Dancing in the US and UK

Many people in the US and UK enjoy dancing, and music is usually played at parties and other celebrations so that people can dance. Schools often have dances or discos for their students, and in the US most schools have a special formal dance at the end of the school year, called a prom.
Charity organizations and UK universities have formal dances called balls where women wear long dresses and men wear dinner jackets. When young people want to dance, they go clubbing, meaning that they go to night clubs with their friends. American line dancing is extremely popular in the UK, and is done by people of all ages in pubs or community centres.

Ballroom dancing is a formal kind of dancing done in pairs or groups to special music, such as the waltz or the foxtrot. Ballroom dancing is usually done by older people, and considered old-fashioned by many young people.

A dance-band is a group of musicians who play music for dancing to. A dance floor is a special floor for dancing on. A dance hall is a large public room where people pay to go and dance. Dance halls are rather old-fashioned now and are connected in people's minds with dancing before the 1960s. Many older style dances, where people waltz etc, are now held in hotels.

Dance studio is a large room usually with mirrors on the walls and bars to hold onto where people learn or practise danding.

Dancing girl is a professional woman dancer in a place of popular entertainment. People sometimes use the expression "Bring on the dancing girls" meaning "Let's add some more excitement to this occasion!"