Lyrical Dancing: History and Style of Lyrical Dance

Lyrical dance is a form of dance that combines aspects of modern dance, ballet, acrobatics, jazz dance, and other dance styles. Fluidity, strong emotions, and physicalization of song lyrics are distinguishing elements of lyrical dance choreography.

Lyrical dance may get its name from both the fluid motions of the dance form and from song lyrics themselves, which inspire the tone and choreography of a given dance. Stylized, expressive, and fluid, lyrical dance is a type of contemporary dance that incorporates a variety of dance techniques.

The exact origins of lyrical dance remain unknown, but the form grew in popularity on Broadway and in dance competitions in the twentieth century.

• Broadway: Dream ballet sequences in Broadway musicals like Oklahoma! (1943) and dancing in West Side Story (1957) were marked by strong emotions that advanced the story and gave greater depth to the characters, both elements of lyrical dance.
• Competitions: The style may have been popularized in the mid-twentieth century as a flashier form of ballet in dance competition circuits.
• Popular culture: Lyrical dance routines are now fixtures of music videos. Lyrical dance is also a feature on the TV show So You Think You Can Dance and in the theatrical performances of Cirque du Soleil.

You can perform lyrical dance to a variety of musical genres, from hip-hop to jazz to musical theater to pop. Dance teachers and choreographers bring an individual style to the chosen song, playing with mood shifts and tempo to create a dynamic piece that can tell a complete story, like the lyrics of a song.

Lyrical combos might feature jazz dance techniques like chaine turns, soaring plies, graceful pirouettes, and other dance styles. Given its propulsive dance steps, lyrical dance tends to take up much of the dance floor or stage’s space. The spectacle of such moves, especially when coupled with popular music, makes lyrical dance a crowd pleaser and appealing for dance troupe competitions.

Dancewear for lyrical dancers often includes leotards dotted with rhinestones or other dance costumes that, along with the choreography, further articulate the mood and emotion of a song. The color of lyrical costumes can be anything from solid black to a colorful palette. Just as the dancers’ facial expressions and lyrics of the chosen song serve the lyrical choreography, so can the dancewear.

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