[1][2] Austronesian roots and Melanesian tribal forms are visible, and influences ranging from neighboring Asian and even western styles through colonization.

UNESCO announced the traditional Saman dance from Aceh province as a world Intangible Cultural Heritage on 19 November, 2011, in Bali.

[4] On 2 December 2015 UNESCO also announced Three Genres traditional Balinese dances from Bali province as a world Intangible Cultural Heritage.

[5] Prior to their contact with the outer world the people of the Indonesian archipelago had already developed their own styles of dancing, still somewhat preserved by those who resist outside influences and choose tribal life in the interior of Sumatra (example: Batak, Nias, Mentawai), of Kalimantan/Borneo (example: Dayak, Punan, Iban), of Java (example: Baduy), of Sulawesi (example: Toraja, Minahasa), of the Moluccan Islands and of Papua (example: Dani, Amungme).

Ancient forms are usually characterized by repetitive movements like the Tor-Tor dance of the Batak people of (North Sumatra).

Some of the tribal dances involving trance mental condition which interpreted as channeling the spirits through the dancer's body movements.

Tari Sanghyang Dedari is a special dance of Bali, in which the dancers are pre-pubescent girls in trance, chasing away bad spirits.

Although the poem originates in India, Ramayana and Mahabharata epic has long been adopted by the Javanese people.

Etchings of the story can be found on temples dating back to the tenth century CE, and has since then played a recurring role in ancient Javanese literature as well as wayang shows.

While hand gestures are still very important, Indonesian dancers do not have the Indian attention to mudra: instead the dances incorporated local forms.

[6] It is believed to have its root in 14th century Majapahit court or probably earlier, which originated as ritual dance performed by virgins to worship Indic deities such as Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu.

Friezes on East Javanese temples built during the 14th century show headdresses almost identical to those still being used for dances in Bali today.

The topeng dance also popular in Java and Bali, it often took story from Panji tales, originated from 12th century Kediri kingdom.

The Panji tales, telling the romance between Prince Panji Inu of the ancient Javanese kingdom of Jenggala with Princess Galuh Chandra Kirana of the neighboring kingdom of Kediri, continues to be a source of inspiration in both Javanese and Balinese dance traditions.

Several royal houses; the istanas and keratons still survived in some parts of Indonesia and become the haven of cultural conservation.

The Palembang dance of Gending Sriwijaya for example, still demonstrating the Hindu-Buddhist elements of gilded ornaments, but compared to its Javanese counterpart, it is rendered in more covered and modest costume of Aesan Gede.

Indonesian folk dances are often relatively free from strict rules nor disciplines, although certain style of gestures, poses and movements are still preserved.

When they returned to Indonesia in 1959 they brought with them a new artistic culture, which changed the face of movement and choreography and introduced the idea of individual expression to Indonesian dance.