When European countries started colonies in Africa, Asia, the Americas and the Pacific beginning in the 16th and 17th centuries, Europeans were introduced to new concepts of dance. European cultural norms were quite rigid at this time and the colonizers had different reactions to the "ethnic dances" they encountered. The French in Algeria fetishized the female dancers of the Ouled Nail tribe, while French missionaries in the Polynesian islands outlawed certain dances that they considered too suggestive. Interaction with different cultural forms also proved to be a learning experience that broadened the way that Westerners viewed foreign dances, and redefined the term "dance."
Maud Allan, Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn were a few of the pioneers in the field of interpretive dance in the 20th century. These dancers created performances that were "inspired" ideas of dances from other countries, but they rarely included formal study of ethnic dances. For example, modern dancer Ruth St. Denis was said to have been inspired to dance by an Egyptian-themed poster advertisement for cigarettes.
In her article "An Anthropologist Looks at Ballet as a Form of Ethnic Dance," dance scholar Joann Kealiinohomoku questioned the practice of studying "ethnic" dance forms as something removed from Western culture. Her study noted that classifications regarding "ethnic" dances were outdated and biased. She stated that classical ballet reflects the aesthetics, values and cultural traditions of Europe as much as "ethnic" dances from other cultures reflect their respective traditions.
Performance troupes worldwide have been formed for the purpose of preserving traditional dances. In all corners of the globe, dance has been used for celebration, performance and entertainment as well as to please gods, to tell stories and to drive out sickness. Dance is performed alone or integrated with song, music, acting or puppetry. Regardless of their original functions, ethnic dances are adapted to theatrical venues to be presented to a large audience. The San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival is aa annual performance that features classical and folk dance traditions from around the world.
You can find new styles of ethnic dance popping up every day. Ethnic doesn't just mean primitive or traditional but any dance that represents the cultural temperature of where and when the dance formed. Tango, Butoh, hip-hop, "voguing" and Krumping are all relatively recent creations that can be considered ethnic dances.