Retail Dance is a new form of dance created by Kim Shipp of Shipp Dance Theatre in 1998. Shipp was named one of Dance Magazine's "25 To Watch" in 2001 for her pioneering of this new concept. In Retail Dance Performances, choreographers present dance experiences like choreography, improvisation, or audience activities in the retail setting of store windows and showrooms for an unsuspecting public.

Shoppers might be in a mall when a 14-minute piece materializes with dancers leaping by or they may be passing by a shop where a dancer is moving in slow motion improving with feathers in books. Choreographers often conceptually embrace the store's wares in their works by wearing clothing in an unusual way as their costumes or using products in a new way as props. In addition, Retail Dance is a site-specific form of art where artists play off of the unique architecture of a retail site.

Retail Dance benefits all involved. The artist is paid by the retailer to show their work in unusual venues. It shows retailers that local artists can be an important part of their business model. The retailer benefits by attracting and pulling customers into their store. The general public becomes exposed to dance in their everyday lives where they are.