Editing Dance (section)

== Theatrical and participatory dance ==
[[File:GDC onlywayaround.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.35|Members of an American jazz [[dance company]] perform a formal group routine in a [[concert dance]] setting.]]{{Unreferenced section|date=June 2023}}
Theatrical dance, also called performance or [[concert dance]], is intended primarily as a spectacle, usually a [[performance]] upon a [[Stage (theater)|stage]] by [[virtuoso]] dancers. It often tells a [[narrative|story]], potentially using [[Mime artist|mime]], [[Dance costumes|costume]] and [[Theatrical scenery|scenery]], or it may [[Interpretive dance|interpret the musical accompaniment]], which is often specially composed and performed in a theatre setting but it is not a requirement. Examples are Western [[ballet]] and [[modern dance]], [[Classical Indian dance]] such as [[Bharatanatyam]], and Chinese and Japanese song and dance dramas, such as the [[dragon dance]]. Most classical forms are centred upon dance alone, but performance dance may also appear in [[opera]] and other forms of [[musical theatre]].

Participatory dance, whether it be a [[folk dance]], a [[social dance]], a group dance such as a [[Line dance|line]], [[Circle dance|circle]], [[Medieval dance#Other Chain Dances|chain]] or [[square dance]], or a [[partner dance]], such as in [[Ballroom dance|Western ballroom dancing]], is undertaken primarily for a common purpose, such as [[social interaction]] or [[exercise]], or building flexibility of participants rather than to serve any benefit to onlookers. Such dance seldom has any narrative. A group dance and a ''[[corps de ballet]]'', a social partner dance and a ''[[pas de deux]]'', differ profoundly. Even a [[solo dance]] or [[interpretive dance]] may be undertaken solely for the satisfaction of the dancer. Participatory dancers often all employ the same movements and steps but, for example, in the [[rave culture]] of [[electronic dance music]], vast crowds may engage in [[free dance]], uncoordinated with those around them. On the other hand, some cultures lay down strict rules as to the particular dances people may or must participate.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Theatrical and Social Dance {{!}} sound-heritage.soton.ac.uk |url=https://sound-heritage.ac.uk/dance/theatrical-and-social-dance |access-date=2024-10-22 |website=sound-heritage.ac.uk |archive-date=2024-12-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241207101200/https://sound-heritage.ac.uk/dance/theatrical-and-social-dance |url-status=live }}</ref>