Russian arts promoter Sergey Diaghilev
helped spread ballet through Europe and
the Americas.
At the end of the 1800s the American
dancer Isadora Duncan started what is
now called modern dance. She felt that
the set steps and poses of ballet limited
her ability to express herself. She created
Two dancers in Thailand perform a traditional
Thai dance.
Ballet dancers
wear special
shoes, but
performers
of modern
dance often
go barefoot.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Dance 13
a new form of dance that was freespirited
and highly personal. Many
other dancers developed their own styles
of modern dance in the 1900s. One of
the most influential was Martha Graham.
Her company and school trained
generations of important modern dancers.
Her famous students included Twyla
Tharp and Paul Taylor.
The American choreographer Agnes de
Mille made dancing an important part
of musical theater. Her production of
the musical Oklahoma! in 1943 mixed
ballet, folk, and modern dance. The
dances Jerome Robbins created for West
Side Story (1957) brought a new edge to
musical theater. Robbins influenced later
Broadway choreographers such as Bob
Fosse and Michael Bennett.
Social Dancing
Once ballet became a professional form,
the dancing done in the European royal
courts was social dancing. Starting in the
1700s dances were held in ballrooms
and houses. That way more people
could participate.
Over the years, various dance forms
went in and out of style. Some of the
most popular were the minuet (1600s
and 1700s) and waltz (1700s and
1800s). As music became less formal in
the 1900s, so did social dances. Popular
music—from big band to rock and roll
and house music—has continued to
inspire new forms of social dancing.
#More to explore
Ballet • Music • Theater
Dandelion
Dandelions are plants with bright yellow
blossoms that turn into round, fluffy
seed heads. Many people consider these
wild plants to be weeds. The several species,
or types, of dandelion belong to the
same plant family as daisies and sunflowers.
Dandelions grew first in Europe and
Asia. They are now widespread in North
America. Dandelions survive the winter
and regrow each spring.
Dandelions are small plants that often
grow low to the ground. Green, jaggededged
leaves surround the base of a hollow
stem. The central root, or tap root,
can grow as deep as 5 feet (1.5 meters).
In spring and summer, each plant produces
a single flower head that is made
up of many tiny yellow flowers.
After flowering, dandelions produce a
head of thin, brownish seeds. Each seed
is attached to a feathery structure. These
seeds can scatter widely in the breeze.
Most people
enjoy social
dancing for
fun. Some
people enter
competitions
in which they
are judged for
their ballroom
dancing skills.
Many people consider dandelion flowers to
be pesky weeds.
14 Dandelion BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Some people eat dandelion leaves in
salads. People may also make the roots
into a coffeelike drink.
..More to explore
Daisy • Flower • Plant • Sunflower
Daoism
Daoism is a system of philosophy and
religion that began in ancient China. It is
sometimes spelledTaoism. Along with
the philosophy called Confucianism,
Daoism has helped to shape Chinese
culture. Confucianism focuses on human
society and the duties of its members. In
contrast, Daoism emphasizes nature. It is
more joyful and carefree.
Daoism began more than 2,000 years
ago. It was based on a book called the
Daodejing (or Tao-te ching). Laozi has
traditionally been named as the author
of the Daodejing. But scholars are not
sure that Laozi ever existed. They now
think that more than one person wrote
the Daodejing between the 500s and the
200s BC.
For Daoists, the most important thing
in life is to find the Dao. The Dao is not
easy to define. It is the unchanging reality
that is the source and end of everything.
This means that all beings and
things are one. Because all is one, life
and death merge into each other. A
Daoist does not fear death because it is
only part of an eternal cycle.
“Dao” also is translated as “theWay,”
meaning the way to think and act. Followers
are taught to act in harmony with
the natural course of things. They try to
avoid disturbing the natural order. This
often means that they take no action at
all. Daoists believe that striving for
power and wealth is a waste of energy.
Such things distract people from searching
for the Dao.
..More to explore
China • Confucius
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles is a strait, or narrow
body of water, that connects the Aegean
Daoist worshippers make offerings in Hong
Kong.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Dardanelles 15
Sea and the Sea ofMarmara inTurkey. It
also separates the continent of Europe
from the westernmost tip of AsiaMinor.
The strait is named for the ancient city of
Dardanus. In ancient times it was called
theHellespont, meaning “Helle’s sea,” in
memory ofHelle, a mythical princess.
Another strait, called the Bosporus, connects
the Sea of Marmara with the Black
Sea. Together the Bosporus and the Dardanelles
provide the only sea connection
between the lands lying on the Black Sea
and the rest of the world. The Gallipoli
