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Music and dance

Music and dance: silhouette of a dancer
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Also of Interest

Introduction

Introduction

Dance music can always be played without dancers, but dance can rarely be performed without music. Some music is inspired by dance but not designed for dancing.

Find out about some of the history between music and dance, and about dance music around the world.

Minuet dancers

Articles

Articles
People dancing

Dance music

Listen to the difference between music for dancing and music about dancing...

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Dancing the minuet

The Dance Suite

Dances are often arranged in groups called suites. Find out more about what these sets of dances contain

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Minuet dances in the court of Louis XIV

The Minuet

Listen to some examples of this elegant and stately dance...

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Tango dances and a bandoneon player

The Tango

Discover where the tango originally came from and how it has influenced composers all over the world

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The waltz

The Waltz

The waltz is probably the most popular type of dance music.

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Improvisation in the African soundworld

For some, dancing is a way of representing rhythm with the body. Find out how dance, rhythm and repetition is important to African improvisation.

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People dancing

Dances in Emerging Dances

David Horne called his orchestral piece Emerging Dances, but it would be hard to dance to it. So is this dance music, or music that dances?

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