There is great variety in dance in the Netherlands. The traditional dance is the

Dutch folk dance Dutch folk dance are the traditional dances that were performed by the folk. Foreigners and the Dutch, alike, associate Dutch folk dance with clog dancing, though clogs in practice limit the dance moves. Therefore, the folk dance is mostly danc ...

; however, this is hardly practiced anymore. Many Dutch practise ballroom dancing, but also

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...

has a large following. Many young girls start their dancing career with

classical ballet Classical ballet is any of the traditional, formal styles of ballet that exclusively employ classical ballet technique. It is known for its aesthetics and rigorous technique (such as pointe work, turnout of the legs, and high extensions), it ...

and

jazz dance Jazz dance is a performance dance and style that arose in the United States in the mid 20th century. Jazz dance may allude to vernacular jazz about to Broadway or dramatic jazz. The two types expand on African American vernacular styles of danc ...

. Only a few dances are invented by the Dutch. Most of the Folk Dances are Scottish in origin. The Dutch are inventors of

Hakken Hakken (sometimes Hakkûh) is a form of rave dance originating from the Dutch hardcore and gabber scene. The dance is very similar to earlier European folk dance and is thought to be a sub form of zapateo with less airborne moves (unlike jumpst ...

, which was mainly danced in the

Hardcore techno Hardcore (also known as hardcore techno or hardcore house) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany in the early 1990s. It is distinguished by faster tempos and a distorte ...

and

Gabber Gabber (; ) is a style of electronic dance music and a subgenre of hardcore techno, as well as the surrounding subculture. The music is more commonly referred to as Hardcore, which is characterised by fast beats, distorted & heavier kickdrums, ...

scene in the 1990s. Jumpen, which was invented in Belgium, developed further in the Netherlands. The Netherlands is one of the leading countries in the

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian version of

zouk Zouk is a musical movement pioneered by the French Antillean band Kassav' in the early 1980s. It was originally characterized by a fast tempo (120–145 bpm), a percussion-driven rhythm and a loud horn section. The fast zouk béton of Martini ...

(a successor to

lambada Lambada () is a dance from State of Pará, Brazil. The dance became internationally popular in the 1980s, especially in the Philippines, Latin America and Caribbean countries. It has adopted aspects of dances such as forró, salsa, merengue, ...

). The reality show and competition Dancing with the Stars has popularized

Ballroom dancing Ballroom dance is a set of partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world, mostly because of its performance and entertainment aspects. Ballroom dancing is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and television. ...

and the Dutch version of

So You Think You Can Dance ''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and ha ...

helps the popularity of

modern dance Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert or theatrical dance which included dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing; and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th ...

in the Netherlands. Ice dance has been popularised by the TV shows Dancing on Ice and Sterren Dansen Op Het IJs.

Ballet, Modern and Contemporary Dance

Choreographers

* Annabelle Lopez Ochoa *Emio Greco *

Hans van Manen Hans Arthur Gerard van Manen (; born 11 July 1932) is a Dutch ballet dancer, choreographer and photographer. He studied under Sonia Gaskell and Françoise Adret. Van Manen wrote many ballets. He worked for the Dutch National Ballet from 1973 ...

* Itzik Galili *Nicole Beutler * Polly Cuninghame *

Rudi van Dantzig Rudi van Dantzig (4 August 1933 – 19 January 2012) was a Dutch choreographer, company director, and writer. He was a pivotal figure in the rise to world renown of Dutch ballet in the latter half of the twentieth century. Early life and trainin ...

Dancers

* Alexandra Radius * Benjamin Feliksdal * Hannie van Leeuwen *

* Jaap Flier * Louis van Amstel *

Marcus van Teijlingen Marcus van Teijlingen (born 20 March 1973 in Rijnsburg) is a Dutch dance instructor and professional Latin-American dancer. His regular dance partner was Nathalie Kip. He has been working full-time as a dance instructor in Groningen since 2004. ...

Mata Hari Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (née Zelle; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari (), was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed ...

Milou Nuyens Snowy (french: Milou ) is a fictional character in ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. Snowy is a white Wire Fox Terrier who is a companion to Tintin, the series' protagonist. Snowy debuted on 10 Janu ...

* Polly Cuninghame *

Romy Haag Romy is a given name, often a diminutive form of names such as Rosemary (given name), Rosemary or Roman (given name), Roman or Romeo (given name), Romeo. https://nameberry.com/babyname/romy/boy People with the name include: Men *Romy Cachola, n ...

* Sonia Gaskell

Companies

* Het Nationale Ballet * De Stilte *ICKamsterdam * Introdans *

Nederlands Dans Theater Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT; literal translation Netherlands Dance Theatre) is a Dutch contemporary dance company. NDT is headquartered at the ''Amare'' building in The Hague. NDT also performs at other venues in the Netherlands, including Amste ...

*Nicole Beutler Projects * Scapino Ballet

Dance education

* AHK Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten *

Codarts Codarts University for the Arts ( nl, Codarts hogeschool voor de kunsten) is a Dutch vocational university in Rotterdam that teaches music, dance and circus. It was established in its present location in 2000. History Codarts can trace its origin ...

Rotterdamse Dansacademie * Fontys Dansacademie Tilburg *

ArtEZ ArtEZ University of Arts ( nl, ArtEZ hogeschool voor de kunsten) is an art academy in Netherlands. ArtEZ combines several art institutes and art disciplines with branches in Arnhem, Enschede, and Zwolle. In its name the A stands for Arnhem, the ...

Dansacademie Arnhem

Festivals

*Hollands Dance Festival *Julidans *Nederlands Dans Dagen (Dutch Dance Days) * Stilte Festival {{Dance-stub