Quiz Monkey
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Quiz Monkey |
| Arts & Entertainment |
| Pop Music |
| Popular Dance |
| Countries of Origin |
| Dances (etc.) |
| People |
| Other |
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This page covers all forms of dance except ballet and related forms, for which see Classical Dance.
| The tango originated in |
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Argentina |
| The samba, and the bossa nova (which is similar to the samba) originated in |
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Brazil |
| The conga, rumba, cha–cha, mambo and habanera originated in |
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Cuba |
| The gavotte originated in |
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France |
| The csárdás is a traditional dance of |
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Hungary |
| The mazurka is the national dance of |
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Poland |
| The pasa doble originated in |
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Spain |
| Slow rumba–style dance from Guadeloupe and Martinique, made famous by a Cole Porter song of 1935 |
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Beguine |
| Originated among the African American population of the southern US states, becoming a national craze during the 1920s |
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Black Bottom |
| Dance troupe associated with the Folies Bergere, Paris, from 1932; founded by Margaret Kelly (d. 2005) |
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Bluebell Girls |
| Type of dance originating in Spain (credited to a dancer from Cadiz, around 1780) and also associated with Cuba; also the name of a short jacket with long sleeves |
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Bolero |
| Passing back to back (in a square dance) |
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Do–si–do (dos–a–dos) |
| Traditional Maori dance form – one type of which (a war dance) is performed with great relish by the New Zealand rugby team (All Blacks) before each game |
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Haka |
| 1975 dance craze spawned by a Top 10 hit (US No. 1) for Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony |
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Hustle |
| Dance craze of the late 1980s: a dance for couples, originating in Brazil |
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Lambada |
| Derived from the Charleston, named after a famous aviator (originated in New York around 1928) |
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Lindy Hop |
| Named after a priestess in the Voodoo religion of Haiti |
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Mambo |
| Spanish dance where the man represents a bullfighter and the woman his cloak; name means 'double step' |
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Pasa doble |
| 19th century Bohemian dance: three steps and a hop, in quick time |
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Polka |
| Slow dance in ¾ time: name is the French adjective indicating its country of origin |
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Polonaise |
| Historic name for a dance involving four couples in a square formation (precursor of the square dance) |
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Quadrille |
| Originated in the 1920s, incorporating elements of the foxtrot, the Charleston, the shah and the peabody |
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Quickstep |
| Originated in New York in the 1970s, influenced by various Latin American styles: name is Spanish for 'sauce' |
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Salsa |
| Tempos in Scottish dancing |
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Strathspey |
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Jig | |
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Reel | |
| Named after a city in southern Italy, once thought to cure a form of insanity caused by the bite of the wolf spider. Variations include the Neapolitan, Sicilian, Apulian and Calabrian |
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Tarantella |
| Name comes from the German word meaning to revolve (walzen) |
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Waltz |
| Style of dance music originating in Louisiana, influenced by blues and West Indian music, using instruments such as accordion, saxophone, and washboard |
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Zydeco |
| Described by both George Balanchine and Rudolf Nureyev as "the world's greatest dancer" |
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Fred Astaire |
| US dancer, caused a sensation in Paris 1925 with a costume that included bananas and little else |
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Josephine Baker |
| Principal female dancer of Riverdance |
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Jean Butler |
| Husband–and–wife team, credited with reviving interest in dancing in the early 20th century; reached the peak of their popularity in Irving Berlin's first Broadway show, Watch Your Step (1914); also appeared in silent movies; he died in a plane crash in 1918; played in a 1939 musical biopic (based on her memoirs) by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers |
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Vernon & Irene Castle |
| Creator, choreographer, and principal male dancer, of Riverdance |
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Michael Flatley |
| Hollywood and Broadway dancer, choreographer and director; born Chicago 1927; directed the films Sweet Charity, Cabaret, All That Jazz; died in 1987 |
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Bob Fosse |
| British Music Hall act, best known for the Sand Dance and 'Cleopatra's Nightmare' |
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Wilson, Keppel & Betty |
| Dance troupe, founded in Manchester in 1889 (and named after its founder); eventually there were dozens of troupes performing all around the world, including the Folies Bergeres in Paris and the London Palladium; dancers included Gretchen Franklin (Ethel Skinner in EastEnders) and Betty Boothroyd (MP 1973–2000, and Speaker of the House of Commons 1992–2000) |
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Tiller Girls |
© Haydn Thompson 2018