Celebrities

There have been a huge number of very talented dancers over the years. In this article, we will look at some of those dancers that have had the biggest impact on their particular fields. From ground-breaking ballet dancers to tap dancers and ballroom dancers, there have been so many dance pioneers that it will be impossible to list it all. Here we choose just a few.

Our first dancer is one of the dancers who almost defined the art in itself, Anna Pavolva. The mere mention of her name leads you to think of ballet dancing and/or a meringue-based dessert. She was born in Russia and, at a time when ballerinas were thought to be best being tall and of strong stature, she was responsible for changing these ideas and breaking the mould. She was to go on to achieve worldwide fame as a result of her dancing.

In the field of classical dancing, there have been an uncountable number of greats and pioneers achieving great success such as - amongst others - Rudolf Nureyev. We will however move away from the field of ballet at the moment and talk a little about contemporary. The most notable example of recent times is Michael Jackson, whose moves such as the moonwalk are amongst the most imitated dance moves ever.

Away from the music scene (slightly), there has been a large number of stars of cinema and TV who have become synonymous with great dancing such as Patrick Swayze. His performance in Dirty Dancing has led to a cult following of the films. Going further back, we can also draw on the performances of 2 other greats, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The list goes on and on and it would be impossible to list all the greats.

Pioneers of new (or adapted versions of old) dances have also found fame in recent years, no more so than Michael Flatley, who is renowned for his creation of Riverdance and Lord of the Dance which have become worldwide phenomena. It is impossible to tell who the future stars will be and from which medium they will come. Possibilities are from popular music and popular talent show dance contestants.