Hip-hop vs Ballet Dance: Difference and Comparison

Dance is one of the art forms in which sequential body movements are synchronized rhythmically to a theme. And most of the time, the theme would be some music which carries soft or strong emotions.

The music inspires the Dance, and folk play has been used as a tool to express social feelings and emotions to the public.

Dance is not a modern art, as the early evidence for dance has been found in the tombs of Egypt, which dates back to 3300 BC. Dance is used to narrate a story or a scene, accompanied by a fancy costume and drama.

There are different forms of dance. Each of the forms got originated to the needs of that particular situation.

Key Takeaways

1. Hip-hop is a street dance style that originated in African American and Latino communities in the 1970s, characterized by its energetic and expressive movements. In contrast, ballet is a classical dance form that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts in the 15th century, characterized by its graceful and precise movements.
2. Hip-hop is often performed in hip-hop music, while ballet is traditionally performed in classical music.
3. While both dance forms require discipline and skill, hip-hop emphasizes improvisation and freestyle movements, while ballet focuses on technique, form, and structured choreography.

Hip-Hop vs Ballet Dance

Hip-hop dance is characterized by its fluidity, body isolations, and popping and locking techniques, involving a lot of improvisation and is known for its energetic and dynamic movements. Ballet dance involves more structured and formal movements based on predetermined choreography.

Hip-hop and ballet dance have become more popular among the various dance forms. While seeds for ballet dance were sown during the Renaissance, hip-hop dance originated in the late twentieth century.

Ballet dance is more formal, whereas hip-hop follows a free-style approach. Ballet dance originated in Italy during the Renaissance period and spread to France, where it reached its heights.

Then, it developed and spread to Russia, Denmark, England and the rest of the world.

Hip-hop dance got evolved from the hip-hop music genre accompanied by many styles. It originated in America, but unlike ballet, hip-hop took less time to spread across the globe.

Television, the Internet, and dance shows are attributed as the reason for the rapid growth.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Hip-hop	Ballet
Definition	It is a free-styling dance tracing its origin from multiple street dance styles.	Ballet is a formal dance which requires strict and perfect moves done sequentially.
Origin	Originated first in Italy.	The United States of America.
Time-period	It got started during the Renaissance period.	It got developed in 1970.
Music Style	Breaking, Popping, Locking.	Classical Music.
Special aspects of the dance	This dance style can be learned by everyone at a much quicker pace when compared to ballet dance.	It requires strict coordination of movements along with the accompanying music.
Popularity	Most popular among youth.

What is Hip-hop Dance?

Hip-hop dance is a free-styling dance that originated in America in late 1950. The roots of hip-hop dance can be traced back to various street dance styles accompanied by the music genre of that time.

Breaking style is the first, and one of the main styles followed in hip-hop dance. Hip-hop dance expresses real-life stories enriched with various life experiences and emotions.

In hip-hop dance, much importance is given to the freedom of expression with breaking style. Hip-hop dance got huge attention due to the high degree of comfort it offers its dancers in its movement.

Hip-hop does not require stern protocols, unlike ballet dance, where strict procedures must be followed.

Anyone can learn hip-hop dance anywhere. Hip-hop gained its popularity mainly due to its marvellous and cool movements, which were easy to practice and followed by others.

Another reason for its rapid spread in popularity can be attributed to the television and internet boom during its evolution. Films of the 1980s and various television shows were the reason for its boom worldwide.

What is Ballet Dance?

Ballet dance is one of the earliest forms of dance, which originated during the Renaissance period in Italy. Later it spread to France, where it started developing to reach its height.

Ballet dance requires perfect coordination and body movements to the music and few physical criteria to become a ballet dancer.

The physical requirements include a slim and flexible body. Constant and consistent practice is needed to become a ballet dancer.

Ballet dance acquired a different style when it started spreading to different countries. Russian, French, Italian and English ballet is more popular among those styles.

Usually, ballet dance accompanies classical music. Ballet dance is a formalized dance with precise steps and gestures.

The co-dancer must stay in line with the other dancer. Even a small body gesture could spoil the play.

Ballet dance transformed into concert dance when it was introduced in Russia. Due to its stern and precise approach, ballet dance is performed only by trained ballet dancers.

Ballet dance involves many disciplines, which come only through constant practice. Every movement should be coordinated and accurate.

Ballet dance always accompanies some emotional story.

The creativity and the steps made by the ballet dancers glue the audience to the show.

Main Differences Between Hip-hop and Ballet Dance

1. Hip-hop dance is a freestyle, whereas ballet dance follows a perfect, coordinated style in a formalized manner.
2. Ballet dance requires certain physical criteria, whereas hip-hop accommodates all kinds of people.
3. Ballet dance takes much discipline and rigorous practice to master, which is why very few people are involved in ballet dance. Hip-hop is easy to learn when compared to ballet dance.
4. Hip-hop dance is more popular among the young generation due to its cool movements and music accompanying the dance. Ballet dance prefers more to the classical music genre.
5. Hip-hop dance can be termed a modern dance form as it evolved in the late twentieth century. But ballet dance has been in practice since the sixteenth century.
6. Hip-hop does not require any professional school to master the skill. Ballet dance can be mastered correctly at a ballet school.

References

1. https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/sites.psu.edu/dist/f/5180/files/2014/10/FormanNeal-Thats_the_Joint_The_Hip_Hop_Studies_Readerbook.pdf#page=522
2. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/07407708708571104