668.Padayani / India
PADAYANI, also called PADENI, is a traditional folk dance and a ritual art from the central regions of the Indian state of Kerala. As a ceremonial dance involving masks, it is an ancient ritual performed in Bhagavati temples. The dance is performed in honor of Bhadrakali, the goddess of destruction. Meaning, a “row of warriors”, Padayani is an art form that blends music, dance, theatre, satire, facial masks, and paintings. It is a part of the worship of Bhadrakali and it is staged in temples dedicated to the goddess from mid-December to mid-May. Padayani is regarded as a remnant of the Dravidian forms of worship that existed before the advent of Brahmanism. The percussion instruments used in Padayani are patayani thappu, chenda, para and kumbham.
669.Pajaro Bell / Paraguay
PAJARO CAMPANA is a folk dance from Paraguay inspired by the singing of a bird with the same name “pájaro campana” (bellbird), which is endemic to the forests of this region. The steps and clothes used in the dance are inspired by the movements and colours of the bird. Women wear white, the bird’s predominant colour, with a lace in the colours of the Paraguayan flag. Men dress in white as well, with a belt in the colours of Paraguay and a straw hat. The dance is also known in the neighbouring countries.
670.Palo de mayo / Nicaragua / Honduras / Panama
PALO DE MAYO is a type of Afro-Caribbean dance with sensual movements that forms part of the culture of several communities in the RAAS region in Nicaragua, as well as Belize, the Bay Islands of Honduras and Bocas del Toro in Panama. It is also the name given to the month-long May Day festival celebrated on the Caribbean coast. Both the festival and dance are an Afro-Nicaraguan tradition that originated in Bluefields, Nicaragua in the 17th century.
671.Palomita / Paraguay
PALOMITA is a traditional courtship dance from Paraguay, with origins in the northeastern region of the country. The dance imitates the love dance of doves. The man takes the role of a male bird pursuing a female dove played by the woman, who is won over at the end of the dance. The steps are greatly influenced by the polka. There are up to five versions of this dance, varying in the number of dancers and choreography.
672.Paneurhythmy / Bulgaria
PANEURHYTHMY is a system of gymnastic exercises performed to music, practiced by the White Brotherhood the followers of Peter Deunov in Bulgaria. It can include an unlimited number of participants and is done in a circle, as the dancers move in the counterclockwise direction. It is practiced annually from March 22 to September 22 (from the spring day to the autumnal equinox) early in the morning (sunrise) in the open air, in nature. It lasts about one hour. The musicians are at the center of the circle. The purpose of the dance is to achieve harmony with nature, God and the universe. Paneurhythmy consists of thirty rhythmic musical exercises. According to some, they can be divided into three parts: the paneurhythmic cycle of 28 exercises; the “Sun’s rays” cycle; the “Pentagram” cycle.
673.Pangalay / Philippines
PANGALAY is a traditional “fingernail” dance of the southern Sulu people in the Philippines, closely connected to Indian, Cambodian, and Thai traditional dance forms. Hip and torso movements are kept at a minimum in favour of complex arm, hand, and finger movements and positions. Usually dancers wear claw-like finger extensions to emphasise their gestures.
674.PANTHER DANCE / Ivory Coast
PANTHER DANCE is a famous dance performed by the Senoufo people from Ivory Coast. It is performed by the men of the tribe upon the return of the young initiates after a period of isolation.
675.Pantsula / South Africa
PANTSULA is a South African dance that emerged in the 1950s and 1960s in two townships around Johannesburg, as groups of older men engaged in informal street dance competitions. It was a response to the forced removals implemented by the Apartheid government. Gradually, it spread throughout South Africa. By the 1980s, it was practiced by black South Africans of all ages, no longer limited to men, and it began to develop as an expression of resistance during the political struggle, as well as a way of spreading awareness about social issues such as AIDS. Later, it persisted as an expression of cultural roots for many black South Africans. It also gained popularity in the white community and began to take on new meanings. It is a syncopated, quick-stepping, low to the ground dance performed by groups, evoking the urban street culture.
676.Paosa Jagoi / India
PAOSA JAGOI dance originates from Manipur, a small state tucked in the Northeastern corner of India, enclosed by hills on all sides. Paosa Jagoi means “conversation”. This traditional form of dance depicts the conversation between Nongpok Panthoibi and Nongpok Ningthou deities and the merry making that happened when they met.
677.Papaya Dance - Philippines
PAPAYA DANCE is a unique dance, based on a 1970s song by Polish singer Urszula Dudziak, that gained a cult following after being featured on a popular Filipino game show. The dance moves soon spread worldwide as “the new Macarena” and the kitschy dance phenomenon was featured in the US on the MSNBC and the ABC’s “Good Morning America”.
678.PAQUITO / France
PAQUITO is a dance performed during the Pena Baiona, a song which is sung during the Bayonne festival (Pays Basque). While singing, a bunch of people form a line, sitting on the ground and moving their arms. Sometimes people jump over.
679.Parai Attam / India
PARAI ATTAM is a special type of dance from Tamil Nadu, India in which performers beat Parai (drum) and dance to its rhythm. This is one of the oldest traditional dances, and it was used for multiple reasons, ranging from warning people about the upcoming war, requesting civilians to leave the battlefield, announcing victory or defeat, gathering farmers for farming activities, warning wild animals about people’s presence, during festivals, weddings, celebrations, worship of nature, etc. Parai Attam has been an instrumental part of all celebrations in Tamil culture.
780.Para Para / Japan
PARA PARA is a Japanese synchronised dance with specific movements for each song, much like line dancing. It is said to have existed since the early 1980s when Europeans started selling Italo disco and Euro beats. It consists of mostly upper body movements in synchronisation with a four-on-the floor rhythm. Choreographed motions with arms and hands, while stepping to the right and left, show similarities with traditional festival dances such as Bon Odori or cheering squads “O - endan”. There is very little lower body movement, with the exception of moving one’s hips, stepping in place, and jumping or hopping. Routines are choreographed by groups affiliated with popular Japanese clubs. “Paralists”— fans of Para Para come from Japan, Chile, Brazil, Spain, The United States, Canada, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Finland, and several other countries.
681.Parasol Dance / Japan
PARASOL DANCE is a Japanese dance performed with umbrellas, which has its origins in the Kabuki theatre. It is performed by women and uses shuffling steps. The song played during the dance is called Mikado. The costumes worn include brightly coloured Kimono, a parasol (umbrella), and Japanese wooden shoes that are similar to clogs. The dance is typically performed in groups of four dancers facing the audience and standing about four feet away from each other. The open umbrella is held with two hands over the head, the hands holding the handle at chest level. It is one of the most popular Japanese dances performed both in Japan and abroad.
682.Patola / papua new guinea
PATOLA is a viral dance that took Papua New Guinea by storm in the summer of 2018. Heavily inspired by American twerking, Patola involves rhythmic hip thrusts and butt-shaking usually in a squatted position. Patola is an abbreviation of Pantat Bola, meaning literally “ball ass”, referring to the dancer showing off buttocks as large and round as a football. Though the dance is a distinctively Papuan phenomenon, conservative Papuans refuse to accept it as Papuan culture and instead dismiss it as a vile, sexually explicit Western influence.
683.Pendozali / Greece
PENDOZALI or PENTOZALIS is the most popular folk dance on the island of Crete in Greece. It is a vigorous dance, with high jumping movements, which also leaves space for the creativity and improvisation of the dancers. It is danced with arms on the neighbour’s shoulders, in an incomplete circle that keeps rotating anticlockwise at different speeds, depending on the pace of the music. It is especially lively and rapid at the end. The first dancer is expected to improvise engaging in acrobatics. The music is mainly instrumental, and usually performed by a Cretan lyra, and a lauto played in a percussive-like fashion.
684.Pequén / Chile
PEQUÉN is a Chilean folkloric dance of popular roots, danced in different ways, according to its region of origin. There are two main versions of the dance: Pequén Gañan, originally from Chiloé, and Pequén Campesino, danced in the central region. It is classified among the “zoomorphic dances”, because its movement imitates an animal, in this case a little bird.
685.PERESTROIKA DANCES / Russia
PERESTROIKA DANCES are a style of dances that developed and spread around Russia from the 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Everything was new for people—music, style, bars, dancing. There were a lot of new crazy artists, club promoters, new ways of dancing, new magazines for alternative youth such as “Ptuch” and “Om”.
686.Perinița / Romania
PERINIȚA is a wedding folk dance, typical of and originating from the Muntenia region in Romania. The dancers form a circle with one person holding a handkerchief or a pillow while dancing inside the circle. The person then chooses a dance partner of the opposite-sex by placing the handkerchief around his/her neck. They kiss on the cheek, and the first person joins the circle, while the second one repeats the process. The name of the dance comes from the Romanian word for pillow, “perna˘”, on which the men kneel when choosing a female partner (sometimes a handkerchief is used).
687.Persian Classical danceS / Iran
PERSIAN CLASSICAL DANCE is a group of dances coming from Iran or having Persian origins. Persian classical dances have not been organized and codified. Thus each dancer creates his/ her own style and improvises within the recognizably Persian framework of movements. Solo improvisational dances often utilize delicate, graceful movements of the hands and arms with animated facial expressions. They include movements derived from a combination of the Middle Eastern dance, folklore and dances of the Qajar era.
688.PHILLY CLUB / USA
PHILLY CLUB is a term to describe dances performed to Philly Club music, which is house music greatly influenced by Baltimore Club as well as by the offspring Jersey Club music. Philly Club music ranges from 130 to 140 bpm, and it does not consist only of remixes of all genres of music, but it also mixes sounds from any source, for instance commercials, movies, acts of nature, etc.
689.PIZZICA / Italy
PIZZICA is a traditional folk dance (in 2/4 time) of simple structure from the Apulia region, in Italy. The traditional pizzica is a couple dance, but the couple does not need to necessarily involve two individuals of opposite sexes—often two women can be seen dancing it together.
690.POGO / Global
POGO is a dance in which the dancers jump up and down, while either remaining on the spot or moving around. The dance takes its name from its resemblance to the use of a pogo stick, especially in a common version of the dance, where an individual keeps their torso stiff, their arms rigid, and their legs close together. Occasionally, dancers collide, but it is not a necessary part of pogo dancing. An uninformed bystander might get the impression that the dancers are attacking one another. People sometimes get injured when pogoing, but, more often than not, pogoers who fall to the ground are helped up instead of getting trampled. There is a general understanding that the pogoing is fun, not a fight. Pogo is most associated with punk rock and is a precursor to more violent moshing and slam dancing.
691.Poi / New Zealand
POI refers to both a style of performing art and the equipment used for engaging in Poi performance. As a performance art, Poi involves swinging tethered weights through a variety of rhythmical and geometric patterns. Poi artists may also sing or dance while swinging their Poi that can be made from various materials with different handles, weights, and effects (such as fire). It originated with the Ma-ori people of New Zealand, where it is still practiced today. Originally warriors used Poi to improve the dexterity of their wrists. The movements are circular and central to the use of all weaponry. Nowadays, mostly women dance with Poi. They swing them to depict the story of a song through hitting techniques and flowing movements. A Poi performer should show movement’s skills that radiate naturally from the body.
692.Pokot / Kenya / Uganda
POKOT DANCES are traditional dances of the Pokot people, who are farmers and herders living in the northwestern Kenya and adjoining Uganda. They share many dance forms, such as animal imitation and jumping, with other surrounding pastoralists. Dancing is an important part of many Pokot rituals and celebrations, and may continue for days, especially at initiation feasts. Several dances are performed with men and women facing each other in parallel lines. The majority of Pokot dances are accompanied only by singing and clapping, although instruments such as leg bells and wooden horns are sometimes used.
693.Polca / Paraguay
POLCA PARAGUAYA is a popular folk music and dance in Paraguay, whose name derives from the European “polka”, but whose rhythms, melody, harmony and counterpoint are unrelated to it. The Paraguayan version combines ternary, binary and syncopated rhythms, which gives it its characteristic style. The most popular instruments used are the guitar and the Paraguayan harp. Polca Paraguaya is danced in pairs, which can unlock momentarily during the dance to perform various figures. It is danced in ballrooms, on the village dance floors, and at home, in the countryside more than in the cities. There are several versions of the dance, varying in form, choreography or figures.
694.Pole dance / Global
POLE DANCE combines dance and acrobatics centred on a vertical pole. It is performed not only in gentleman’s clubs as erotic dance, but recently has gained popularity as a mainstream form of fitness, practiced by many enthusiasts in gyms and in dedicated dance studios. Amateur and professional pole dancing competitions are held in countries around the world. It requires significant muscular endurance and coordination as well as sensuality.
695.POLICE DANCE / Global
POLICE DANCE is a dance performed by policemen. Videos with police dance are popular all around the globe and reflect local culture as well as dance trends of a given time. For example in Estonia during the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, one dance school, together with the Estonian Dance Agency, invited everyone to participate in the dance contest Eesti Dancing. The challenge was also accepted by Tammsaare Police and Border Protection Service, and they performed in this national dancing event.
696.Polka / Global
POLKA is originally a Czech dance, popular throughout Europe and the Americas, that originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. It remains a popular folk dance in many European countries, and it is performed also in Poland, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Switzerland, Finland and to a lesser extent in Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Hungary, Italy, Ukraine, Romania, Belarus, Russia, and Slovakia. Local varieties of this dance are also found in the Nordic countries, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America and the United States. It is a fast dance. Its basic step consists of a preparatory hop followed by a chasse done first to the left and then to the right. It is danced to music written in 2/4 time with the first beat more heavily accented.
697.POLKA CHINATA / Italy
POLKA CHINATA called CROUCHED POLKA is a historical dance, exclusive to the city of Bologna. It is rigorously performed by men both for social reasons (insufficient women emancipation in the post-war period) and for its acrobatic requirements. The origins of the dance bring us back to the 1940s, during the post-war reconstruction, when under the Bologna’s arcades, men exhibited themselves and competed among each other, accompanied by the accordion music. With an intent to impress girls, men took advantage of their physical abilities to perform the famous “crouched whirl”. From this specific figure came the name of the dance.
698.Polka Norteña / Mexico
POLKA NORTEÑA is a polka dance style coming from the north of the states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, Chihuahua and Tamaulipas in Mexico. It is accompanied by accordion and guitar. Polka dance is of Polish origin and was brought to Mexico during colonial times. Since it was introduced to Mexico, all social classes have danced it, but the humble people, mainly from the countryside, have given life to it, adapting it to their own music and steps. It is danced on all occasions.
699.POLONEZ / Poland
POLONEZ is one of the most widely recognised traditional dances of Poland and one of its five national dances. Likely once a warrior’s triumphal dance, it was adopted by the Polish nobility as a formal march in 1573. In the 19th century, it became enormously popular throughout the European ballrooms, especially in France and in Russia. In its aristocratic form dancers, in couples according to their social positions, promenaded around a ballroom with gliding steps accented by bending the knees slightly on every third step. Music is in 3/4 time. As a walking dance, it is done by any number of couples of men and women, usually at a slow tempo. It was used as a musical form by prominent composers (Beethoven, Handel, Chopin). It is danced in Poland today at student proms and official celebrations.
700.PONRE / Burkina Faso / Ivory Coast
PONRE is a freestyle street dance from Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast.
701.POP DANCE / Global
POP DANCE is a term that can be used for various dance routines performed to pop music especially from the 1980s, 1990 and 2000s. It is a simple or elaborate combination of popular and freestyle dance moves usually borrowed from other genres.
702.POPPING / USA
POPPING is a street dance style and one of the original funk styles that came from Fresno, California during the late 1960s-1970s. It is based on the technique of quickly contracting and relaxing muscles to cause a jerk in the dancer’s body, referred to as a pop or a hit. This is done continuously to the rhythm of a song in combination with various movements and poses. It is closely related to illusory dance styles and techniques, such as robot, waving and tutting, often integrated into popping to create a more varied performance. Popping is distinct from breaking and locking, which it is often confused with. As one of the earliest funk styles, it is closely related to hip-hop and often performed in battles.
703.Powolniak / Poland
POWOLNIAK is the best known traditional dance from the Kurpie Zielone, an area in the north of the Mazovia region in Poland. It consists of two parts and is performed by pairs in a fast tempo, with quick spinning demanding a lot of energy and control (despite the literary meaning of its name “powolniak” from the word “powolnie”— slowly, deliberately). The dance is characterized by polyrhythm, i.e. the performance of steps in the odd meter to the music in duple meter.
704.Pride / Global
PRIDE began as a riot against the police and the state, and as a radical reclaiming of identity against governments that did nothing to support LGBTQ people. Riots, rallies, protests and disobedience are inherent to queer communities, including dance and costume, drag, community love, all used as a protest to the society that dares shame and belittle them. Dancing is usually a very important part of Pride parades around the world.
705.PROTEST DANCES / Egypt
PROTEST DANCES are dances that happened in the context of protests that staged in Egypt, usually directly performed for political or social intervention.
706.Psytrance / Global
PSYTRANCE or PSY is a dance style performed to the subgenre of trance music characterized by arrangements of synthetic rhythms and layered melodies created by high tempo riffs. Psytrance lies at the hardcore, underground end of the diverse trance spectrum. The genre offers variety in terms of mood, tempo, and style. Some examples include full-on, darkpsy, Hi-Tech, progressive, suomi, psy-chill, psycore, psybient, psybreaks, or “adapted” tracks from other music genres. Goa trance preceded Psytrance and when digital media became more commonly used Psytrance evolved. Goa continues to develop alongside the other genres. It is played and danced all around the world at special Psytrance events and festivals, such as the Ozora festival in Hungary.
707.Puita / Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe
PUITA is a dance from Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, introduced by Angolan contract workers. It used to be performed all night long by workers and Tongas on the plantations during parties in honor of a deceased person. The guests used to eat and drink before they started to dance to the sound of the percussion. Puita is also the name of the large drum used for the dance. Since independence, many workers have migrated to the capital, so the dance puita can now be found in the neighbourhoods of São Tomé City.
708.PULCINO PIO / Italy / Viral
PULCINO PIO is a dance to the Italian song with the same name released as a single in July 2012. The song is credited to the character Pulcino Pio and is actually interpreted by the actress Morgana Giovannetti. In summer 2012 it became a hit in Italy, staying on the top for the eight consecutive weeks. It also became a hit in France, Spain, the Netherlands, and other European countries in their respective local language versions. The English version was released as “The Little Chick Cheep”, the French version as “Le poussin Piou”, the Spanish version “El Pollito Pío”, the German version as “Das kleine Küken Piept”, the Dutch version “Het kuikentje Piep”, etc.
709.PUNK / Global
PUNK is a dance performed to punk rock, a music genre that developed in the mid-1970s in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. It can also be performed to dance-punk, another music genre that is closely associated with the post-punk and new wave movements.
710.Punta / Honduras / Belize
PUNTA is an Afro indigenous dance and music of Honduras and Belize, originated by the Garifuna people with African and Arawak elements. The name refers to the tip of the toes because it is the most used body part while performing this dance. It consists of shaking and bouncing and is similar to twerking. The most famous song of punta music is “Sopa De Caracol”.
711.Punto panameño / Panama
PUNTO PANAMEÑO is a folk dance and genre originating in Panama, with a hispanic ancestry as many other Central American folk dances. It is usually danced by only one couple at a time. Traditionally, one male and one female dancer perform the dance. It begins with the male kneeling with his left knee on the floor. Once the music begins to play, he takes the hands of the female dancer, who circles around him to the beat of the music. The male and female back away from each other, often emoting longing and passion.
712.Purun / Chile
PURUN means dance in Mapudungun, the language of the Mapuche people, who live in the western coastal areas and valleys of Chile’s Araucanía Region. Men, women and children wear their best clothing in the dance ceremonies. Men wear traditional woolen makuñ (ponchos), pants, and white or blue shirts. Women wear black shawls and dresses, adorning their heads and clothes with silver jewellery and colorful ribbons and beads. In Purun dance, the main colors are black, white, blue, violet, yellow, and green—all considered to be positive shades that please the deities. The presence of the machi, the shamaness of the Mapuches, is fundamental in these ritual dances, as she is the sole intermediary between mortals and the spirit world. A special occasion for feasting and dancing is the New Year of the Mapuches, We Tripantu.