expression. Dance movements are often
closely related to the gestures of everyday
life.
Dance serves a variety of purposes in
cultures around the world. Some dances
mark special social events such as births,
marriages, and deaths. Other dances are
religious or magical. They may be performed
to worship gods or to try to end
famine, bring rain, or cure the sick. And
dances are also performed as art, to
express emotions, to tell stories, and
simply for fun.
Types of Dance
There are many kinds of dance. Certain
dances are associated with particular
ethnic groups or cultures. They are often
deeply woven into everyday life. For
instance, in many societies in Africa
dances are an important part of community
life.
Folk dances come from a particular
country or location. But these dances are
no longer associated with their original
purposes or meanings. Instead, people
Members of a U.S. dance company perform a dance called Split Sides.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Dance 11
often perform folk dances for entertainment
and to preserve the dance traditions
of their ancestors.
People perform social dances for their
own entertainment. Social dances
include ballroom dances such as the
waltz and tango as well as newer forms
such as hip-hop. On the other hand,
trained dancers perform theatrical
dances. They dance to entertain an audience
or to provide an audience with an
artistic experience. Some styles of theatrical
dance are ballet, modern, jazz, tap,
and classical Indian dances.
Elements of Dance
The movements of dancers’ bodies create
different shapes and patterns in
space. Dance movements tend to be
organized into a sequence of steps. The
steps of traditional dances have been
passed down over many years. In other
dances the dancer makes up the movements
during the dance. Or sometimes a
dance designer called a choreographer
makes up the steps ahead of time.
Rhythm is a major element in dance.
Rhythm helps pace the movement. It
helps give dance its emotional power
too. Rhythm can also match or contrast
the dancer’s movements to the music.
Most dancing is done to music. The
music may suggest the style or dramatic
quality of a dance. One example is the
Middle Eastern form of dance called
raqs sharqi (or belly dance). In this style
of dance the music sets up the mood or
story. The dancer then interprets this
through movement. In ballet whole sections
of music may have the style of the
character dancing to them.
Many types of dance are associated with
special clothing. For instance, dancers
may use weapons, masks, and makeup
to increase the effect of war dances and
hunting dances.Wearing certain clothes
for ritual dances can also show that it is
a sacred occasion. Theatrical dances may
use costumes, scenery, and lighting.
These elements may help tell a story, set
a mood, or create interesting visual patterns.
History
Ancient Dance and Traditions
Paintings made in caves more than
10,000 years ago suggest that even the
earliest peoples danced. The first written
records of dance date back some 4,000
years to the ancient Egyptians. Dance
was a crucial element in festivals for
their gods. The ancient Egyptians also
brought skilled dancers from central
Africa to Egypt to provide entertain-
Couples dance the tango in a ballroom. ment.
12 Dance BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Many cultures in Asia have a long history
of formal, theatrical dance. In India
the earliest book discussing dance is
more than 1,500 years old. Bharatanatya
is a classical dance form based on
this book. The dances of the Japanese
royal court are called bugaku. They were
adapted from traditional dances of
China, Korea, India, and Southeast Asia.
Dance is also an important feature of
traditional forms of Japanese drama.
For the ancient Greeks dance was an
important part of religious ceremonies
as well as everyday life. Dances at festivals
to honor a god developed into
Greek drama in the 400s BC. Later in
ancient Rome religious festivals also
featured dances.
Middle Ages
In the Middle Ages (AD 500–1500) in
Europe traveling acrobats danced to
entertain crowds. Some festivals on
Christian feast days also featured dancing.
But some Christian leaders of the
time thought dancing was sinful.
Social dancing became important to the
nobles of the Middle Ages. The upper
classes learned to move gracefully in
formal dances for couples. The peasants
had their own dances. They usually sang
and danced in large lively groups.
Renaissance
During a period in Europe called the
Renaissance (mid-1300s to 1500s) dancing
became an art, not just an entertainment.
The royal courts began to stage
festive pageants that combined dance,
music, and drama. Professional dancers
began performing ballet in theaters in
the 1660s. From then on ballet was a
form of theatrical dancing separate from
social dancing.
Theatrical Dancing
Professional dancers and teachers developed
a formal ballet technique. It was
based on basic poses and steps. Ballet
became extremely popular in France in
the 1700s. In the 1800s the French
dancer Marius Petipa went to Russia. He
helped make that country the center of
the ballet world. In the early 1900s the
