dance (d ns)v. danced, danc·ing, danc·es v.intr. 1. To move rhythmically usually to music, using prescribed or improvised steps and gestures. 2. a. To leap or skip about excitedly. b. To appear to flash or twinkle: eyes that danced with merriment. c. Informal To appear to skip about; vacillate: danced around the issue. 3. To bob up and down. v.tr. 1. To engage in or perform (a dance). 2. To cause to dance. 3. To bring to a particular state or condition by dancing: My partner danced me to exhaustion. n. 1. A series of motions and steps, usually performed to music. 2. The art of dancing: studied dance in college. 3. A party or gathering of people for dancing; a ball. 4. One round or turn of dancing: May I have this dance? 5. A musical or rhythmical piece composed or played for dancing. 6. The act or an instance of dancing. [Middle English dauncen, from Old French danser, perhaps of Germanic origin.] danc  er n.danc ing·ly adv. |
Dancing
See also performing.
a drama expressed in dance or with dance as an integral part of its content and form.
1. the art of composing dances for the stage, especially in conceiving and realizing the movements of the dancers.
2. the technique of representing dance movements through a notational scheme.
3. the art of dancing. Also called choregraphy, orchesography. — choreographer, n. — choreographic, adj.
2. the technique of representing dance movements through a notational scheme.
3. the art of dancing. Also called choregraphy, orchesography. — choreographer, n. — choreographic, adj.
a mania for dancing.
a striptease performer or exotic dancer.
choreography. Also orchesis, orchestics.
Rare. the act of dancing. — tripudiary, adj.
Dancing
See Also: AGILITY, INSULTS, WORDS OF PRAISE
- As light on your feet as a fairy —Rita Mae Brown
See Also: LIGHTNESS
- As limber as a couple of Yale pass-keys (addressed to a dancer) —O. Henry
- Danced like a faun —O. Henry
O. Henry was well known for perverting and extending existing sayings. This one can be traced to Robert Lowell’s “Dancing like naked fauns too glad for shame.”
- Danced like a wave —Dame Edith Sitwell
- Danced like a wet dream —Martin Amis
- Danced like sandflies —Margaret Atwood
- Danced like something dark and slithery from the Argentine —P. G. Wodehouse
- (People) danced, moving their bodies like thick rope —Susan Richards Shreve
- Dancers swaying like wet washing in a high wind —Lawrence Durrell
- Dances like a Mack truck —Cornell Woolrich
- Dances like an angel —Joseph Addison
- (Sometimes I think that) dancing, like youth, is wasted on the young —Max Lerner
- Dancing with her must be a good deal like moving the piano or something —Ring Lardner
- (Helga Danzing danced just the way she looked: big, clumsy, almost impossible to lead,) dancing with her was like pushing a weight uphill —Abraham Rothberg
- (You’ve got) a foot movement like a baby hippopotamus trying to sidestep a jab from a humming-bird … and your knees are about as limber as a couple of Yale pass-keys —O. Henry
- Pirouetting like a Baryshnikov —T. Coraghessan Boyle
- Sailed like a coquettish yacht convoyed by a stately cruiser —O. Henry
- You dance like there’s a stone in your shoe —John Updike
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  dancing - taking a series of rhythmical steps (and movements) in time to musicsidestep - a step to one side (as in boxing or dancing) diversion, recreation - an activity that diverts or amuses or stimulates; "scuba diving is provided as a diversion for tourists"; "for recreation he wrote poetry and solved crossword puzzles"; "drug abuse is often regarded as a form of recreation" adagio - a slow section of a pas de deux requiring great skill and strength by the dancers break dance, break dancing - a form of solo dancing that involves rapid acrobatic moves in which different parts of the body touch the ground; normally performed to the rhythm of rap music courante - a court dance of the 16th century; consisted of short advances and retreats nauch, nautch, nautch dance - an intricate traditional dance in India performed by professional dancing girls phrase - dance movements that are linked in a single choreographic sequence saraband - a stately court dance of the 17th and 18th centuries; in slow time skank - a rhythmic dance to reggae music performed by bending forward and extending the hands while bending the knees slam dance, slam dancing - a form of dancing in which dancers slam into one another; normally performed to punk rock hoofing, step dancing - dancing in which the steps are more important than gestures or postures toe dance, toe dancing - a dance performed on tiptoe choreography, stage dancing - a show involving artistic dancing pas de deux, duet - (ballet) a dance for two people (usually a ballerina and a danseur noble) pas de trois - (ballet) a dance for three people pas de quatre - (ballet) a dance for four people social dancing - dancing as part of a social occasion mambo - a Latin American dance similar in rhythm to the rumba tap - a small metal plate that attaches to the toe or heel of a shoe (as in tap dancing) performing arts - arts or skills that require public performance busker - a person who entertains people for money in public places (as by singing or dancing), usually while asking for money jive - dance to jive music; dance the jive trip the light fantastic, trip the light fantastic toe, dance - move in a pattern; usually to musical accompaniment; do or perform a dance; "My husband and I like to dance at home to the radio" clog - dance a clog dance tap dance - perform a tap dance belly dance - perform a belly dance heel - perform with the heels; "heel that dance" shimmy - dance a shimmy |
Translations
dancing [ˈdɑːnsɪŋ] n → danse f
dancing class n (= dancing lesson) → cours m de danse
dancing partner n → cavalier/ière m/f
dancing shoes npl [men] → escarpins mpl; [women] → chaussons mpl de danse
dancing class n (= dancing lesson) → cours m de danse
dancing partner n → cavalier/ière m/f
dancing shoes npl [men] → escarpins mpl; [women] → chaussons mpl de danse
dancing
dancing:
n → Tanzen nt
attr → Tanz-; dancing dervish → tanzender Derwisch; dancing shoe → Tanzschuh m; put on your dancing shoes! (fig) → mach dich hübsch or zurecht!
dancing:
dancing girl
n → Tänzerin f
dancing master
m → Tanzlehrer m
dancing partner
n → Tanzpartner(in) m(f)
dancing step
n → Tanzschritt m
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