Dance I INTRODUCTION Dance Archive Films/BBC Worldwide Americas, Inc./The Image Bank Dance, patterned and rhythmic bodily movements, usually performed to music, that serve as a form of communication or expression. Human beings express themselves naturally through movement. Dance is the transformation of ordinary functional and expressive movement into extraordinary movement for extraordinary purposes; even a common movement such as walking is performed in dance in a patterned way, perhaps in circles or to a special rhythm, and it occurs in a special context. Dance may involve a fixed vocabulary of movements that have no meaning in themselves, as in much of ballet and European folk dance, or pantomime and symbolic gestures may be used, as in many Asian dance forms. Peoples of different cultures dance differently and for varying purposes; their varied forms of dance can reveal much about their way of life. II DANCE AND HUMAN CULTURE Jitterbug The jitterbug was a popular dance in the late 1930s and 1940s in the United States. It grew out of two earlier dances: the black bottom and the lindy hop. The jitterbug was considered a wild and uninhibited dance when it first appeared. It was accompanied by swing music. Culver Pictures Dance can be art, ritual, or recreation. It goes beyond the functional purposes of the movements used in work or athletics in order to express emotions, moods, or ideas; tell a story; serve religious, political, economic, or social needs; or simply be an experience that is pleasurable, exciting, or aesthetically valuable. A Dance and the Human Body Acrobatic Dance of the Snake Girl Acobatic dances performed by girls or young athletes are popular in Côte d'Ivoire and other regions of West Africa. In this snake dance, supple young girls writhe and coil as though they were snakes. They are then tossed into the air by men who appear to catch them on the tips of knife blades. The dance stems from a ritual intended to protect against snakebite. Courtesy of Institut für den Wissenschaftlichen Film. All Rights Reserved.© Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. The body can perform such actions as rotating, bending, stretching, jumping, and turning. By varying these physical actions and using different dynamics, human beings can devise an infinite number of body movements. Out of the range of movements that the body is capable of performing, every culture emphasizes certain features in its dance styles. The ordinary potential of the body can be expanded in dance, usually through long periods of specialized training. In ballet, for example, the dancer exercises to rotate, or turn out, the legs at the hips, making it possible to lift the leg high in an arabesque. In India, some dancers learn to choreograph their eyeballs and eyebrows. Costuming can extend the body's capabilities. Toe or pointe shoes, stilts, and flying harnesses are a few of the artificial aids employed by dancers. Martha Graham in Performance This scene is from a dance called Letter to the World (1940), created by the American dancer and choreographer Martha Graham. The piece was inspired by the life and work of the American poet Emily Dickinson. Graham herself performed the main role. Graham, whose modern style was considered controversial when she debuted in New York in 1926, became a major force in the type of dance known as modern dance ballet, in which emotional expression is an essential component. THE BETTMANN ARCHIVE The primary elements of dance include (1) the use of space--floor patterns, the shapes of the moving body, and designs in space made by the limbs; (2) the use of time--tempo, the length of a dance, rhythmic variations, and the attitude toward filling time, from taking one's time to making quick stops and starts; (3) the use of the body's weight--overcoming gravity to execute light, graceful movements, surrendering to gravity with heavy or limp movements, or exerting the body's weight against gravity with strength; and (4) the use of energy flow--tense, restrained, or bound movements or freely flowing motion. B Dance and the Human Mind Zulu Sangoma A Zulu healer, known as a sangoma, engages in a ritual designed to call up demons that he is attempting to banish. The ritual involves singing, dancing, and drumming, and the sangoma may enter a trance during it. Zulus consult sangomas for the healing of physical ailments, emotional problems, or social difficulties. ORF Enterprise Ges.m.b.H Besides giving physical pleasure, dancing can have psychological effects. Feelings and ideas can be expressed and communicated; sharing rhythms and movements can make a group feel unified. In some societies, dancing often leads to trance or other altered states of consciousness. These states can be interpreted as signaling possession by spirits, or they may be sought as a means to emotional release. A state of trance may enable people to perform remarkable feats of strength, endurance, or danger, such as dancing through hot coals. In some societies shamans dance in trance in order to heal others physically or emotionally. The modern field of dance therapy developed as a means to help people express themselves and relate to others. C Kinds of Dance Rajasthani Ramdev Worshipers Many kinds of dance are forms of religious worship. These Rajasthani women are worshiping at a shrine of the god Ramdev. Jeremy Marre, (Harcourt Films LTD) Two main kinds of dance exist: dances for participation, which do not need spectators; and dances for presentation, which are designed for an audience. Dances for participation include work dances, some forms of religious dance, and recreational dances such as folk dances and popular, or social, dances. To ensure that everyone in a community can take part in them, such dances often consist of repetitive step patterns that are easy to learn. Presentational dances are often performed in royal courts, temples, or theaters; the dancers may be professionals, and the dance may be considered art. The movements tend to be relatively difficult and require specialized training. D Dance and Society Bwa Masked Dancers Several different masks are shown here in a Bwa dance ceremony. The Bwa, who live in Burkina Faso and Mali, perform mask ceremonies on occasions such as market days, funerals, or the initiation of young people into adulthood. Each mask takes the form of an animal, and represents a spirit that is thought to inhabit the surrounding forests, rivers, and bush country. A Bwa performer dances to drums while wearing a mask and a costume made of raffia. The mask dance honors the spirits, and thereby helps enlist the spirits' help in protecting the village against evil forces. African Family Films @ www.africanfamily.org Traditional Dance of Mexico Although the Mexican port of Veracruz was long known as the "gateway to Spain," through the centuries a significant number of Africans and Afro-Caribbeans have migrated to the city. Son jarocho, which is the traditional music of the region, represents the song and dance tradition that developed from Spanish song forms and instruments and variable rhythmic patterns that are clearly African in origin. A typical son jarocho ensemble consists of arpa veracruzana (a 32- to 36-string harp that is about 1.5 m/5 ft tall), jarana (10-string guitar), and requinto (4-string guitar). "La Bamba" from Los Pregoneros del Puerto: Music from Mexico and Colombia (Cat.# Music of the World T-113) (p)1988 Music of the World, Ltd. All rights reserved./Lorraine Tipaldi/© 1988 Music of the World Ltd. The physical and psychological effects of dance enable it to serve many functions. It may be a form of worship, a means of honoring ancestors, a way of propitiating the gods, or a method to effect magic. Dancing is mentioned in the Bible, and until the Middle Ages it was often a part of worship services and religious celebrations. Although the Christian church later denounced dancing as immoral, it continued to be important in various Christian and non-Christian sects, among them the American Shakers and the Islamic whirling dervishes. Capoeira Dancers Some dance forms derive from military and martial art training regimens. Probably of Angolan origin, the Brazilian martial art of capoeira was practiced by black slaves who were apparently forced to fight in the front lines by colonizers. Though it is now said to be a form of dance, capoeira continues to represent this tradition of resistance, and to resurface as a form of defense in rural and urban areas. Jeremy Marre, (Harcourt Films LTD) Dance often occurs at rites of passage, or ceremonies performed when an individual passes from one role to another. Thus, birth, initiation, graduation, marriage, succession to political office, and death may be marked by dancing. Dance may also be a part of courtship. In some societies dances may be the only events at which young people of different sexes can meet. In contemporary society, dances also provide important occasions for young people to socialize. Work too may be in the form of dance. Rhythmic movements may make the work go more quickly and efficiently, as in Japanese rice-planting dances. Dance is an art form in some cultures, and in the 20th century some dances that originated as elaborate religious rituals or court entertainments have been adapted to the theater. III HISTORY It is not known when people began to dance; however, because expressive movement is so spontaneous, because dance is almost universal, and because it is so intimately interrelated with other aspects of a culture, it is possible that dance developed along with the evolution of our species. Many animals perform dancelike movements in situations similar to human courtship and play. These movement rituals, however, lack the conscious use of symbols that is present in human dance. Prehistoric cave paintings from more than 20,000 years ago depict figures in animal costumes who seem to be dancing, possibly in hunting or fertility rituals, or perhaps merely for education or entertainment. Because all cultural groups are continually changing, no societies survive today who are like Paleolithic or Stone Age peoples or who dance as they may have danced. A few cultures that exist today, however, have had little or no direct contact with industrialized societies. At times their dances may look simple to an outsider, but often they are not. Usually they form part of complicated rituals that involve highly sophisticated religious or philosophical ideas. Furthermore, because most of the dances are for participation, they must be easy to learn. Such societies may also possess presentational dances. Among Australian aboriginals and African Khoi-san peoples, for example, skilled individuals perform mime and acrobatic dances to entertain and instruct. A Ancient Civilizations Written as well as visual evidence of dance has survived from the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean region and the Middle East. Egyptian tombs depict people who seem to be dancers, often in acrobatic positions such as backbends; these figures probably represent professional entertainers who were slaves. Dancing was essential to agricultural and religious festivals such as the dance-rituals enacting the cyclic death and rebirth of the god Osiris (symbolizing the seasonal cycle of the Nile). The Greeks admired dancing, including it among the activities fostered by their art, religion, and philosophy. Greek warrior or pyrrhic dances were part of military training. Religious dances, especially those honoring Dionysus, the god of wine, are believed to be the origin of the dance in Greek drama. In tragedy, the chorus used symbolic gestures and dance steps to accompany the spoken or sung verse. The ancient Romans are known especially for their development of pantomime. Although professional Roman dancers, pantomimists, jugglers, and acrobats worked as traveling entertainers, dance degenerated under the Romans, some of whom saw it as immoral. B Medieval Europe The Christian church, which dominated the European Middle Ages, disapproved of dancing. Dancing continued among the people, however, both in communal festivals and as entertainment. Variations of medieval peasant dances continue today as folk dances. Some peasant dances, taken over and adapted by the aristocracy, became courtly social dances that in turn evolved into ballet. C Ballet and Modern Dance Scene from Giselle The classic ballet Giselle was first produced in Paris, France, in 1841. This scene is from the Sadler's Wells 1946 production in London, England, with British ballerina Margot Fonteyn in the title role. A critically acclaimed dancer, Fonteyn was the company's prima ballerina at the time. Hulton Deutsch Ballet originated in the courts of Italy and France during the Renaissance, becoming primarily a professional discipline by the late 17th century. Since that time, even though its style and subject matter continue to evolve, it has remained a major art form of Western culture. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the American dancers Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. Denis rebelled against ballet. In Europe the Swiss educator Émile Jaques-Dalcroze, the Hungarian dancer Rudolf von Laban, and the German dancer Mary Wigman also experimented with new ways of expression. The work of these modern dance pioneers led to the development of important new dance idioms (see Modern Dance). D Folk Dance A participatory dance form, folk dance is usually traditional and performed by members of a community. Although not easy to define, the term seems best to fit those dances originated by agricultural peoples for secular and sometimes ritual purposes, in countries that also have an art form of dance. The Balkan kolo, English morris dance, and North American square dance (see Kolo; Morris Dance; Square Dance) are examples, as are Maypole dances and the different kinds of sword dance. Folk dances are usually group forms that are passed from one generation to another. Some folk dances, however, are not traditional; many Israeli folk dances, for example, were choreographed in the 20th century in the style of European folk dances, to serve similar purposes (see Hora). Today, folk dances are frequently performed onstage, for which they are usually adapted for presentation to an audience. E Popular or Social Dance Samba The samba is a ballroom dance that was at its peak of popularity in the 1930s; in the 1960s its syncopated rhythm was used as the basis of a new dance, the bossa nova. Originally, samba was a generic term referring to West African-derived circle dances performed in Brazil. Samba melodies are highly syncopated, featuring call-and-response singing accompanied by a percussion ensemble. Culver Pictures Some recreational dance forms, especially in industrialized societies, are termed popular dances or social dances. In that they are for participation, are relatively easy to learn, and generally originate from the people rather than from a choreographer, they resemble folk dances. Unlike most folk dances, these social dances tend to be couple dances and are popular only for a short time. The social dances of the nobility in the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and baroque eras were derived from folk dances. In the late 18th and 19th centuries, with the growth of the middle class, social dancing expanded beyond the aristocracy and, as ballroom dance, became popular in Europe and North America. The waltz and polka of the peasants, like dances of earlier eras, became transformed into social dances. The Twist In the early 1960s a new craze hit the dance floors of the United States and Britain--the twist. The dance was characterized by gyrating hips, and seemed to suggest a carefree quality that mirrored the social changes of the era. CORBIS-BETTMANN In the United States the interrelations among the various immigrant groups produced new forms of social dance and popular entertainment, such as square dancing and tap dancing (see Tap Dance). New ballroom dances, popularized by the American dancers Irene and Vernon Castle before World War I (1914-1918), swept Europe and America. The fox-trot and Latin American dances such as the tango, rumba, and chachachá came into prominence. The syncopations and movements of Afro-American dance were integrated into popular social dance: about 1900 with the cakewalk and in the 1920s with the Charleston and black bottom; in the 1930s and 1940s with the big apple and the lindy (see Jitterbug); and eventually with the rock-and-roll dances of the 1950s and their successors in the following decades. In the 1960s the trend, exemplified by the twist, was to dance without touching one's partner. Couple dancing returned in the 1970s and 1980s with dances such as the hustle performed to disco rock music. In the mid-1980s break dancing, which had originated with inner-city children, became popular throughout the country. This highly acrobatic form of solo dancing was accompanied by heavy electronic "hip-hop" music. See also Popular and Social Dance. F Theatrical Dance Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were the most successful song-and-dance team in the history of motion pictures. They helped to popularize ballroom and tap dancing through a series of films made in the 1930s in Hollywood. In this photograph they are performing a number from the film Swing Time, made in 1936. SuperStock The 20th-century social dances, as well as the innovations in ballet and modern dance, influenced the growth of dance in motion pictures and musicals. In Hollywood the American choreographer Busby Berkeley created elaborate group production numbers, and the American dancers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers combined ballroom and tap dancing. The groundbreaking dance sequences in Oklahoma! (1943), in which American choreographer Agnes de Mille integrated dance into the plot, inspired others to create a larger role for dance in musicals. In West Side Story (1957), choreographed by the American ballet master Jerome Robbins, dance was for the first time the vehicle through which much of the musical's plot was expressed. In the 1970s dance became even more important on Broadway in shows such as A Chorus Line (1975) and Dancin' (1978). See also Jazz Dance; Musical or Musical Comedy. G Asian Classical Dance Classical Thai Dance In this recreation of a classical Thai court dance, originally performed for royalty, the influence of Indian dance on Thai dance can be seen in the intricate hand gestures. In classical Thai dance even the smallest movements reflect important story threads, carefully woven by performers dressed in elaborate costumes. Jeremy Marre, (Harcourt Films LTD) Drama, music, and dance are closely interrelated in Asia. Frequently relying on symbolic gestures, masks or elaborate makeup, and magnificent costumes, Asian dances often narrate stories based on mythology, historical events, and legends. Performances may last for many hours. In India, classical dance forms that almost disappeared have been revived on the basis of old manuscript descriptions and of temple carvings depicting dance positions. Dance-dramas and solo dance forms based on the Hindu epics draw on symbolic hand gestures called mudras. Many of India's folk dances share specific characteristics with the more refined classical dances. See also Indian Dance. Peking Opera Peking Opera combines music, acrobatic dance, and spectacular costumes to tell stories from Chinese history and folklore. Using abstract, symbolic gestures rich in dramatic meaning, actors represent personages from the heroic, divine, and animal worlds, often in martial exploits. The traditional features of the masklike makeup and elaborate costumes immediately identify the characters to a knowing audience. Hot Shots Cool Cuts Inc. Japan is rich in folk dances, many of them of a religious nature. In addition, Japan possesses two major forms of dance-drama, n ? and kabuki. n?, about 500 years old, is an extremely slow-paced dance and opera form full of symbolic meanings. Kabuki, developed in the 17th century, is a more popular form in which many theatrical devices are used. See also Japanese Music; Japanese Drama. Peking opera is the best-known genre of Chinese dance-drama. Developed in the mid-19th century from earlier varieties of Chinese opera, it includes spectacular acrobatics as an important part of the action. In the 1950s the Chinese government began promoting productions based on European ballet and emphasizing themes relevant to China's contemporary political and social environment. See also Chinese Music. Scene from Peking Opera The Peking Opera of China is a blend of dance, theater, and acrobatics. The costumes and makeup are elaborate, in contrast to the stage, which is usually bare. Essentially an amalgamation of various regional theater styles, the Peking Opera became popular in the late 18th century and is still a vital part of the city's cultural life. UPI/THE BETTMANN ARCHIVE In Indonesia, especially in Java, graceful female dancers formerly entertained royalty with refined forms of court dance; they lived at court, and their dances were not seen by the public. In Bali, masked dramas with kings and clowns, war dances, and spirit-possession dances remain a part of village life. See also Indonesian Dance. H Africa, Oceania, and the Americas The dances of sub-Saharan Africa are often connected with masked-dance societies whose members imitate or are possessed by spirits. Dancing at rites of passage is also common. Urban dance forms combining African and Euro-American influences have developed in the 20th century. See also African Music. Ballet Folklorico of Mexico The Ballet Folklorico of Mexico was founded in 1952 by Amalia Hernandez. It began with only eight dancers and grew to become the official national dance company of Mexico. The repertoire of this company explores the history and customs of Mexico through dance and music. The Ballet Folklorico tours throughout the world as well as performing regularly at its home in Mexico City. Roy Attaway/Photo Researchers, Inc. Oceanian dances are often associated with storytelling or poetry; an example is the Hawaiian hula. In New Guinea, dances are frequently performed in connection with warfare. The native peoples of North America formerly performed elaborate dance rituals, both for communal purposes such as assuring social well-being, and for private purposes such as a vision quest. Many of these rituals still survive. In the past half century, pan-tribal social dances have developed for performance at intertribal powwows in the United States and Canada. In Latin America, dances for religious and secular purposes remain a living tradition among many Native American tribes. Other Latin American dances borrow directly from African dance movements or combine Spanish movements with elements of Native American dances. I Future Developments The modern world will foster more borrowing of dances among different countries, as well as the creation of new dance forms based on mixtures of various national styles. Modern peoples have lost the dances of the past millennia because no method existed to preserve them. Today, with film, videotape, and dance notation systems such as Labanotation, Effort/Shape, and Benesh notation, the dances of contemporary cultures can be preserved for subsequent generations. See also Choreography; Country Dance; Spanish Dance. Contributed By: Suzanne Youngerman Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
