The terms exotic dancer and exotic dance can have different meanings in different parts of the world and depending on context.

In a non-erotic sense, the word “exotic” applies to the fact that something is out of the ordinary or perceived by spectators as unusual. It can also apply to those dancers who master a rare or largely lost art form, including whirling dervishes, shaman dancers and religious dancers.

In an erotic sense, the term “exotic dance” is sometimes confused with (or used as an euphemism for) erotic dancing. While there is overlap, they are not the same. The origin of this erotic interpretation is similar to that of the term massage parlor, in that a description for a non-sexual service was co-opted to describe a sexual service.