Bollywood cinema is a must-watch for anyone who loves musical theatre! It's full of top tunes, epic romance, beautiful costumes - and the most amazing dance numbers in the world! Read on to learn all about Bollywood dance - its history, its conventions, and how you can give it a go yourself! Don't forget to try some of our quizzes while you're here - try this Bollywood trivia quiz, or see if you can spot the Bollywod film from the emoji clues!

1. It's from India!

If you want to visit the home of Bollywood dance, you'll find it in India - but not all Indian cinema is Bollywood! Bollywood films are always in Hindi, which is the most widely-spoken language in India. "Bollywood" is a portmanteau word for "Bombay", the old name for Mumbai; and "Hollywood", the American home of cinema. Bollywood films almost always have an epic love story, lots of musical numbers, dazzling colours and costumes - and a happy ending! Dancing is a HUGE part of a Bollywood film - let's find out why!

2. India has a LONG history of dance

Pretty much every culture on earth has its own traditional dances, and as India is a big place with such a rich cultural history, it has a huge amount of different dances! Classical dances includes kathakali, bharatanatyam, manipuri, kuchipudi and odissi. This rich dance culture helped to foster the perfect environment for movie musicals!

3. Bollywood dance has been around for a long time

The very first Bollywood film was 1931's Alam Ara ("Ornament of the World"). It was an early sound film - the first "talkie" ever was the American film The Jazz Singer, which came out in 1927. Alam Ara featured seven songs, and choreographed dancing to go with them! Sadly Alam Ara is now a lost film, as no prints of it exist any more.

4. It's a blend of different styles

Bollywood dancing isn't just one specific type of Indian dance. The oldest Bollywood films borrowed a lot from Western cinema of the time. Musicals were hugely popular in old Hollywood, and the Bollywood films featured dance inspired by Western ballroom and Latin-style dancing. In the 1940s and 50s though, Bollywood began to feature choreography based on classical Indian dance, like those styles mentioned above. This is known as "classical fusion dance". Later on, in the 60s and 70s, budgets got bigger and the dance numbers became more and more spectacular!

5. Modern films use more modern styles!

Since the 1980s, Bollywood has been highly influenced by Western-style dancing again. Hip hop, street dance, jazz, and styles based on Broadway musicals, and MTV music videos (ask your parents!) blend in with the choreography inspired by traditional Indian dance.

6. You'll also experience some Punjabi culture

Another popular style of dance in Bollywood cinema is bhangra, which is usually used for the big, upbeat group dances. It's very high-energy, and fun to dance along with!

7. The songs and dances are VERY important

The music featured in Bollywood cinema is called Filmi music, and here's a fun fact - it makes up about 72% of music sales in India! Sometimes a film's soundtrack will be more popular and well-known than the film itself! The musical sequences in Bollywood films are key to their success at the box office and with the audience - no one likes a Bollywood film with bad choreography, or boring music!

8. It's a key storytelling element

Just like Broadway musicals, Bollywood dance numbers serve an important purpose in the film's story. Dance is a great way to convey the story and move the relationship of the lead characters along! The songs move the plot along, or else have characters externalise their feelings, with choreography to back it up. The entire body is important - even finger movements! You'll notice that Bollywood dance is very emotional - whether it's characters having a joyful party scene, or expressing sorrow at being apart from each other. Good choreography can show these emotions through their movement alone!

9. You'll need your hands!

The choreography is a blend of different styles, but most Bollywood dance uses hand, foot, neck and head movements. In traditional dance, hand movements can convey moods, themes, locations and animals - a thumbs up references the peak of a mountain, for example, which could be a metaphor for the struggles a character is facing. These gestures are called mudras. There are a lot of them, and a good Bollywood dancer will know them all!

10. It's a group effort!

Some dance numbers are pas de deux (from the French, meaning "dance of two") - a dance for two characters, usually the main love interests of the film. Bigger numbers usually feature a huge cast of supporting dancers - the more there are, the more epic the number! Male leads are usually backed up by male dancers, and female leads by female dancers.

11. It gets TRULY epic

A popular type of dance sequence in Bollywood is the "picturisation." This is when the film shifts to a dreamlike sequence, where the characters will dance against stunning scenery - usually a beautiful natural location, or else some impressive architecture. A lot of these scenes are shot in Europe nowadays. The 1998 blockbuster Kuch Kuch Hota Hai featured several Scottish locations, including a dream sequence at the famous Eilean Donan Castle!

12. The leads don't always perform the songs

It's normal in Bollywood for singers to dub the actors, but it's also common for the big song and dance sequences to be performed by guest actors! This can allow the film to give celebrities small roles in the film, which might help to boost their popularity. Many films include an "item number", which is when a glamorous female actor performs a song and dance that is only sometimes related to the plot.

13. You'll need a beautiful costume!

There's no use performing a huge musical number if you're only doing it in a pair of old jeans! Bollywood costumes evolved from clothing worn in traditional Indian dance, and it will also reflect the tone of the scene. Lots of beautiful jewellery is necessary for the big blowout party or wedding at the end of the film, and the lead actress will usually wear tikka (jewellery on her hairline). She might also have a bindi (forehead jewellery), and henna paint on her hands. Above all, the costumes should be bright, colourful and beautiful to look at. Bollywood cinema often influences fashion trends - for example, in the 2008 film Dostana, Priyanka Chopra's silver sari and layered haircut started fashion trends (and not all Indian mums liked them!).

14. Your head is important, too!

A signature move of Bollywood dance is the side-to-side movement nicknamed "the pigeon head." It makes the dancer look fluid and dynamic, but it also helps to free up your facial expressions, which are very important in dance! Classical dance calls the facial expressions abhinaya, and traditional dancers painted their faces with heavy make-up to emphasise them. Bollywood dancers prefer a face of glam make-up, but the expressions are still an important part of the dance!

15. You can learn it!

Are you dying to dance after reading these facts? Good news - you can! Bollywood dance is an amazing fusion of cultures, traditions and expression, and classes are widely taught all over the world. Why not check out your local dance school or community centre and see if you can take part in a taster session? It's a great way to get moving and keep fit, as well as learn lots about Indian culture!