Dance can be divided into to two groups – social dances and stage dances. The difference between them is how they being learned. First is taught orally, with less limits and everyone can change the moves into their own. Second group; stage dances : has a lot of sub-genres for example: jazz, ballet or folkdance.
The question is when one starts to really express themselves in dance?
Foundation to express is to first learn the steps and movements of a certain style. Every style has their set of steps or rules. Social dances countably evolve, because they can be changed. In ballet- every move has to be done in the way rules say and learning this style requires working with a teacher.
Only when foundations are learned then can be broken. Rudolf Von Laban, Pina Bausch – have done it and their styles have roots in ballet.
Nilsson, M. (1991). Dance Transmission, a Question of Learning or Teaching? Studia Musicologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae,33(1/4), 279-284. doi:10.2307/902449