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Glite Dictionary
interpretative dance

interpretative dance

1 6.5
A dance that uses body movements to show feelings or tell a story
  • noun
  • /ˌɪntərˈprɛtətɪv dæns/
translation icon : danza interpretativa
  • She performed an amazing interpretative dance last night.

Examples

  • The festival featured an interpretative dance based on the myth of Persephone.

  • She performed an interpretative dance that moved the entire audience to tears.

  • During the competition, his interpretative dance depicted the struggle between hope and despair.

  • The students are learning interpretative dances in their class.

  • At the art festival, she performed an interpretative dance that expressed her feelings of joy and freedom.

  • The choreographer created an interpretative dance to portray the struggles of life through fluid movements.

  • During the showcase, the dancers delivered an interpretative dance that communicated a powerful story about love and loss.

Synonyms

interpretive dance
vsinterpretative dance
  • US
4 5.6

Dance movements that express emotions and tell a story

uses the longer adjective form rather than the shorter one
interpretative dancing
vsinterpretative dance
7.2

A style of modern dance that uses movements to show feelings or tell a story

names the activity as a single noun rather than ongoing action
interpretive dancing
vsinterpretative dance
  • US
7.3

A style of dance that uses movements to show feelings or tell a story

uses the longer adjective and noun form instead of shorter adjective and gerund

Surface Forms

interpretative dance singular
interpretative dances plural

Morphology

interpretative + dance

The noun phrase is compositionally transparent: an "interpretative" (interpretive) activity + "dance" straightforwardly yields a dance that interprets or depicts emotions/stories. This adjective+noun pattern is a standard, cross-linguistically familiar construction, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reasonably infer the meaning.

Etymology

The term interpretative dance comes from the idea of using the body to 'interpret' a story or feeling instead of following set steps. Imagine a dancer using arms and face to show sadness or joy, and you can see why interpretative (to 'interpret') plus dance means a dance that 'tells a story' or 'shows emotions'.