What is lyrical dance?
Lyrical dance fuses ballet and jazz technique to interpret the emotion and words of a song. Movements are fluid and continuous, with sustained extensions, turns and leaps tied closely to the phrasing of the lyrics. It is one of the most popular categories at American dance competitions and conventions.
History
Lyrical jazz took shape in American studios during the 1970s and 1980s as teachers set jazz technique to emotional pop ballads. Television shows such as So You Think You Can Dance brought lyrical and contemporary routines to a mass audience in the 2000s.
Basic technique
- Continuous, flowing transitions between steps
- Ballet extensions, turns and leaps with jazz dynamics
- Phrasing movement to the lyrics and vocal line
- Facial and emotional performance
Music & tempo
Pop and R&B ballads, singer-songwriter tracks and film themes, usually 60–110 BPM.
Songs for lyrical dance
| Song | Artist | BPM | Key | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heaven and Paradise | Don Julian & The Meadowlarks | 72 | G# major | 1959 |
| One Less Bell to Answer | Rumer | 72 | C# major | 2016 |
| Stuttering | Jazmine Sullivan | 73 | F major | 2010 |
| Begin the Beguine | April Stevens with Nino Tempo | 77 | F major | 1997 |
| If You Were Here Tonight | Alexander O’Neal & Cherrelle | 81 | G# major | 2005 |
| U Get on My Nerves | Jazmine Sullivan duet with Ne‐Yo | 83 | F# major | 2010 |
| Long Way From Happiness | Elton John | 85 | F major | 1997 |
| Mad World | Alex Parks | 87 | E major | 2003 |
| I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry | Lucille Starr | 87 | C major | 1995 |
| Little Bitty Pretty One | Billy Gilman | 87 | C major | 2000 |
BPM as measured by audio analysis; some tracks read at half or double the danced tempo.
All 1,156 lyrical dance songs by BPM →
What to wear
Fitted clothing; foot thongs or lyrical half-sole shoes.
How to get started
Usually offered to students who already take ballet and jazz.
Recent research
- Music interventions for improving psychological and physical outcomes in people with cancer. — The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2021
- A Chinese Dance Therapy Framework. — Culture, medicine and psychiatry, 2024
- Epilepsy is Dancing. — Epilepsy & behavior : E&B, 2015
- Storytelling as Inverse Inverse Planning. — Topics in cognitive science, 2024
- Body-Centered Interventions for Psychopathological Conditions: A Review. — Frontiers in psychology, 2019
Books about lyrical dance
- Kokuritsu Kokkai Toshokan shozō Meijiki kankō tosho maikuro-ban shūsei by Kokuritsu Kokkai Toshokan (Japan) (1991)
- The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney (2003)
- My Life by Isadora Duncan (1927)
- Inspecting post-16 by Ofsted. (2001)
- Angelina Ballerina by Katharine Holabird (1983)
- Jean and Johnny by Beverly Cleary (1959)
Encyclopedia summary
Lyrical dance is a dance style that embodies various aspects of ballet, jazz, acrobatics, and modern dance. The style combines ballet technique with the freedom and musicality of jazz and contemporary. Often, lyrical dance is performed to slow, more fluid songs and movements, compared to contemporary which is faster and sharper. According to Jennifer Fisher, lyrical dance is “strongly associated with clearly displayed emotional moods, fast-moving choreographic strategies, emphasis on virtuosic display, illustration of song lyrics, and, in group form, exact unison.” The style is usually danced at a faster pace than ballet but not as fast as jazz. Lyrical dance is a category typically found in dance competitions.
Frequently asked questions
Is lyrical the same as contemporary?
They overlap, but lyrical follows the song's words and emotion more literally and stays closer to ballet–jazz vocabulary.
What BPM is Lyrical Dance?
Lyrical Dance is usually danced to music between 60 and 110 beats per minute. Browse 1,156 songs that fit on our Lyrical Dance music page.
How many calories does lyrical dance burn?
About 368 calories per hour for a 155-lb (70 kg) person, based on a MET value of 5 from the Compendium of Physical Activities. See calories burned lyrical dance for every body weight.
Related styles
Contemporary Dance
Europe and the United States, mid-20th century
Ballet & Theatrical DanceJazz Dance
African American vernacular dance; theatrical jazz on Broadway and in film
Ballet & Theatrical DanceBallet
Italian Renaissance courts; codified in 17th-century France
Ballet & Theatrical DanceModern Dance
United States and Germany, early 20th century
Ballet & Theatrical DanceTap Dance
United States — African rhythmic traditions meet Irish and Scottish step dancing
Ballet & Theatrical DanceMusical Theatre Dance
Broadway and London's West End
Last reviewed October 2026 · Editorial policy