Dance in the Netherlands

There is great variety in dance in the Netherlands. The traditional dance is the Dutch folk dance; however, this is hardly practiced anymore. Many Dutch practise ballroom dancing, but also tango has a large following.

Many young girls start their dancing career with classical ballet and jazz dance.

Only a few dances are invented by the Dutch. Most of the Folk Dances are Scottish in origin. The Dutch are inventors of Hakken, which was mainly danced in the Hardcore techno and Gabber scene in the 1990s. Jumpen, which was invented in Belgium, developed further in the Netherlands. The Netherlands is one of the leading countries in the Brazilian version of zouk (a successor to lambada).

The reality show and competition Dancing with the Stars has popularized Ballroom dancing and the Dutch version of So You Think You Can Dance helps the popularity of modern dance in the Netherlands. Ice dance has been popularised by the TV shows Dancing on Ice and Sterren Dansen Op Het IJs.