Dance Party is a 1965 album released by American Motown and soul girl group Martha and the Vandellas on the Gordy (Motown) label. The album was the group's third and, much like The Miracles' Mickey's Monkey album, mainly consisted of dance tunes. The singles featured on the album were their 1964 landmark single, "Dancing in the Street", their follow-up smash, "Nowhere to Run", and the hit "Wild One" and its b-side, "Motoring". The album was mostly produced by William "Mickey" Stevenson with several nods from Holland-Dozier-Holland.
A dance party (also referred to as a dance) is a social gathering where dancing is the primary activity. Some dance parties are held in a casual setting and open to the public, such as a rave, or those held in nightclubs and discothèques.
Other types of dance parties may be a formal or semi-formal private event which often require guests to don formal wear and have an invitation or membership within the community hosting the event, such as school dances and cotillions.
Guests of formal dances often attend in pairs, as consorts or "dates" for one another. The term "stag" refers to going without a consort to a dance organized for couples. Dances commonly take place during the evening, although some are held earlier during the daytime; such events are known as tea dances.
Casual dances are dances that do not have a formal dress requirement; these may include school and community events, raves, evening entertainments provided for guests aboard a cruise ship, and events organized for certain holidays, such as Halloween and Mardis Gras.