Depending on the type of dance and the skill level of the group, a centerpiece that helps the audience understand the story or location of the dance may be appropriate. For example, a good centerpiece for a intermediate level ballet group performing "The Nutcracker" would be a large Christmas tree. A stage centerpiece for a beginner tap group might be a an old-fashioned lamppost or a bus stop sign. The centerpiece should be simple yet broadly applicable to the story the dancers are telling.
Centerpieces can also be largely symbolic. Especially for those dance styles that are traditionally associated with foreign countries, a more general centerpiece may be appropriate. A samba performance may be done around a mannequin elaborately dressed as a Brazilian Carnival dancer. Morris dancers could center their performance around a May Pole, which would give the audience an English country feel.
For extremely lyrical dancing, such as ballet or modern dance, you may wish to use a centerpiece that helps the audience to feel the emotions of the music and the dancing. For a modern dance set to soothing classical music, several pieces of flowing silk that fall gracefully from the ceiling and tangle on the floor will help set the mood. Couples ballroom dancing can center around an fountain artfully arranged with flowers or Christmas lights.
Sometimes opportunities for truly original centerpieces are provided by the stage and venue where the dance being performed. For example, if the dance group is performing on a black box stage, the centerpiece should be equally visually engaging from all sides but must be able to stand alone. A cauldron of melting dry ice can evoke the otherworldly night scene in "Swan Lake" and pull the audience into the movement taking place on stage. If the stage has top-notch lighting, then more mundane centerpieces like flowers can change color with the rhythm of the dancers.