Dansband ("Dance band") is a term in Swedish which describes bands playing a kind of popular music, dansbandsmusik ("Dance band music"). Dansbandsmusik is often danced to in pairs. Jitterbug and foxtrot music are often included in this category. The music is primarily inspired by swing, "schlager" and country, jazz, and rock. The rock-inspired bands are often inspired by that rock music that was popular during the 1950s and 1960s.
The terms "dansband" and "dansbandsmusik" were formed around 1970, when it developed into a style of its own in Swedish popular music. Most of the music has been developed in Sweden, and has spread to neighbouring countries as Denmark, Finland and Norway. When the music came to Norway it was first called "Svensktoppar" (from Swedish music chart Svensktoppen, a kind of symbol for dansband music before the Svensktoppen rules were changed in January 2003).
The main listeners to dansband music are nowadays (2008) middle aged adults. The music is often performed live by the bands at places where the main interest of the audience is to dance, rather than to watch the performance on stage. However, albums and singles are also recorded. .
