-burlesque.
Global (India, South Korea, United States, Europe) · 1930–Present
Sacred & Ceremonial Dance
Movement traditions that are first and foremost spiritual or ceremonial practices for the communities that hold them—Christian liturgical/praise dance, ancient and modern hula, and Native American intertribal (powwow) dance—presented with respect for their living religious and cultural meaning.
Global (United States, Hawaiʻi, and Indigenous nations) · 0–Present
Regional Folk Traditions
Distinct regional folk and social-dance forms that are often lumped under broader labels but deserve their own surface—country/western line dancing, modern Western (club) square dance, Andalusian sevillanas, and Ashkenazi Jewish klezmer dance.
United States / Spain / Ashkenazi Jewish diaspora · 1500–Present
World Map of Dance
See where dance styles originated and how they spread across continents over 500 years.
Our current dataset draws primarily from Western ballroom, Latin, and swing traditions where published syllabi and competition records are most available. We are actively researching and adding global dance traditions from Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and the Americas to build a more inclusive and comprehensive record of dance lineage worldwide. If you have expertise or sources to contribute, we would love to hear from you.
Baroque Dance Notation
Feuillet Notation Flashcards
The notation system that recorded these lineages — learn the symbols used to document Baroque dance from 1700.
Complete Reference
La Chorégraphie
Every labeled step in Feuillet's tables — over 470 variants from La Chorégraphie (1700).
Baroque Choreography
Feuillet Recueil de Dances Plates
22 choreographic plates from Feuillet's 1700 Recueil de Dances— recording Pécour's finest ballroom choreographies in Feuillet notation, companion to the existing symbol corpus on LODance.
Baroque Pedagogy
Tomlinson Dance & Notation Plates
31 engraved plates from Kellom Tomlinson's 1735 treatise The Art of Dancing Explain'd— pairing elegant portraiture with Feuillet-style floor notation, the definitive English guide to the minuet.
Side by Side
Compare Two Dances
See how any two dance styles differ in tempo, character, technique, and musical personality.
Compare Two Dances
Explore similarities and differences between your favorite dances
Test Your Knowledge
Guess the Dance
Can you identify the dance from a series of clues? Test your dance knowledge with progressively harder hints.
✨ Guess the Dance ✨
Can you identify the dance from clues alone? Start with just the era, and reveal more clues for fewer points. The fewer clues you need, the higher your score!
How to Play:
- 💡 You start with 1 clue: the era when the dance was created
- 🤔 Make your guess anytime, or reveal more clues for fewer points
- 📊 Scoring: 5 points for 1 clue, 4 for 2, 3 for 3, 2 for 4, 1 for 5
- 🎯 10 rounds total—can you earn the perfect 50 points?