Dance hall in its general meaning is a
hall for dancing. From the earliest years of the twentieth century until the early 1960s, the dance hall was the popular forerunner of the
discothèque or
nightclub. The majority of towns and cities in the
West had at least one dance hall, and almost always featured live musicians playing a range of music from strict tempo
ballroom dance music to
big band,
swing and
jazz. One of the most famous dance hall musicians was
Glenn Miller.