India is an eclectic olio of art and culture. The world addresses this holy land as the motherland of unity in diversity. From ancient times, India has been virtuous in creating vast numbers of cultural assets. Indian mythology is ideal documentation of the evolution of Indian art and culture. Numerous fields of art or culture are developed here. A recent archaeological discovery claims that the world’s first cave painting was discovered in India in Mangar Bani in May 2021. The study says that the painting is probably 10,000 years old. This is one of the finest examples to explain India’s progressive tendency towards cultural activities.

Nearly 6000 years ago, the world’s first dance form, “belly dance,” started its journey from Egypt. Today it is one of the most famous dance forms in the world. From the period 5000 to 9000 BC, numerous types of dances evolved in several countries in the Middle East, South Asia (more precisely India), Africa and America. In India, people worshipped Nataraja (the king/ god of dance, having many arms and standing upon one leg) as the supreme power of dance. Most archaeologists claim that the oldest dance form of India is Odissi (originated in Odisha). Today it is a world-famous dance form.

Types of dances in the world:

Now dance has evolved over a long period of time. A number of dance forms have come out from different communities. Different countries produced different dance forms. India, on its own, produced almost 10 different dance forms. In the following, a catalogue of different dance forms is mentioned along with their originator countries.

  1. Odissi (India, Odisha)
  2. Kathak (India, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan)
  3. Kathakali (India, Kerala)
  4. Kuchipudi (India, Andhra Pradesh)
  5. Mohiniyattam (India, Kerala)
  6. Bharatnatyam (India, Tamil Nadu)
  7. Gaudiya Nritya (India, West Bengal)
  8. Sattriya (India, Assam)
  9. Cheraw Dance (India, Mizoram)
  10. Bhangra (India, Punjab)
  11. Belly Dance (Egypt)
  12. Jazz Dance (America, more precisely Black American Society)
  13. Salsa (New York City)
  14. Tango (Argentina)
  15. Hip-hop Dance (the USA, around 1970)
  16. Ballet (During Renaissance in Italy)
  17. Break Dance or B-Boying (African and American youths)
  18. Yangko Dance (China, around 1942)
  19. Contemporary Dances
  20. Modern Dances (like Gangnam Style from South Korea)

Well, the above list will give you more than a brief idea about world-famous dance forms. Most of the world-famous dance forms originated in India, which is really prestigious for the Indians. Apart from the mentioned dances, folk dances, ritual or spiritual dances, ethnic dances are differentiated in many more aspects. However, most of them are local dances, and they are spread amongst a smaller community of people; thus, they are not enlisted here.

5 most popular dances:

Dance is an aspect of art that can express a long story in a shorter time. Besides, dance is one of the finest forms of art that connects people of different communities generously. In the below paragraph, we will learn about the 5 most popular dances with a little description about them.

  • Jazz Dance: This is possibly the most popular dance form. This beautiful dance form originated in the USA by the people of Black American Society. Jazz is a form of dance that embodies both African and European dance styles. Three major traits of jazz dance are extraordinary movement, detailed foot activity, and arm and foot activity. Moreover, jazz dance demands twists and breath-taking hopping skills.
  • Ballet Dance: Ballet dance is one of the toughest dance forms in the world. This dance form demands sheer skill and practice. Pointe Shoes, tight clothes and representation of this dance along with soothing music make this dance form popular amongst millions of people.
  • Hip-hop Dance: This dance firm is an eclectic mixture of African dance, tap dance and ballet dance. Hip Hop culture and Hip Hop music formed this dance form. This famous street dance is performed by a group of dancers with hip music.
  • Tap Dance: Tap dance is another popular dance that originated in the United States. Generally, tap dance does not demand any special dress code. Single Buffalo, shuffle ball, ball change and step-heel and heel-step are the 4 specific moves of Tap dance. Classical tap, Funk tap, Musical (or Boardway) tap, and Rhythm tap are counted in the list of tap dance styles.
  • Belly Dance: Being originated in Egypt, belly dance has flaunted its beauty almost in every big city in the world. The oldest dance form is mostly illustrated by women, and that too with some special dress code. Belly dance was mainly originated for the purpose of losing fat and doing regular exercise of the lower abdomen and haunches. Badia Masabni (founder of Opera Casino) is one of the finest belly dancers in the world.

Conclusion

Amongst a huge number of elegant dance forms in the world, finding and shortlisting only 5 of them is a really tough and challenging job. However, the above mentioned 5 are not precisely but possibly the most popular dance forms on this planet. India’s huge diversity in art and culture has produced 8 different types of classical dances. Amongst them, Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi and Odissi are the 5 most popular dances in India.