Ballet

Ballet is a formalized kind of performance dance, which originated in Italy and which was further developed in France, England, and Russia as a concert dance form. It has since become a highly technical form of dance with its own vocabulary. It is primarily performed with the accompaniment of classical music. It has been influential as a form of dance globally and is taught in dance schools around the world, which use their own cultures and societies to inform the art. It is a poised style of dance that incorporates the foundational techniques for many other dance forms.

Tap

Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by a tapping sound that is created from metal plates that are attached to both the ball and heel of the dancer's shoe. These metal plates, when tapped against a hard surface, create a percussive sound and as such the dancers are considered to be musicians. Hoofers are tap dancers who dance primarily with their legs, making a louder, more grounded sound. This kind of tap dancing, also called "rhythm tap", came primarily from cities or poor areas. Today this is not the case, especially with such a wide variety of styles spreading throughout the world.

Jazz

Jazz dance is a classification shared by a broad range of dance styles. Modern jazz dance is frequently influenced by other dance styles such as acro, ballet, contemporary, lyrical, and hip-hop. In turn, many other dance styles are influenced by jazz dance. As in most forms of dance, technique is the foundation for all modern jazz dance movement. In particular, jazz dancers benefit from a sound working knowledge of ballet technique and, consequently, jazz dance curriculum commonly includes ballet training.

Contemporary

Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs systems and methods found in modern dance and postmodern dance, as well as classical ballet. Contemporary dance draws on modern dance techniques as well as newer philosophies of movement that depart from classical dance techniques by altogether omitting structured form and movement. Unlike classical ballet, contemporary often utilizes ground work and dancers often perform in bare feet.

Lyrical

Lyrical dance is a dance style that combines elements of ballet, modern, Jazz, and Tap dance techniques. It is commonly set to popular music with vocals or just instrumental bars. The name lyrical comes from the word "lyrics" because dancers use the lyrics of a song or instrumental music to inspire them to do certain movements or show expression. The goal of a lyrical dancer is to use gesture, facial expression, and controlled movements in order to execute their movements and emotions fully. Besides emotional connection to music, lyrical dance typically encourages use of articulation, line, weight, and movement qualities. Due to its demand for intermediate to advanced technical skill and emotional focus, it is popular primarily with teenage dancers. While lyrical dance choreography uses steps from ballet, modern, and jazz, it does not have the exactness of those techniques.

Hip Hop

Hip-hop dance refers to social or choreographed dance styles primarily danced to hip-hop music or that have evolved as part of hip-hop culture. This includes a wide range of styles notably breaking, locking, and popping which were developed in the 1970s. What separates hip-hop dance from other forms of dance is that it is often freestyle (improvisational) in nature and hip-hop dancers frequently engage in battles, formal or informal freestyle dance competitions. To some, hip-hop dance may only be a form of entertainment or a hobby. To others it has become a lifestyle: a way to be active in physical fitness or competitive dance and a way to make a living by dancing professionally.