dance hall

noun

1

: a large room set aside or suitable for dances

especially : a public hall offering facilities for dancing

2

dancehall

ˈdan(t)s-ˌhȯl 

ˈdän(t)s-

: a genre of Jamaican music derived from reggae in which an artist improvises vocals over a recorded or live beat

… anyone who knew her or worked with her knows that she loves dancehall and has much respect and passion for the genre.

—Stephanie K

—often used before another noun

dancehall music

A key form of symbolic capital obtainable in Jamaica is knowledge and possession of many Jamaican dancehall records.

—Marvin Sterling

Examples of dance hall in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This was once a bustling lumber town with a sawmill, its own railroad and shipping fleet, 10 hotels, 15 saloons, multiple dance halls — and a great back story. —John Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 3 Feb. 2025

In the dance halls, Black and Irish musicians and dancers competed, helping complete the fusion of Irish jigs and African gioube (sacred and secular stepping dances) that went back to the 18th century and eventually evolved into tap dancing — a uniquely American dance form. —Jay Mwamba, New York Daily News, 1 Feb. 2025

According to The Whites’ Skaggs Family Records bio, White launched his music career by playing mandolin and piano in dance halls and radio shows around Texas. —Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 14 Jan. 2025

In retrospect, those members of the urban elite who embraced the music of the streets and the dance halls in the name of an independent cultural identity have seemed more significant. —Michael Denning, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2015

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined at sense 1