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

For two decades, the most frightening sound in the north was the screech of brakes preceding a bomb being thrown through the doors of a dance hall or pub. —Caitlin Flanagan, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2024

When Atherton had the idea to open a dance hall at the end of the railroad line in Llano, Price supported her dream. —Mars Salazar, Austin American-Statesman, 4 Dec. 2024

In this two-gallery show, we’ll be treated to new works of urban dance halls and disturbing pictures of social injustice as well as older paintings. —Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2024

With more dance halls closing as urban migration marches on, groups such as the Texas Dance Hall Preservation Inc. are committed to saving these historic sites, as well as the music and culture that can still be found within them. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 27 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined at sense 1