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

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

Supper clubs in Wisconsin go back to 1920s roadhouses and dance halls, but the social club concept really had its heyday in the ‘50s and ‘60s, says Faiola. —Samantha Leal, Bon Appétit, 10 Oct. 2024

Year-round, the quirky Texas town of Round Top is quite a charmer, populated with artists and artisans, galleries and vintage markets, music festivals and a historic dance hall. —Rona Berg, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024

On her first day of filming, Ronan was thrown into a lively quickstep number in a roaring dance hall. —Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 3 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined at sense 1