Take a Spin Through This Quiz on Famous Dances

The galliard was a very energetic court dance that originated in 15th-century Italy. The dance includes four hopping steps followed by one huge leap. This allowed men of the court to show off their athletic abilities, using the dance as a way to woo eligible ladies. Queen Elizabeth I was said to have been a fan of the dance and performed it each morning as part of her daily exercise.

The first waltzes originated in Germany and Austria in the 13th century. By the 17th century, the peasant dance had been adopted by the court of the Habsburg royals, and in the early 19th century it reached the English court. Unlike traditional courtly dances, such as the minuet, in which people danced around each other, the waltz had a close hold that was considered most scandalous at the time.

Quadrilles became fashionable in Europe in the late 18th century. The dance was performed by four couples in rectangular formation, with one couple at a time performing a move while the others rested. A medley of opera music was often played in accompaniment to the dance. American square dancing is thought to have developed from the Quadrille after it was brought to the U.S. by European settlers.

The polka is a folk dance, first performed by peasants in Bohemia in the 1830s. The lively dance is performed by couples and arrived in North America with Polish immigrants in the 1920s. The dance became so popular across Europe that famous composers such as Johann Strauss II composed music for polkas, and new fashions were even named after the dance, such as the spotted fabric known as polka dots.

The foxtrot is a smooth style of ballroom dance that developed in North America in the 1910s. It originated in African American nightclubs before being popularized by dancing duo Vernon and Irene Castle. The dance is thought to have been named after entertainer Harry Fox, who performed the dance with great verve. The foxtrot is one of the most popular styles of ballroom dancing worldwide.

The Lindy Hop is a swing dance named after aviator Charles Lindbergh’s historic flight, or “hop,” over the Atlantic Ocean in 1927. It originated among Black dancers in Harlem, New York, and was especially popular at the Savoy Ballroom where the club’s no discrimination policy meant people of all races could dance together.

The Twist became a dance sensation in 1960 when Philadelphia musician Chubby Checker released his version of Hank Ballard’s song “The Twist.” Checker performed the song and its twisting dance moves on “The Dick Clark Show,” and it soon became a No. 1 hit record. The Twist changed how people danced; couples no longer had to dance in pairs, but could perform the twist together without touching.

The Charleston, with its characteristic “toes in, heels out” move, was one of the most popular dances of the 1920s. It has its roots in Black folk dance from the American South, especially Charleston, South Carolina. The dance went mainstream after it appeared in the Broadway musical “Runnin’ Wild” in 1923. The shorter hemlines of 1920s flapper dresses made the exuberant moves of the Charleston possible.

The tango developed in the 1880s in dance halls around Buenos Aires, Argentina. The tango is a combination of Spanish flamenco and the Argentine milonga, which together create an intense and passionate dance. The tango spread to North America and Europe in the 1910s.

The jitterbug was an American ballroom dance that gained popularity in the 1930s and ‘40s. Couples held one or both hands as they danced the steps, adding in lifts and swings, making for an energetic, freewheeling dance. American servicemen popularized the jitterbug as they took to the dance floor while on leave from fighting in World War II, and soon it became a craze in both Britain and France.