Memorize these and you could recognize 29.2% of all Dance clues.
| # | Answer | Appearances | Sample Clue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | the waltz | 15 | Originally called the "weller" or "spinner", this dominated 19th c. ballroom dancing |
| 2 | the tango | 11 | Argentinian in origin, it's characterized by a variety of long steps & frequent posturing |
| 3 | the polka | 11 | Title dance you'd do to thefollowingmusic: |
| 4 | Martha Graham | 10 | In 1958 this modern dancer premiered her first full-length work, "Clytemnestra" |
| 5 | Fred Astaire | 10 | He wore his trademark top hat & tails in his very 1st film, "Dancing Lady", with Joan Crawford |
| 6 | Flamenco | 8 | La Argentina & Argentinita were 2 of the most famous performers of this Andalusian gypsy dance |
| 7 | the tarantella | 8 | The song "That's Amore" mentions this "gay" Italian dance |
| 8 | the minuet | 7 | The basic floor pattern of this elegant 17th c. French court dance evolved to resemble the letter Z |
| 9 | the conga | 7 | Line dance invented in Cuba whose name is derived from an African country |
| 10 | the limbo | 6 | Back-bending dance that's neither heaven nor hell |
| 11 | the hula | 6 | Goddess Pele made the earth shake, but some say her sister made Hawaiians shake by giving them this dance |
| 12 | the foxtrot | 6 | Ballroom dance in 4/4 time allegedly named for Vaudeville comedian Harry Fox |
| 13 | the Charleston | 5 | Named for a city, it was originally a Black folk dance & became a national craze in the 1920s |
| 14 | the bossa nova | 5 | Edie Gorme "blamed" this dance for her romance |
| 15 | Mikhail Baryshnikov | 5 | For this dancer who starred in it, "White Nights" had elements of autobiography |
| 16 | Isadora Duncan | 5 | This American woman taught dance in Moscow after the Revolution, probably in a flowing tunic |
| 17 | Hungary | 5 | The Czardas, a national dance of this country, was derived from an earlier dance, the Magyar Kor |
| 18 | belly dancing | 5 | Popular at carnivals, the hootchy-kootchy is a form of this tummy twister |
| 19 | Bolero | 5 | A Spanish dance, or the jacket you might wear to perform it |
| 20 | tap | 5 | Some of its steps are cramp roll, ball change, & shuffle |
| 21 | a reel | 5 | This dance of 3 or more people weaving around each other comes in a popular Virginia version |
| 22 | the fandango | 4 | "Fan"s of this Spanish dance know its name is slang for a ball or dance in the American Southwest |
| 23 | Spain | 4 | The sardana is a circle dance performed by the Catalan people of this country |
| 24 | Mexico | 4 | The jarabe tapatio is generally accepted as the nat'l dance of this N. American country |
| 25 | Italy | 4 | The tarantella |
| 26 | India | 4 | Many of this country's dances act out the life of god Krishna |
| 27 | a square dance | 4 | "Birdie hop out & crow hop in" is part of a call for "Birdie in the Cage", one of these dances |
| 28 | the twist | 4 | Chubby Checker was on the Top 40 charts with this dance in 1960, '61 & '62 |
| 29 | the Watusi | 3 | A dance popular in the 1960s, or another name for the Tutsi people of Rwanda & Burundi |
| 30 | the jitterbug | 3 | The jive of the '50s was a tamer version of this dance popular in the '30s & '40s |
| 31 | the hora | 3 | Sometimes done out in a meadow, it's a traditional dance of Romania & Israel |
| 32 | the cancan | 3 | You might get your kicks watching this risque French dance known for its high kicks |
| 33 | square dancing | 3 | Its popular calls include "promenade" & "swing your partner" |
| 34 | Scotland | 3 | The famous solo sword dance of this country is known as the Gillie Callum |
| 35 | Savion Glover | 3 | It's been said that this Tony-winning dancer, born in 1973, is to tap "what Charlie Parker is to jazz" |
| 36 | Sammy Davis, Jr. | 3 | He 1st danced in Vaudeville in 1929 at age 4, & in 1989 you can still see him strut his stuff in "Tap" |
| 37 | Ravi Shankar | 3 | As a youngster this sitarist was a dancer with his older brother Uday's dance troupe |
| 38 | Jose Greco | 3 | Born in Italy & raised in Brooklyn, in 1949, he debuted his own Spanish dance company |
| 39 | Japan | 3 | The bugaku dances of this country were influenced by Chinese, Indian & Korean dances |
| 40 | France | 3 | Regarded as father of Russian classical ballet, Marius Petipa was actually from this w. European country |
| 41 | Elvis Presley | 3 | January 8, 1985 was the 50th anniversary of this "king"'s birth |
| 42 | castanets | 3 | Now used in flamenco dance, these clicking instruments were not part of the original gypsy tradition |
| 43 | Brazil | 3 | Though it has African roots, the samba is said to have originated in this country |
| 44 | Bali | 3 | The legong, the ceremonial dance of this Indonesian island, is often performed by little girls |
| 45 | Argentina | 3 | The tango evolved from folk dances in this South American country |
| 46 | the Castles | 3 | These married ballroom dancers popularized the tango in the United States |
| 47 | mambo | 3 | Grab your baby and do this dance as its "Kings Play Songs of Love" |
| 48 | lambada | 3 | We'd love to show a clip of this "forbidden dance" from a 1990 film, but we want to keep our G rating |
| 49 | jig | 3 | The Giga is the Italian version of this lively dance popular in England & Ireland |
| 50 | a cakewalk | 3 | Thisdance's name is today a synonym for something easily accomplished |