Pop Dance is a genre of music combining club rhythms with distinctive pop song structures. Popular artists of this style include Madonna, Britney Spears, Cher and Janet Jackson. It has borrowed influences from other styles such as contemporary R&B, hip hop, house, trance and new jack swing.
The genre is sometimes referred to as Hi-NRG, especially in the United States. It was developed in the 1980s by producers such as Stock, Aitken and Waterman for artists such as Kylie Minogue, Dead or Alive and Bananarama. In recent years, a growing number of artists have been influenced by the genre, including Rihanna and Katy Perry.
This type of music was a reaction to disco, which was seen as outdated and overdone. While it retains a dance-club beat, it prioritizes simple, catchy melodies. While producers write the tracks and select the vocalists, their artistic vision is often limited. For example, a singer might sing about partying and escapist behavior over the top of a pounding beat.
The funk and street dance style of popping is closely related to pop. The term ‘popping’ refers to the sudden flexing and relaxing of the body, or hitting, to the rhythm of the beats in the music. Performing this type of dancing requires high levels of energy and coordination. A common technique involves isolating certain body parts, such as the shoulders and back. It also includes fluid rolls of the chest and limbs. Other techniques used by poppers include leg pop, which entails bending the knee and straightening it at the same time.
