What is commercial dance?

Are you a fan of the Step Up films and those alike (who isn’t)? If so, commercial dance might just be the hobby you need to take up. But what exactly is commercial dance? We’ve got all the information you need to dance like your fave from Step Up.

What is commercial dance?

Commercial dance refers to a style of dance that is often seen in music videos, concerts, TV shows, movies, and advertisements. It is a highly choreographed and dynamic dance form that combines different styles such as hip hop, jazz, contemporary, and even classical ballet. Commercial dance is known for its high energy, athleticism, and attention-grabbing performances. Commercial dance is often associated with the entertainment industry, as it is used to promote and sell products or services. As a result, commercial dancers are expected to be versatile, adaptable, and able to work in a variety of settings. They are often hired for live performances, music videos, tours, and other events. To become a commercial dancer, one needs to have a strong foundation in different dance styles, as well as a good sense of rhythm, musicality, and stage presence. Training in acting and singing can also be beneficial, as commercial dancers are often required to perform in multimedia productions.

Where did commercial dance originate from?

Commercial dance emerged in the 1950s as a way for dancers to push against the strict constraints of traditional styles such as ballet and be free to experiment. Dancing to modern music, commercial dance incorporates moves from all genres including jazz, ballet, hip-hop, breakdance, popping, krumping and street dance. Mixing different styles of dance makes commercial dance versatile and eye-catching whilst appealing to a wide audience, giving it a unique purpose to be used in music videos, films and even adverts to promote products. If you are an avid YouTuber, you may have even come across the dance troop videos at dance competitions, all of which are performing commercial dance. With commercial dance becoming ever more popular, it is constantly evolving and broadening to include new popular moves. Some key features which can be used to identify commercial dance include floor work and unpredictability as dancers are not moving to repetitive rhythms and will freely dance in contrasting directions and styles.

Where to learn commercial dance?

If you like the sound of commercial dance but are not yet confident to take an in-person class or just prefer the convenience of exercising from home, there are plenty of online classes you can follow along to get a taste of what taking a class would be like. There is no doubt that YouTube has become our holy grail when looking for something to watch, and it is no different when it comes to commercial dance tutorials.  Although there are thousands to choose from, some of the most popular YouTube channels posting tutorial videos include Badass Babes Toronto, Brendon Hansford, Lyrik London, Kyle Hanagami and Hype Dance. Steezy is another great option and is even conveniently available in app form. Steezy is a subscription service that allows you to unlock up to 12 different styles within commercial dance and at different levels from ‘brand new’ to ‘advanced’ so that you can work your way up at your own pace. The app also gives you some amazing features whilst watching the classes, such as enabling you to switch the angle you are watching at, play any section on a loop, slow down the video and even use your camera so you can see yourself side by side with the instructor!  So, if you are keen on learning commercial dance, sign up for Steezy’s 7-day free trial.

For those of you who like being thrown in at the deep end, there are many in-person dance classes you can join depending on your area. If you are a student be sure to see if your Student Union offers commercial dance lessons, or even better, your university will most likely have a Dance Society hosting various classes for a bargain.

Studios offering in-person dance lessons

There are also a number of famous studios offering various in-person lessons. For instance, Studio59 is a great option where you can learn from pros! City Academy is a renowned arts company with a number of openings in London. If you are really serious about getting up to speed with learning commercial dance, you could even sign up for some short-term courses. Anna Fiorentini Stage & The City performance academy has an 10-week beginner’s commercial dance course you can sign up for in London for £180 or £126 with an extra 30% off for Early Bird tickets. So, what are you waiting for – get your dance shoes on and bust out some moves to feel like the lead character of the next Step Up film! Meanwhile, get practising with these must-learn TikTok dance routines.