Lyrical dance

Lyrical dance is a style of dance created from the fusion of ballet with jazz and contemporary dance techniques and is a "cousin" to those styles. Lyrical dancing is performed to music with lyrics to inspire movements to express strong emotions the choreographer feels from the lyrics in the chosen song. Because lyrical dancing focuses on the expression of strong emotion, the style concentrates more on individual approach and expressiveness than the precision of the dancer's movements. The emergent lyrical style has a relatively recent history and a genesis based on the coming together of ballet with rock/folk/pop/alternative music and a variety of jazz dance styles and modern dance. Dancer, teacher, and choreographer Suzi Taylor, who holds regular class at Steps on Broadway in New York City is considered by many to be an early mother of lyrical dance, having emphasized a unique brand of musicality and expressiveness which influenced many future teachers and choreographers.