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Lyrical dance is a dance style that combines elements of ballet, modern, Jazz, and Tap dance techniques. It is commonly set to popular music with vocals or just instrumental bars. The name lyrical comes from the word "lyrics" because dancers use the lyrics of a song or instrumental music to inspire them to do certain movements or show expression. The goal of a lyrical dancer is to use gesture, facial expression, and controlled movements in order to execute their movements and emotions fully. Besides emotional connection to music, lyrical dance typically encourages use of articulation, line, weight, and movement qualities.

Due to its demand for intermediate to advanced technical skill and emotional focus, it is popular primarily with teenage dancers. While lyrical dance choreography uses steps from ballet, modern, and jazz, it does not have the exactness of those techniques. Past historians of dance, such as Sarah Jarrett, say this new form of dance was thought to have begun on a dance floor at a high school disco when many of the students started dancing in more fluid and graceful movements. While lyrical dance focuses on genuine dance techniques, the style itself has no established technique or history. Possibly beginning in the late 1970s or early 1980s, lyrical is a style generated by private dance studio teachers and was most likely developed as a more accessible entertainment for judges at local and regional dance competitions.