Introduction Dance is and always shall be a form of expression where the movements performed speak volumes of the emotions and feelings that the dancer is trying to impart to the audience. The unique aspect of dance is that it is not limited to an assigned constraint or form but rather adapts to the type of music that is being played which as a result has created a myriad of different dance forms reflecting the plethora of available music in the world today. What must be understood though is that just as different versions music must convey different messages so to do different forms of dance portray different feelings and emotions. In order to better understand this concept an examination of contrasts is needed to clarify just how different yet similar certain styles of dancing are to each other. To this end Hip hop and ballet have been chosen due to the obvious differences in their manner of conveying emotion and eliciting reactions from various audiences. It is actually a rare sight for audiences of either form of expression to interact and even rarer still to see them within the same area however this is precisely why both styles of dance were chosen, for it is in their contrasts that make them dissimilar that the obviousness of their similarity comes to light. It is based on this that this paper assumes that despite their inherent differences in style both hip hop and ballet contain similar attributes when it comes to precision movements and their ability to tell the story of a song through movement and body rhythm. What must first be understood is that despite the assumptions of this paper, hip hop and ballet are still inherently different styles of dance. When a person performs ballet their body follows a certain flow, moves delicately in precise accordance with the music with strict adherence to form and style. Hip hop on the other hand has no particularly distinct style, in fact the basis of this particular form of dance is in improvisation where dancers develop dance moves and patterns as they see fit. If ballet is a soft form of dancing involving delicateness, hip hop is a hard form of expression employing explosive movements. It is on this basis that this paper will elaborate on the basis of the forms and styles utilized in both types of dance and will break down just how similar and different both particular methods of dance are to each other. Similarities Emotion, pure unadulterated emotion and expression, this is basis of the style of ballet, every bodily movement, every graceful step, leap and raised limb, all of this is done to convey some form of message to the audience. While many may assume that the ballerina merely dances along with a song it must be understood that the song itself is merely complimentary, what must be observed is how the movements flow, if they are meant to portray lust, sadness or demurity. It must be noted that the human body is in fact capable of multiple types of bodily expression all of which can be interpreted in any manner ways. Ballet takes advantage of this by utilizing body language as a means of telling a story without words. The songs, backgrounds and costumes all contribute to building up the story how