Vernacular dances are dances which have developed 'naturally' as a part of 'everyday' culture within a particular community. In contrast to the elite and official culture, vernacular dances are usually learned naturally without formal instruction.Andriy Nahachewski, "Ukrainian Dance: A Cross-Cultural Approach",
p. 34
/ref> along with other concepts of

vernacular culture Vernacular culture is the culture, cultural forms made and organised by ordinary, often indigenous people, as distinct from the high culture of an elite. One feature of vernacular culture is that it is informal. Such culture is generally engaged ...

. The word 'vernacular' is used here in much the same as it is in reference to

vernacular A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...

language, defined in contrast to literary or cultured language. Vernacular dances in urban context are commonly referred to as

street dance Street dance is an umbrella term for a large number of social dance styles such as: breakdancing, popping, locking, house dance, waacking etc. Social dance styles have many accompanying steps and foundations, created organically from a culture, ...

s. Some folklorists suggest the term as a more universal replacement of the term " folk dance", while others use it to better delineate the concept of folk dance.

Richard M. Dorson Richard Mercer Dorson (March 12, 1916 – September 11, 1981) was an American folklorist, professor, and director of the Folklore Institute at Indiana University. Dorson has been called the "father of American folklore"Nichols, Amber M.Richard M. ...

, "Folklore and Folklife: An Introduction"
pp.385-387
/ref> The term is attributed to Marshall and Jean Stearns (1968),

Marshall Winslow Stearns Marshall Winslow Stearns (October 18, 1908 – December 18, 1966) was an American jazz critic and musicologist. He was the founder of the Institute of Jazz Studies. Biography Stearns was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Edith Baker Winslo ...

, Jean Stearns, ''Jazz Dance: The Story of American Vernacular Dance'', Da Capo Press, 1968, who used this term to characterize

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 dance ...

(in its "street" form, in contrast to the show biz form).

References

{{reflist Dances

See also

References