10 years of Dance Music: The Documentary Dance music is composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can either be a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance music.Modern popular dance music initially emerged from the late 19th century's Western ballroom and social dance music. During the early 20th century, ballroom dancing gained popularity among the working class who attended public dance halls. Dance music became enormously poplar during the 1920s. In the 1930s, called the swing era, swing music was popular dance music in America. In the 1950s, rock and roll became popular dance music. The late 1960s saw the rise of soul and R&B music. The rise of disco in the early 1970s led to dance music becoming popular with the public. By the late 1970s, electronic dance music was developing. This music, made using electronics, is a style of popular music commonl...