The Dance is a 1990 country ballad performed by Garth Brooks and written by Tony Arata. It appears as the tenth and final track on Brooks' self-titled debut album, released in 1989, and was issued as the album's fourth single in April 1990. The song is in G major and runs about 3 minutes and 40 seconds. It tells a double meaning story - a love song about the end of a passionate relationship - and a tale of someone dying for a belief after a moment of glory. The music video, directed by John Lloyd Miller, emphasizes the second meaning with scenes of people who died pursuing a dream, and it won ACM Video of the Year in 1990. The Dance reached number 1 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for three weeks and is often considered Brooks' signature song. It has earned multiple accolades, including ACM Song of the Year and Video of the Year in 1990, and was named by Rolling Stone in 2024 as one of the 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time. Martina McBride later covered the song for a George Strait ACM Artist of the Decade All Star Concert.
