Dance

A square dance on Skyline Farms in Alabama, circa 1937.

Square Dancing is Uniquely American

Like the culture it came from, square dance has roots in European, Native American and African practices

Watch the Winners of the 2017 Dance Your Ph.D. Competition

From sea stars to mathematical braids, scientists translate their work into hot moves and killer choreography

The Dance Class, c. 1873. Oil on canvas.

One Hundred Years Later, the Tense Realism of Edgar Degas Still Captivates

For this groundbreaking artist, greatness was always one more horizon away

New York City Could Finally Lose Its Prohibition-era Dancing Rule

The infamous "Cabaret Law" is rooted in racism

Capoeira roda in the Arts and Industries Building at the 2017 Folklife Festival.

How Brazilian Capoeira Evolved From a Martial Art to an International Dance Craze

The athletic movements may have inspired modern break dancing

Bob Fosse was a mean dancer himself–here he is playing the snake in 1974's "The Little Prince."

Choreographer Bob Fosse Is the Forgotten Author of Modern Musicals

Fosse's signature style influenced everything from Michael Jackson to today's musicals

French American Music and Dance, 1983

After 50 Years of Song, Dance, Food, Even Hog Calling, at the Folklife Festival, Is It Still Worthwhile?

Recognizing traditional culture in the information age is ever more important argues the director of the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

The View From the Big Top

Aerialist and this year's Folklife Festival performer Dolly Jacobs didn't have to run away to join the circus; she lived it

Bill Robinson as photographed by George Hurrell in 1935.

Three Ways Bill "Bojangles" Robinson Changed Dance Forever

Robinson worked throughout his career to make life better for black performers

In 2015, Misty Copeland became the first African-American woman to be promoted to principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre.

Ballerina Misty Copeland on Working With Prince, Her Must-See Dances, and Why She Wants to Bring "Ballet Across America"

Ahead of a performance in Washington, D.C., the prima ballerina talks about ballerina bodies and misconceptions about the art form

Misty Copeland sees dance as a “language and a culture that people from everywhere, all over the world, can relate to and understand and come together for.”

In the Footsteps of Three Modern American Prima Ballerinas

A new exhibition shows that classical ballet and the role of the ballerina are rapidly changing

Synesthesia, or the entangling of the senses, may be much more common than once thought.

One in Five People May Be Able to "Hear" a Flash of Light

Once thought to be a rare condition, some forms of synesthesia may be fairly common

Smithsonian Artifacts and Music Legends Share the Stage in Tonight's Star-Studded Television Program

Notable African-American performing artists commemorate the opening of the National Museum of African American History

New York's shrine to the performing arts has never seen a dancer quite like this.

A Huge Bronze Hippo in a Tutu Is Coming to Lincoln Center

Her name is <i>Hippo Ballerina</i>, and she’s sure to make theatergoers do a double-take

A Photojournalist Captures Dramatic Portraits of Dancers in the Streets of Cuba

For Gabriel Davalos, photography is about storytelling

A Brief History of the Rumba

Born out of slavery in 19th-century Cuba, the lively music and dance form takes many shapes

Jive to the Academic Beat With This Year's "Dance Your Ph.D." Winners

Sometimes explaining complex scientific research requires a cow doing the worm, glittering e. coli and an immune cell with a killer plie

A new study investigates booze in bars.

Loud Sounds Can Make Your Drink Seem Stronger

The scientific reason that clubbing and cocktails go hand in hand—but shouldn't always

Leutwyler spent three weeks in the archives of the Elvis Presley Estate photographing objects, such as this gold-plated microphone (c. 1960).

A New Photo Book Reveals the Objects That Tell the Stories of the Rich and Famous

Photographer Henry Leutwyler usually shoots his camera at celebrities. For this book, he looked at their stuff

Michael Jackson performs in Kansas City, Kansas during the "Victory" tour in 1984.

Michael Jackson's Costumes Show Why Nobody Can Beat the King of Pop When it Comes to Style

Outfits from the Jackson's "Victory" tour will be part of an inaugural exhibition at the African American History Museum

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