To help new users understand the dance scene and to help them develop, we’re created a terminology page. Please feel free to submit your own terminology below!

General:

Afterparty: usually starts after the show where participants, staff, and viewers can go party.

Arabesque: a position in which the dancer stands on one leg, straight or bent, with the other extended to the back at 90 degrees.

Arm Styling: Positioning and movement of the arms, reflecting the character and style of the dance.

“And” Count: the dance count that comes half way between the beats when counting Straight Count: “&1&2- &3&4- &5&6- &7&8.”. AKA "&" Count. 

BPM: Beats Per Minute

BN: abbreviation for Bharatanatyam. (Submitted by CurryBear.com)

Check-List Team: A team that creates their routine based off the judging criteria and checks off on each criteria required or being judged on.

Drop: a section of the mix where it becomes temporary silent to emphasize on something during the routine.

Exit: the last few bars of music when the dancers end their routine leaving the floor.

Intro Video: Usually shown before a performance in South Asian dance performances. The video describe the performance’s gimmick, storyline, theme or all of the above. Some intro videos are simply introduction of the members of the teams. Some intro videos encompass both.

Mix: the arrangement of music put together by the team which they will be performing their routine to.

Mixer: an event held the day before the show. It’s usually exclusively opened to participating teams and staff giving them an opportunity to mingle to eliminate any stress or animosity.

Rolling Count: “&a1 &a2 – &a3 &a4”

Solo: when a dancer performs alone.

Stage Transition: how dancers move from one position on the stage to another sometimes changing formation or transitioning off the stage.

Choreography:

Bridge: when a dancers body is arced with their hands and feet touching the floor with their back facing the floor and stomach arc toward the ceiling. Made famous by Drexel Jhalak. (Submitted by CurryBear.com)

Buddha Kick-Up: similar to a “Kick-Up” but the finishing position is to be seated with legs crossed and hands in praying position like Buddah. As seen performed by Wanted Ashiqz.

Charleston: portrayed by high forward kicks followed by low back kicks.

Chasse: A sliding step in which one foot "chases" and displaces the other.

Double Time: Dancing twice as fast as the tempo of the music

Freestyle: dancing alone, or dancing with a partner near you but not in contact or synchronization

Glide: a smooth projected movement with the free foot barely skimming the floor as it moves toward the next foot placement

Half-Spin: rotating 180 degrees

Half Time: dancing half as fast as the music

Moonwalk:  made famous by Michael Jackson. The movement looks as if someone is walking forward slowly but is really traveling backward. Basically “Gliding” backwards but to give the illusion of walking forward.

Kick-Up: when a person is laying on their back and pulls their legs toward their stomach and then kick up using the momentum of the legs and the force of the back pushing off the floor to get off the ground and come to a standing position.

Shimmy: shaking the shoulders back and forth.

Spin: rotating 360 degrees or more

Tandem Turn: both partners turning in the same direction at the same time on the same foot. Often done by HFD teams.

Formations

Box: dancers are aligned and position to create a square or rectangular shape

Clock: a linear line rotating bout its end like the hand on a clock. AKA Sonar formation.

Domino Effect: dancers are aligned linearly or sometimes in a curve line. Each dancers makes the same movement but after a previous dancer in the line creating a domino effect. AKA “Wave” or “Ripple”. (Submitted by CurryBear.com)

Figure 8: dancers are aligned and position to create a figure “8”. AKA Infinity.

Peacock Line: Dancers are aligned linear facing the audience where you can only see the dancer in front of the line. Dancers spread out their hands circularly around and above the dancer in the front. AKA “Thousand Hands of Buddha”.

Peel: similar to a “Domino effect” (aka “Wave” or “Ripple”) except dancers are displaced slightly away from each other.

Propeller: a linear line rotating about its center. AKA Rotating line.

X: two sets of dancers are aligned linearly and crossing in the middle in creating an “X” shape.

Stunts

Jump-Rope: when a dancer is grabbed by two other dancers, one by the feet and one by the leg and is used as a jump rope as other dancers jump above him/her.

Ninja Tower: Similar to a standing “2-Man Tower” but both dancers involved fall forward to tuck and roll like a ninja. Made popular by Super Crew from ABDC.

Sitting Tower: when one dancer sits on top of the shoulders of another dancer. Similar to a “Standing Tower” but sitting.

Standing Tower: when one dancer stands on top of the shoulder of another dancer. When involving only two people it’s a “2-Man Tower”, when involving three people, it’s a “3-Man Tower”. Mostly seen in bhangra performance. “3-Man Tower” was made famous by THE Bhangra Team.

Please help us enhance this list by submitting your own term!

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