Ukrainian dance (Ukrainian: український тaнeць, romanized: ukrainskyi tanets') mostly refers to the traditional folk dances of the Ukrainians as an ethnic group, but may also refer to dances originating from the multiple other ethnic groups within Ukraine.

A household folk dance is a folk dance that is done in a particular territory and is traditionally done under common circumstances like weddings or festivals, with characteristic movements, rhythms, costumes, etc.

A folk-stage dance, staged by a choreographer in a professional or amateur collective for performance on stage, may be Ukrainian, but is no longer an everyday folk dance.

The main dance genres of Ukrainians' folk dance are circle dance, as one of the oldest types of folk dance art, very typical to all Slavic dances, the performance of which is associated with calendar rites, and everyday dance, which includes metelitsa, hopak, kozachok, hutsulka, kolomyika, square dance, and polka.

Judging by the figures depicted in motion on Trypillian clay vessels, dance has been performed in the lands of present-day Ukraine since at least the third millennium BC. It has been assumed that up to the introduction of Christianity in Kyivan Rus in 988, dance served a very important ritual function in the lands of present-day Ukraine. Pre-Christian rituals combined dance with music, poetry, and song. A remnant of these ritual dances (Ukrainian: Oбpядовi танці, translit. Obryadovi tantsi; see also Khorovody) which survive in limited form today are the Spring Dances, or Vesnianky, also referred to as Hahilky, Hayilky, Hayivky, Yahilky, or Rohulky. Another seasonal event featuring dances was the yearly pre-harvest festival of Kupalo, which to this day remains a favorite theme for Ukrainian choreographers.

These religious ritual dances proved to be so strongly ingrained into the culture of the people prior to the introduction of Christianity, that rather than attempting to eliminate them, Christian missionaries incorporated Christian themes into the songs and poetry which accompanied the dancing, using the dances to spread their religion, as well as enabling millennia-old steps and choreographic forms to continue to be passed down from generation to generation.

At about the time of Ukraine's Kozak uprisings, social dances became more and more popular among the people native to the lands of present-day Ukraine. Ukrainian social dances (Ukrainian: Побyтовi танці, translit. Pobutovi tantsi) can be distinguished from the earlier Ukrainian ritual dances by two characteristics: the prevalence of musical accompaniment without song, and the increased presence of improvisation. The early Hopak and Kozachok developed as social dances in the areas surrounding the River Dnieper, while the Hutsulka and Kolomyjka sprang up in the Carpathian Mountains to the west. Eventually, social dances of foreign extraction such as the polka and quadrille also gained in popularity, developing distinct variations after having been performed by native dancers and musicians gifted in improvisation.

The third major type of Ukrainian folk dancing which developed prior to the modern era were the thematic or story dances (Ukrainian: Cюжетнi танці, translit. Siuzhetni tantsi). The story dances incorporated an artistically sophisticated level of pantomime and movement which entertained audiences. Thematic story dances told the story of a particular group of people through movements which mimicked their work; such dances included Shevchyky (Ukrainian: Шeвчики, "the tailors"), Kovali (Ukrainian: Koвaлi, "the blacksmiths"), and Kosari (Ukrainian: Kocaрi, "the reapers").