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3%% The examples have been alphabetized. Please put any new example in its proper place in the folder rather than at the end.
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6[[quoteright:350:[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dark_elf_dancer.jpeg]]]]
7[[caption-width-right:350:''[[Film/{{Labyrinth}} Dance!]] [[Music/DavidBowie Magic]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6DJmp21vcQ Dance!]]'']]
8
9This trope is FunctionalMagic or some other kind of power(s) that, instead of [[MagicalIncantation vocal recitations]] or [[GeometricMagic drawings and diagrams]], [[RitualMagic require specific body movements and rhythms]] to be activated. More often used by {{Magic Knight}}s than by {{Squishy Wizard}}s, given the more physical nature of its use.
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11For [[WizardsAndWitches witches]], this may take the form of a NudeNatureDance (at [[WhenTheClockStrikesTwelve midnight]], naturally).
12
13Compare MagicalGesture and MagicMusic. Compare DanceBattler who uses dancing to directly attack enemies; that trope and this one can even be played together. Also see FullContactMagic. May be aided by or result in SummonBackupDancers.
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15----
16!!Examples:
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18[[foldercontrol]]
19
20[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
21* ''Anime/BraveBeats'' loves this concept. The protagonists transform via literal FusionDance, attack using dances for FullContactMagic, and hunt a type of PowerCrystal based on and activated by dance moves ranging from the moonwalk to the funky chicken.
22* ''Franchise/DragonBall'':
23** The FusionDance from ''Manga/DragonBallZ'' allows two people to combine into a single being.
24** In ''[[Anime/DragonBallGT GT]]'', the [[TerribleTrio Para Para Brothers]] can force their opponents to imitate their (quite silly) dance, leaving them open to attack.
25* Bolorenov in ''Manga/HunterXHunter'' combines this with MagicMusic: His body has holes in his flesh that, when he dances, vibrates the wind going through them, making him a woodwind instrument. When dancing in certain ways, he produces songs that summon things to attack for him.
26* All the magic in ''Anime/JungleDeIkou'' works this way, including the {{Transformation Sequence}}s.
27* The demon prince Raid in ''Manga/MagicalCircleGuruGuru'' is a MagicKnight who can perform some potent magic via dancing. Unfortunately, he's BlessedWithSuck as his Magic Dances are all really ''really'' stupid. To a lesser extent, female lead Kukuri occasionally incorporates dancing in the drawing of her [[GeometricMagic magic circles]] and it's implied doing so is a natural element of her magic.
28* A [[DemBones skeleton]] [[OurGhostsAreDifferent ghost]] of a [[TheCaptain ship captain]] in ''Manga/MarchStory'' can create [[HavingABlast exploding bubbles]] by tap dancing on the [[WalkOnWater ocean waves]].
29* Most of the [[HealingHands healing]] [[WhiteMagic magic]] used by Konoka Konoe in ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' involve dances.
30* ''Anime/PrincessTutu'' has all the makings of a MagicalGirl series, except its heroine never engages directly in combat. Instead, she defeats enemies with the power of ballet.
31[[/folder]]
32
33[[folder:Comic Books]]
34* Dionysus of ''Comicbook/TheWickedAndTheDivine'' is a godly raver whose dance magic creates a consensual HiveMind. At one point he weaponizes his party to create an army.
35* ''ComicBook/XMen'' villain Spiral focuses her sorcery through dance involving her six arms.
36[[/folder]]
37
38[[folder:Fan Works]]
39* In ''Fanfic/PowerRangersOceania'', Alex uses a hula as a ritual to beef up her power against a fungi monster spreading decay at an accelerated rate. [[DanceBattler She does it in the middle of]] ''[[DanceBattler fighting]]'' [[DanceBattler the monster.]]
40[[/folder]]
41
42[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
43* In a departure from the original [[Literature/TheTwelveDancingPrincesses fairy tale]], the heroines of ''WesternAnimation/BarbieInTheTwelveDancingPrincesses'' access the underground realm by dancing across twelve stones, each associated with a different sister, then doing three pirouettes on the final stone. When [[TheUsurper Duchess Rowena]] tries to trap them there, [[TheHero Genevieve]] and [[LoveInterest Derek]] use their DanceOfRomance to lead them out.
44[[/folder]]
45
46[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
47* One of the more common complaints about ''Film/TheLastAirbender'' was that the elemental bending was portrayed in a way that less resembled martial arts like in the [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender original show]], and more resembled interpretative dance.
48[[/folder]]
49
50[[folder:Literature]]
51* ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Changeling_(Snyder_novel) The Changeling]]'' by Creator/ZilphaKeatleySnyder has Ivy Carson, who is obsessed with dance. She is always making up [[http://www.dreamshore.net/images/raible/newmagic.jpg dances for magical ceremonies and rituals]], part of the elaborate "Land of the Green Sky" [[{{Worldbuilding}} paracosm]] she shares with her friend Martha and sister (and possible ChildMage) Josie. Dance is an important part of the culture of [[Literature/GreenSkyTrilogy Green-sky]], which Snyder extrapolated from the little girls' game.
52* In P.C. Hodgell's ''Literature/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath'', the senetha, the ritual dance of the Kencyr people, is used to channel the energy emitted by Kencyr temples and can be used for powerful magical ends, including the reaping of souls on a grand scale.
53* ''Magic Steps'', the first in Creator/TamoraPierce's ''[[Literature/CircleOfMagic The Circle Opens]]'' books, is about a boy whose magic is evoked by dancing. For example, when he enchants fish into the nets of his people, he mimics the fish's leaping and swimming motions.
54* Alfred, and indeed all his fellow Sartan, of Creator/MargaretWeis & Tracy Hickman's ''Literature/TheDeathGateCycle''. {{Justified|Trope}} that the Sartan use magic runes, and drawing them on the floor by dancing them is a viable means of spellcasting.
55* [[JustForFun/TropeOverdosed Naturally]], this has made an appearance in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''. The MagicalNativeAmerican Listens-to-Wind used dancing as a catalyst for spells against [[spoiler:the [[EldritchAbomination skinwalker]]. And proceeded to "kick [its] ass up between [its] ears".]]
56* ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' has this included after a fashion. At least one character uses dancing to help cast a spell as part of a big group casting.
57* The serpents and falcons in Amelia Atwater-Rhodes's ''Literature/KieshaRa'' series started with the ability to use magic by dancing. The serpents lost this ability after their schism with the falcons, but the falcons are still able to harness magic in this manner.
58* In ''Literature/ThroughTheMotions'', Marisol attempts to do this to make her brand new magic wand work, but it fails because [[spoiler:she wasn't told she needed to touch the crystal to unseal its power. When she hands the wand off to Deanna, Deanna accidentally grabs the crystal part, giving her a nasty shock but also allowing her to improvise a dance that partially charges the wand for Sol.]]
59* In ''The Witch of Portobello'', by Creator/PauloCoelho, Athena's witchcraft involves dances.
60[[/folder]]
61
62[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
63* In the ''Series/EmeraldCity'' episode "[[Recap/EmeraldCityS1E2PrisonOfTheAbject Prison of the Abject]]", East's funeral rites included much swaying and shivering on the part of Glinda's acolytes and West's employees, as well as some flailing and shaking on the part of West herself. It's unclear how much of this was required for the magic of the funeral ritual to work (Glinda and West only mention "tongue" and "[[MagicalIncantation singing her to rest]]" when they discuss the ceremony) and how much was for show, but why would they bother with the theatrics when the Wizard admitted that he opened the ceremony up to the public to reinforce their prejudice against witches? It's implied not all rituals require this (Glinda looks shocked when West starts to dance), so it may be unique to the specific ritual West performed to [[spoiler:take East's spells from her corpse]].
64[[/folder]]
65
66[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
67* In ''TabletopGame/{{Deadlands}}'', shamans perform rituals to gain power. One of the possibilities is the ''dance'' ritual, which can be anything from a couple of minutes to a night-long ceremony with multiples dancers and musicians.
68* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'':
69** The [[TheBard Bard]] class, who uses performances to access his arcane magic. One of them is dance. Sadly, the performance for spells has to have a sound component.
70** The Kalamar ''D&D'' setting introduced a dance-specialized variant bard, specifically to resolve the issues with Perform (Dance) as a catalyst for bardic music abilities.
71** The ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' setting also has the Spelldancer, once a favorite of the Character Optimization boards, that could increase the power of spells by dancing for a few rounds.
72* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'':
73** Pretty much any Performance Charm will work with dancing just as well as speechmaking, music, or any other performance. Want to stop an army in its tracks with a waltz? Go for it, and have a [[RuleOfCool 2-die stunt]] while you're at it.
74** Also, the [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils demon Stanewald]] has an arsenal of magical dances. The weakest one can make stone walls more breakable. The second-strongest can cause a castle to melt into lava. No mortal has ever seen the strongest one.
75%%*** Don't forget Malfeas is also into dancing, and [[KillItWithFire GREEN NUCLEAR FIRE]]
76* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'' includes dance magic as a type of limitation on magery.
77* Because ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' was originally based on D&D 3.5 rules, for a long time it had the same problem with D&D where bards had a difficult time making this trope their specialty. The Remastered version of Second Edition axed spell components, and with it the requirement that composition spells that use the Performance skill use an auditory performance if they have a verbal component (as most did), meaning that bards can ''finally'' specialize in dance. (By a strict reading of the rules, however, they're still required to make some sort of vocalization.)
78* ''TabletopGame/SpheresOfPower'' has the Skilled Casting tradition that lets you use any Perform, Profession, or Craft check to cast your magic, This means that you can ''[[RuleOfCool literally breakdance someone to death]]''.
79* The Masque of Slaanesh in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}''/''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' is a daemonette of Slaanesh who angered her master and was cursed to dance for all eternity. Anybody who sees her dancing is forced to dance along, even to the point of dying from exhaustion.
80[[/folder]]
81
82[[folder:Video Games]]
83%%* This is the entire mechanic of ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution Mario Mix''.
84* The ''Franchise/DragonQuest'' series has a few abilities that are this trope. Depending on the game, they are usable by the player or are enemy-only.
85* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' has a Dancer job in several games:
86** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' featured the debut version of the job. Its special command, Dance, will perform one of four dances at random. One of these is Swords Dance, which attacks for four times as much damage as the regular Attack command, but it's too unreliable to use... unless the Dancer has an item equipped that replaces the least useful dance with another shot at Swords Dance, making the command quite powerful. There's also a weapon that replaces Attack with Dance regardless of which job they're currently using.
87** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', Mog is a combination of Dancer and Geomancer. He learns new dances by fighting in suitable areas. Once he begins a dance, he will keep performing it for the rest of the battle. Each dance its own set of random effects with differently weighted probabilities of coming out.
88** Though ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' doesn't use the job system or have a Dance command for battle, one of the most iconic story scenes is Yuna's Sending dance.
89** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'' has the Songstress dressphere, which combines Dancer with Bard. Each song or dance will affect the battle for its (long) duration, with songs buffing allies and dances placing status effects on enemies.
90** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'' has a version of the Dancer that's a healer as well as a debuffer and a fairly strong melee fighter.
91** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIIRevenantWings'', Penelo is a combination of Dancer with the classic WhiteMage job. She also appears in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsA2'', though she's a more standard debuffing Dancer in that game.
92** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'', Dancer is a Ranged DPS job that was added in the ''Shadowbringers'' expansion. Like its fellow ranged class Bard, it's quite weak in terms of personal damage but has a variety of support abilities, most notably giving a constant damage boost to one other party member that they designate their "dance partner".
93** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' has Dancer as a female-only job that debuffs every enemy on the field in a variety of ways.
94* ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' has the Dancer class that is able to dance for another unit, allowing it an [[ExtraTurn extra move]]. Especially notable in that regard is Ninian from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'', who is central to the plot [[spoiler:since she's a half-dragon woman who has lost almost all her energy and powers, only being able to channel what's left through her dances and her magical rings]]. Her brother Nils does pretty much the same thing, [[MagicMusic but with a song]].
95** Another ''Fire Emblem'' Dancer key to the plot is Azura from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'', who is a major character in the game and whose dancing is so magical that [[spoiler:she dances to perform an exorcism on the King of Nohr]].
96** Other characters of the Dancer class include [[VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem Phina]], [[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Sylvia, Lene, Laylea]], [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade Larum]], [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones Tethys]], and [[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Olivia]].
97* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'':
98** In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', [[WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas Jack Skellington's]] limit ability "Applause, Applause" actives the technique "Dance Call" which features him and Sora unleashing various magic attacks while performing an intricate dance.
99** The Necho Cat and Frootz Cat Dream Eaters in ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'' can dance to heal their allies, or create harmful music notes. There's also their Rhythmic Groove link attack and the nearly identical Tail Groove link attack used by the Ducky Goose and Drak Quack dream eaters, which both have Sora perform a dance show with the associated dream eater (Music, lights, and cheering crowd included). This hurts things. Somehow.
100* Jean from ''VideoGame/LunarEternalBlue'' is introduced as a dancer, and discovers that she can adapt her dance moves for combat. Only later do we learn she's a martial artist with a dark secret.
101* ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'':
102** The game features Mr. Orange performing the Konohana Shuffle (after [[DrunkenMaster consuming an entire jug of "Sake of Valor"]]) to restore Kamiki Village's most sacred tree. While Amaterasu [[QuickTimeEvent blooms the flowers in time with the dance ritual]], it is impossible to blossom the giant tree without his help and the opening steps of his dance bloom three boughs of the giant tree in succession.
103** Another old man by the name of Mr. Flower has the Gura Shuffle, which he claims to have learned from "a certain flower dance master." His dance does not directly bloom the trees, but it lifts the remnants of a curse from the trees Amaterasu cannot bloom herself, allowing them to be restored.
104* ''VideoGame/Persona4DancingAllNight'': The world of the Midnight Stage inherently negates all violent actions. The Investigation Team is still able to make their way through by using dance to reach out to Shadows and expel them away.
105* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
106** There are a number of non-contact moves in performed by dancing. Some raise or lower stats, such as Swords Dance and Feather Dance. Some create things to attack opponents with, such as Petal Dance and Fiery Dance. One of them, Rain Dance, changes the weather.
107** One character in ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'', Tierno, aspires to be a dancer and fittingly enough specializes in these moves.
108** ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'':
109*** The game introduces "Z-moves," which are activated through the use of special crystals and dances taught to the player by various other characters.
110*** It also adds the Dancer ability, unique to the Pokémon Oricorio, which causes it to immediately copy any Dance move used by another Pokémon on the field.
111* The Dancer class in ''VideoGame/RagnarokOnline'' can cause a number of effects this way.
112* ''VideoGame/{{Shantae}}'' has VoluntaryShapeshifting abilities that she activates by belly dancing, as long as she has magic:
113** {{Animorphism}} into a monkey is a staple.
114** ''VideoGame/ShantaeHalfGenieHero'' introduces {{Objectshifting}} into a [[blue:JUG OF GEMS]] to turn magic into money.
115* In ''VideoGame/SixAges'', Rider mythology revolves around the principle of opposites: a god cannot exist absent of another god antithetical to their concept, because gods only come into being when humans ''need'' them. So the goddess of foraging befriends the god of hunger, [[WorthyOpponent even though they're always doing their best to chase each other away]].
116-->''...For you see, she was [[TwistEnding dancing]] with him.''
117* ''VideoGame/SpaceChannel5'' has a "Simon Says" version of this. ''Everything'' is done by dancing.
118* This is Peppita's battle style in ''VideoGame/StarOceanTillTheEndOfTime'', accompanied by InstantRunes.
119* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'':
120** Luigi's final smash, Negative Zone, done by spinning in place and contorting his body in several different poses throughout.
121** Peach also dances during her Final Smash, putting opponents to sleep. Daisy follows suit in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''.
122* ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' has dancing fairies that may kill the player if ticked off.
123* In ''Videogame/UtawarerumonoMaskOfDeception'', Maroro uses thaumaturgy through a chicken dance to invoke fire magic, by the time of the sequel he upgrades to using simple hand gestures.
124* A 2008 April Fool's joke for ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' claimed that a Bard class would soon be added to the game using this trope (manifesting in a VideoGame/GuitarHero-style minigame). More to the point, some of the ingame holidays allow players to perform dances for special benefits (such as the Ribbon Dance during the Midsummer Festival, which boosts the performers experience gain). [[http://www.wowwiki.com/Bard_(hero_class) See here for more details]].
125[[/folder]]
126
127[[folder:Webcomics]]
128* In ''Webcomic/{{Erfworld}}'', some units have the "Dance Fighting" special ability, which confers a bonus in combat if they dance beforehand. Through magic it is possible to give any unit, or whole groups the Dance Fighting special ability.
129[[/folder]]
130
131[[folder:Web Original]]
132* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'': Fey uses an ancient MagicDance to ''seduce'' some fire elementals into helping her, during her Christmas story.
133[[/folder]]
134
135[[folder:Websites]]
136* ''Website/SCPFoundation'': [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-3688 SCP-3688]] is a series of body movements, which they call kinetoglyphs, that causes various anomalous effects when done accurately.
137[[/folder]]
138
139[[folder:Western Animation]]
140* A Season Two episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'' introduces the Plantar Family Hunting Dance, which is described is being "designed to both entice and disorient"; Sprig uses it to gather small creatures to use for food, while Anne later uses it to distract a large carnivore long enough for her adopted Frog family to escape. A late Season Three episode shows [[spoiler:it being developed a thousand years ago by a Frog named Leif, heavily implying her to be the family's distant ancestor]], and an even later episode has Sprig, Polly, and Hop Pop using the dance to [[spoiler:tame the herons that were not only being used against them by the king in his invasion of earth, but who also killed Sprig and Polly's parents many years prior]].
141* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', Aang and [[spoiler:Zuko]] learn and perform a dance-like fire bending ritual ("Dance of the Dragons") as part of their quest to learn the original form of Fire-bending (rather than relying on rage) from the original Masters (the dragons themselves). In the sequel series, we see the very first Avatar learning the dance from a dragon as part of his own quest to gain mastery over all four elements.
142* In ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince'', some forms of Primal Magic -- particularly Moon Magic -- can only be done by performing a dance ritual. It's implied that some Sky Magic requires both dancing ''and'' acrobatics.
143* Most of June's special abilities in ''WesternAnimation/LittleEinsteins'' are based around dancing.
144* Downplayed in ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' episode "Enchanting Grom Fright" where Luz and Amity dance to defeat Grometheus the Fear Bringer. Dancing in itself has no magical properties (it's clear that the two of them are just doing it for fun), but Amity uses the spinning motion from one of their moves to trace a magic circle with her feet.
145* Gems from ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' can utilize a literal FusionDance to merge together into a stronger form. Whether they succeed depends in equal part on how synchronous the dance moves are, as well as the participants' mental states and emotions. The dance itself is eventually shown as not fully necessary (especially for Gems of the same type, who just turn into a bigger version of themselves when they fuse together), just an aid to help them get in synch physically and emotionally as they merge physically and mentally.
146[[/folder]]
147
148[[folder:Real Life]]
149* Several cultures have dances that are supposed to help with hunting, bring rain, for success in battle, etc.
150* Rain
151** Wu Shamans in China would preform sacrificial rain dances in times of drought.
152** In the Balkans the Dodola is dance performed by an orphaned girl, or rarely a boy, dances through the street, followed by the rest of the village, to call upon a goddess to bring rain.
153** In Africa kings or queens are often responsible for dancing to bring the rain and failure to do so has lead to the death of more than one ruler. Some of these dances are pretty epic/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrnhpNw7hUI.
154** In North America the Zuni, Osage, and Quapaw are the tribes best known for their rain dances.
155[[/folder]]

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