Performing Dance

Let us introduce performance dance as a specific dancing style we practice, offer to our clients, and enjoy at “Hips Don’t Lie.” We are sure you know what it is all about because you may have already heard such dance performance synonyms as theater or concert dance.

Our dance studio offers eye-catching entertainment acts for hire performed on the stage. They are great for any ceremony, concert, special occasion, or pleasant time with your closest ones.

You can also learn dance performing and theatrical representation in front of an audience from our highly qualified professional and experienced teachers, who will explain to you the main peculiarities of dance aspirations and presentations to set music in public. We are sure you will feel the difference and enjoy the most breathtaking ideas at our dance lessons, and your best dance performance is already waiting for you.

What Is Performance Dance?

Let’s decide on the performance dance definition first. When we speak about performance or concert dance, we mean any dance performed in front of an audience at a competitive level, but not a participation dance. It is sometimes called a theater dance, too, because, in reality, it is often performed in a theater setting.

The dance performance meaning implies that it is frequently performed to the set music and with the elaborated choreography that is designed to tell a story. If we compare theatrical dance and social dance, we will see that the latter is neither choreographed nor danced to the set music. Though, there may be some exceptions, for example, some baroque or ceremonial dances.

Another difference between them is that social dances are participation dance forms, meaning that all the event participants can become dancers. When we speak about the performance, only dancers on the stage do some actions, and other people are just watching them.

Toronto dance performances have recently become very popular. The rise in popularity was probably caused by films and TV shows telling the public about the most deliberate dance aspirations. For example, the “Center Stage” movie features young ballet dancers who study in their first year at an elite dance school in New York City. The culmination of the film is a large concert with a lengthy, meticulously choreographed concert dance watched by both the excited audience onscreen and those who watch the movie.

Another good concert dance example is the American TV program "So You Think You Can Dance?” It speaks about different dance forms and styles. Dancers are put in pairs and perform different styles in public. This program is mostly about the ability to perform in front of an audience and is a perfect introduction to this type of dancing and different dance aspirations.

“Hips Don’t Lie” offers an excellent continuation to these performance traditions because everything our enthusiastic staff does means presenting our talented dancers in different styles to a wider audience and providing quality dance lessons.

History of Performance and Concert Dance

As a dancing style, performance dance has been known since ancient times. The earliest dance performance examples refer to Indian temples though they featured both theatrical and participation dance. They were performed for spiritual reasons within the walls of the temple and were devoted to specific deities. India had one more form of this style called Carnatakam. It was used for the royal court’s entertainment.

The earliest form of the performance style preserved till nowadays is ballet. It appeared in Italy in the late 16th century and was brought to the French court by the Italian dancer Balthasar de Beaujoyeux. In the middle of the 17th century, King Louis XIV founded a dance school in Paris to teach ballet. The style spread very fast across Europe and Asia over the next two centuries. Some technique innovations were introduced for the popularization of theatrical dance across the world.

However, the theatrical dance history continued in the early 20th century when there was a quiet rebellion against the well-structured routines of classical ballet dance. That was the beginning of the modern dance. Every performance dance troupe in America tried to add more natural movements into the routine. Such incorporation of free elements gained popularity among wider audiences. Many American and Canadian dance schools of today follow these principles and propagate a variety of new techniques to make their dance classes perfect.

Here, at “Hips Don’t Lie,” we want to share the dance concert's meaning and vibe with our clients by providing quality dance lessons and performances. You can come to us and order our picturesque performances for your special events or enjoy taking dance classes yourself to feel the thrill of performing for an audience.

Types of Concert Dances Taught by Every Performance Dance Academy

In fact, performance dance arts include many dance forms. The most popular of them and widely represented on the stage are the following.

Ballet

It was originally a courtroom dance in Italy. Then, the ballet was brought to France and Russia and spread all over Europe. It also engaged a wide audience in other countries of the world and became an academic discipline taught in many dance schools and every performance dance academy. Almost every performance dance company introduces ballet in their presentations and classes. Amateur and professional troupes offer their ballet performances, so it’s the most widely seen on the stage and a well-appreciated dance style today.

Acrobatic Dance

This style appeared in the USA and Canada at the beginning of the 20th century. This type of act was widely performed in vaudevilles at that time. Acrobatic dance has experienced a lot of evolution since that time. The elements from ballet technique and more modern routines were combined to create the most entertaining concert dance ever.

Modern and Contemporary Dance

These styles also emerged from ballet techniques in the 20th century. They differ by their elements and quality of movement. Both styles are widely performed in concert halls and theaters worldwide. They represent their unique repertoire of elements and have already become part of every dance performance in Toronto.

Classical Persian Dance

It is an original form of dancing art that evolved at the times of the Qajar dynasty from 1795 to 1925. Persian dance developed in the Middle East and was widely represented in Shah’s royal court. The elite and middle-class families also enjoyed it a lot. Then it also spread across the world, and it is one of the most enjoyable and widely performed dancing styles on the stage and a part of many dance classes.

Classical Indian Dance

The place of this dance style’s origin is the temples of India. After India got its independence in 1947-50, this style became a university subject. Many dance schools also included it in their syllabi to make their dance classes perfect. Indian dance became well-known in America, too, and was widely performed on the stage everywhere.

There were also other staples that showed a clear distinction between concert dance vs. commercial dance. They included belly dance, Bharatanatyam, Eurythmy, hip-hop dance, jazz and tap dances, and Japanese traditional dance. All of them evoke great interest in the public, so this distinction is becoming smaller and smaller nowadays.

At “Hips Don’t Lie,” we try to show all these unique dance styles as full-plot emotional performances, so you can easily find what you need, learn more about them, and enjoy the mastery of our talented dancers.

How to Learn Performance Dance Moves Within and Beyond a Performance Dance Academy?

What does concert dance include?

You can be sure it includes every dancing style that is performed on the stage. It is a performance telling a story and appealing to the audience’s feelings and emotions. It can include ballet, modern and contemporary dances, Latin dance, classic Indian, Persian, or Arabic performances, hip-hop, jazz, and many other styles.

What is concert dance?

Concert dance is a well-structured and routine-based performance represented on the stage as a separate heat or a part of the overall plot. It may tell you an entertaining story using costumes, mime, and scenery or simply interpret the musical accompaniment via different moments of well-performed moves and routines.

What is theater dancing called?

Theater dancing is the term that is often used by the British public and related to the performance of short stories on the stage in the theatrical setting. However, it is more often called concert dance or performance dance, and these terms are widely used all over the world today.

What is a dance performance?

A dance performance is a presentation of a specific dancing style or a combination of styles on the stage. The main components of such a performance are music, a plot, costumes, and, possibly, scenery. It can be presented as a solo performance or a play acted out by a troupe. It can be done by either professional or amateur dancers in front of the audience watching this performance but not participating in it.