Printable Dance Crossword Puzzles

Print a criss-cross dance crossword of styles, ballet terms, steps and stage words, with its answer key.

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Dance Crossword

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Answer key: Dance Crossword

1ST2S3WAL4TZL5SGU6KICKET7MDI8AUDIENCEPR9CURTAINO10MARC11HUL12JAZZ

Across 3 WALTZ · 6 KICK · 8 AUDIENCE · 9 CURTAIN · 10 MARCH · 12 JAZZ

Down 1 STAGE · 2 SLIDE · 4 TUTU · 5 SKIP · 7 MIRROR · 11 HULA

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Kinds of Dance 40

  • Ballet Classical theater dance that was born in the courts of Renaissance Italy
  • Ballroom Partner dancing done at formal balls and in contests
  • Bhangra Energetic dance of the Punjab, done to the boom of a big dhol drum
  • Breaking Athletic street style with spins on the hands and feet, an Olympic sport in 2024
  • Cha-cha Dance of Cuban origin named for the shuffling sound of the feet
  • Charleston Dance that carries the name of a South Carolina port and the spirit of the 1920s
  • Clogging Style of heel-and-toe strikes on the floor, long done to Appalachian fiddle tunes
  • Conga Party dance in which a single file of linked dancers snakes around the room
  • Flamenco Spanish art of song, guitar and dance with sharp footwork and handclaps
  • Foxtrot Smooth dance with long, flowing movements across the floor
  • Haka Traditional dance of the Maori of New Zealand
  • Hip hop Street style that grew up in New York City in the 1970s
  • Hora Circle dance of southeastern Europe
  • Hula Dance developed in the Hawaiian Islands that turns a song's words into pictures
  • Jazz Show style born in the United States in the early 1900s, named like New Orleans music
  • Jig Quick, bouncy dance of Ireland and Scotland, often in 6/8 time
  • Jive Lively contest dance that began among African Americans in the early 1930s
  • Kathak One of the classical dances of India, told through footwork, spins and gestures
  • Limbo Contest from Trinidad in which you bend backward under a low bar
  • Lindy hop Dance born in Harlem, New York, in the late 1920s
  • Line dance No partners needed: everyone faces the same way and repeats the same steps
  • Mambo Lively dance from the Cuba of the 1940s
  • Mazurka Polish dance in lively triple time
  • Merengue The Dominican Republic calls this quick-stepping partner dance its national one
  • Minuet Old social dance from France for a couple, usually in 3/4
  • Modern Kind of concert dance that broke away from classical rules around 1900
  • Polka Bouncy couple dance in 2/4 time that came out of Bohemia
  • Quickstep Light-hearted, fast-moving dance, one of the standard ones in contests
  • Reel Scottish and Irish dance that shares its name with a spool
  • Rumba Partner dance that took shape in the United States in the 1930s from the Cuban son
  • Salsa Latin partner dance with Cuban roots that shares its name with a sauce
  • Samba Brazilian dance of carnival parades
  • Square dance Four couples face in from the sides of a box while a caller sings out the moves
  • Stepdance Irish style with quick feet and a stiff upper body
  • Swing Partner dances of the 1920s to 1940s, named for the bouncy big-band sound of the day
  • Tango In 2009 UNESCO added this Argentine and Uruguayan dance to its heritage list
  • Tap Dance in which metal plates on the shoes make the sound
  • Tarantella Whirling 6/8 dance of southern Italy, tied in legend to a spider's bite
  • Twist Worldwide craze of about 1960 in which the hips, torso and legs rotate together
  • Waltz Dance in 3/4 time whose couples turn as they glide around the room

Ballet Words 31

  • Adagio Slow, flowing movements, or the part of a class that practices them
  • Arabesque One leg holds you up while the other reaches straight back
  • Assemblé The feet come together in the air before both touch down at once
  • Attitude Stand on one leg, the other raised behind or in front and curved at the knee
  • Ballerina Leading woman among classical dancers
  • Barre Handrail along the wall that dancers hold for support
  • Battement Repeated side-to-side movement of the working leg, so quick that the foot seems to flutter
  • Chassé Step-together-step that skims the floor, one foot chasing after the other
  • Corps French word for the group who dance as one behind the soloists
  • Demi French for "half," as in a small knee bend
  • Fondu A slow sink on one bending leg, named with the French for "melted"
  • Glissade Traveling step whose French name means glide
  • Grand French for "big," as in a full, deep knee bend
  • Jeté A jump off one leg that comes down on the opposite one, the first leg flung out
  • Leotard One-piece close-fitting garment that bears the name of a French acrobat
  • Pas de chat Sideways jump whose French name means "step of the cat"
  • Pas de deux French for "step of two": a number for a pair, usually a man and a woman
  • Pirouette Whirl of the whole body on one supporting leg
  • Plié A bending of the knees
  • Pointe Kind of shoe with a stiff box that lets a dancer stand on the toes
  • Port de bras French for "carriage of the arms"
  • Position One of five basic placements of the feet, numbered first to fifth
  • Relevé Lifting the heels so that you stand tall on the front of the feet
  • Révérence The closing courtesy of a lesson, offered to the teacher and the piano player
  • Sauté In a step's name, this French word says the step leaves the ground
  • Slippers Soft shoes of leather, canvas or satin for class
  • Spotting Fixing the eyes on one point to stay steady through fast turns
  • Tendu The working leg reaches out until just the tips of the toes rest on the floor
  • Tights Snug, footed legwear pulled on before the shoes
  • Turnout Rotation of the legs outward from the hips
  • Tutu Stiff, layered net skirt worn in classical dance

Steps, Moves and Rhythm 49

  • Balance What you need to hold a pose on one leg
  • Ball change Two quick steps: rock back on the front of one foot, then drop onto the other
  • Beat The "one, two, three, four" under the music
  • Bow Fold forward from the hips when the clapping starts
  • Box step Six steps around a square: forward, side, together, back, side, together
  • Canon Same movement done by dancers one after another, like a round
  • Cartwheel Sideways tumble that passes through a handstand with the legs wide
  • Clap Bring both hands together with a pop
  • Count Number from one to eight that dancers say to stay together
  • Curtsy A lady's thank-you made by bending the knees and lowering the body
  • Dip Partner move in which one leans on the other, both sink low, and they hold the pause
  • Do-si-do Call in which two dancers pass right shoulders, step behind each other and back up
  • Flexible Like a body that folds, arches and reaches with ease
  • Freeze Stop suddenly and hold still
  • Gallop Move like a pony: one foot leads and the other keeps catching up
  • Gesture Movement of a hand or arm that shows an idea or feeling
  • Graceful Smooth and lovely to watch
  • Grapevine Sideways pattern of side steps and steps across the standing foot
  • Hop Bounce on a single leg
  • Improvise Make up movement on the spot
  • Kick Fling one foot high into the air
  • Leap Spring forward off one foot, fly, and come down on the opposite one
  • Level High, middle or low: how near the floor a movement is
  • Lift One partner hoists the other into the air
  • Lunge Fencer's reach: one leg shoots ahead and takes the weight
  • March Parade walk, knees up, feet landing right with the drum
  • Phrase Movements strung together like words in a sentence
  • Pivot Change the way you face by turning on the spot, weight on the front of the foot
  • Posture The way a dancer holds the body
  • Promenade Couples' move in contra and country dancing whose name is French for a walk
  • Rhythm What a drummer lays down and your feet pick up
  • Sashay Flounce along in a showy way
  • Shimmy Shake the body fast, as in a dance of the 1920s
  • Shuffle Brush the feet forward and back without leaving the floor
  • Skip Travel with a step and a spring on one side, then the other
  • Slide Glide a foot smoothly across the floor
  • Snap Sharp little sound from a finger sliding off the thumb
  • Spin Turn round and round on the spot
  • Split Sit all the way down with one leg pointing front and one pointing back
  • Stomp Land a flat foot with a bang
  • Stretch Lengthen the muscles gently before you begin
  • Strut Walk in a proud, showy way
  • Sway Rock gently from side to side
  • Tempo How fast or slow the music goes
  • Timing Moving exactly with the music, neither early nor late
  • Tiptoe Walk softly on the balls of the feet
  • Twirl Go round lightly under a partner's raised arm
  • Unison All dancers doing the same movement at the same time
  • Wiggle Jiggle the hips and shoulders in tiny quick moves

Rehearsal and Stage 35

  • Applause Sound of many hands when the music ends
  • Audience Everyone in the seats
  • Audition Tryout for a part or a place in a company
  • Backstage Area behind the scenes
  • Bun Tight knot of hair worn for class
  • Choreographer Person who creates a dance
  • Choreography The art of making dances; from Greek words for "dance" and "writing"
  • Competition Event where routines are judged and scored
  • Costume Sparkly dress or matching vest, for example, saved for the show
  • Cue Signal to begin or to enter
  • Curtain Cloth that opens to start the show
  • Duet Piece performed by a pair
  • Encore French for "again," shouted to ask for more
  • Ensemble Whole group performing together
  • Finale Last number of a show
  • Follow In a partner dance, the one who answers the guide's signals
  • Formation The shape a group makes, seen from above: a wedge, a ring, two rows
  • Judge Person who scores the dancers at a contest
  • Lead In a partner dance, the one who guides
  • Mirror Wall-sized glass for checking your form in class
  • Program Printed list of the pieces and performers
  • Recital End-of-year show at a dance school
  • Rehearsal Run-through in the days before opening night
  • Ribbons Pair of long satin bands crossed around each ankle
  • Rosin Sticky powder rubbed on shoes to keep them from slipping
  • Routine Set sequence of steps that is practiced and performed
  • Sequins Glittering little discs that make an outfit sparkle under the lights
  • Solo Dance for one
  • Spotlight Round pool of light that picks out a soloist
  • Stage Platform that the lights point at
  • Studio Dance school's practice room
  • Trio A dance with exactly three dancers in it
  • Troupe Band of dancers that tours from town to town
  • Warm-up Gentle exercises that ready the muscles before class
  • Wings Offstage areas to the left and right, out of sight

How this list was compiled: Clues written for this site for dance classes and for grade 2 and up, in four sets: kinds of dance, ballet words, steps, moves and rhythm, and rehearsal and stage. Dance histories and ballet terms were checked against English Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0), and everyday words in the American Heritage Dictionary, in October 2026. No dancer, company, show or song is named, and no clue was copied from a published puzzle. Licence: own work

How it works

These printable dance crossword puzzles open on 12 easy words such as Waltz, Tutu, Skip and Stage. They are vocabulary crosswords for a dance class or recital week, on Letter or A4.

Read the full guide

Four sets, studio to stage

Kinds of Dance goes around the world: Tango, Hula, Bhangra, Haka and Lindy hop. Ballet Words has Arabesque, Pirouette and Pas de deux, with the French meaning where it helps: Fondu is melted. Steps, Moves and Rhythm has Pivot, Grapevine, Box step and Tempo. Rehearsal and Stage has Audition, Choreography, Wings and Encore.

French words with accents

Plié, Relevé and Jeté keep their accents in the list of all clues and answers on this page. The printed grid and answer key use plain capital letters, so the accent is dropped.

  • Hand out Ballet Words before a first barre class, and let dancers act out each answer once the grid is full.

Questions and answers

Are the dance crossword puzzles free, with an answer key?

Yes. They are free, with no sign-up, and every print ends with the key on a sheet of its own.

Is there a ballet crossword puzzle?

Yes. Choose Ballet Words under Clue set. Its answers are ballet terms and gear, such as Barre, Tendu, Fondu, Tutu and Leotard. Terms of several words, such as Port de bras, fill the squares with no gaps.

What age are the dance crossword puzzles for?

Easy Dance Words suits grades 2 to 4, with answers such as Hop, Clap, Bow and Stage. The other sets suit grade 4 and up, and dance students of any age. These bands are our judgment, not a published standard.

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