Circle dance, or chain dance, is a style of social dance done in a circle, semicircle or a curved line to musical accompaniment, such as rhythm instruments and singing, and is a type of dance where anyone can join in without the need of partners. Unlike line dancing, circle dancers are in physical contact with each other; the connection is made by hand-to-hand, finger-to-finger or hands-on-shoulders, where they follow the leader around the dance floor. Ranging from gentle to energetic, the dance can be an uplifting group experience or part of a meditation.
A shop horo of Bulgaria
Laz dancers in Armenia, circa 1911
Stecak from Radimlja, Hercegovina showing linked figures
The Italian circle dance made up of females, which features the "bridge"
Social dances are dances that have social functions and context. Social dances are intended for participation rather than performance. They are often danced merely to socialise and for entertainment, though they may have ceremonial, competitive and erotic functions.
A social dancing or ballroom dancing group class taught at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio in The Woodlands, Texas.
Khigga is the most common social folk dance among Assyrian people.
Eighteenth-century social dance. Translated caption: A cheerful dance awakens love and feeds hope with lively joy, (Florence, 1790)