Alexis Casagranda
Miss Ramah
History 11
1 May 2014
Dance Through History
If I were to take you back in time to Neolithic age you would see many paintings on cave walls that resembled today's dance and some that you would not recognize much because they were not passed on through time. Many of today’s dances were constructed in the Stone Age and evolved through time to what we have today and along the way many steps have been changed or added to spice up the dances.
It is evident that throughout time the ever changing social norm caused a shift in the popular dance fads. Whether it be Western dance, Classical dance, Roman dance, etc. they have all changed through time. Dance and social class also go hand in hand. For instance if you dropped the corset and shortened your skirt, you weren’t classy. Therefor you did not dance classy either, you were more on the risky side.
Ancient dances, unlike today’s dances, were used for different events then what we use dance for. Depicting on where you were from also played a part in what types of dances you performed. Many ancient dances focused on honoring gods and land spirits. Some focused more on festivals or to give realness to the drama, they would use dance to emphasize what they were portraying.
Dance is one of the many arts that has been passed through time and is still used today for the same reasons. Originally from the Renaissance period, cave pictorials from Spain and France have shown scholars that dance was very common among the cave walls (1). From what the cave walls have to show, they display that sympathetic magic was the main encouragement to the dance movements in ancient times(1). For example ancient Egypt used dance...
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...cing the Christian tribes used dance for rituals, weapons, and to ward off evils and to feed the good spirits. Many people opposed the dancing because it was seen as lust and ecstasy. Whereas some priests saw the dances as Pagan and that the dances worshipped the Christian faith.
Throughout the years of dance your social status was based upon your style of dance and how you performed. Leading up to the 12th century dance was used to express yourself through religious beliefs. Then dance had evolved to show off your social class. There was three classes in the 12th century; Nobility, Peasantry, and Clergy. These classes attended to what social dances you performed. Your clothing style and the way you had acted was also affected by your social class. The knights of the time would have poetry sang and couples dancing while peasents were executed by lines of people.
Considering descendants’ effort to bring this culture back in society, this entire dancing performance, masks, and the idea of interacting with the outside world must not have been merely correlated to their religious and spiritual ritual. It might have been their identity; a symbolic of their society which their ancestors had built and passed down to them.
Irish Step Dancing started around 1750, when the appearance of dance masters came about. Dance Masters would travel from town to town teaching their dances to people that were interested and that could pay for it. They would teach in barns, kitchens, crossroads, and hedge schools. These teachings went on in secret due to Penal Laws that were enacted in the late 17th century. The English were determined to suppress Irish culture and abolish Christianity so these laws banned the education of catholic children, which was why the Irish created hedge schools. The Dance Masters would start with dances like the Reel and the Jig. Each dance master had his own collection of dance steps and would also create their own over time, which lead to Step Dancing. 8 measures or bars or music is one step, thus the name “Step Dancing”. Often competitions were held where Dance masters would show off there steps and perform on small areas like a table top, top of a barrel, or a small stage. Dancing in these small areas showed great talent. The greater number of steps that were preformed or known the more respect a dance master received. Some Dance Masters would even compete at Feisianna, which was a combination of a trade fair, political gath...
New Dance is described as a developing art form; this dance was articulated in the early 20th century. According to Chapter 8 in History of Dance book, “the new dance emerged as a response to the ballet that populated the variety shows and music halls, which had a rigid formula of steps and poses” (Kassing). The New Dance was a product of several strands that interlaced together dancers’ studies and backgrounds; these strands and others were woven together in a historical, political, and societal framework. For instance, one strand of New Dance consisted of the concepts, techniques, costumes, and stage settings from around the world. These strands influenced major dancers and choreographers, such as, Isadora Duncan, Loie Fuller, Ruth St. Denis, and Ted Shawn.
The music that accompanied the dancers ranged from a traditional war dance to a neo-traditional dance
Learning about Dance: Dance as an Art Form and Entertainment provides visions into the many features of dance and inspires scholars to keep an open mind and think critically about the stimulating, bold, ever-changing and active world of dance. Learning about Dance is particularly useful for those who do not have a wide and diverse dance contextual, such as students in a preliminary level or survey dance course. This book consists of twelve chapters. Chapter one dance as an art form focuses on the basic structures of dance. Dance is displayed through the human body, it has the control to communicate and induce reactions. Dance can be found in many different places, it enables the participants and seekers to touch and knowledge the joy of movement. Dance is discovered as being one of the oldest art forms worldwide. Dance existed in early cultures was recognized in a sequence of rock paintings portrayed dance. Since this discovery of rock paintings, several other forms of art have been found that depict dance. People used rituals in order to worship the gods and believed that the rituals held magical and spiritual powers. During the ancient period civilizations sentient decisions began to be made with regard to dance. Other periods that had an impact on dance were the medieval period, the renaissance period, and the contemporary period. Chapter two the choreographer, the choreographer is a person who comes up with the movements created into a dance routine. The choreographer expresses themselves through choreography because this is their way of communicating with the audience. In order to be a choreographer you must have a passion for dance. Each choreographer has their own approaches and ways of making up a routine. Choreographers ...
I have recently gone to a pow wow which had many different tribes from around the U.S. Dressed in their decorative regalia, the dancers dance to the beat of the drums. Some dancers have bells or nut shells around their legs to accompany the sound of the drum. The dances I have witnessed was the men’s fancy dance which is a very athletic type of dance. Women’s fancy shawl which the women or young girls dance gracefully around the floor mimicking the movements of butterflies. The Navajo hoop dance which the dancer uses many hoops to create formations to tell the audience the story he or she is telling through dance.
Every dance that is created by a choreographer has a meaning and or purpose behind it. The dance choreographed could be used to send a political, emotional, or a social message. Regardless of the message being sent, each dance created possesses a unique cultural and human significance. This essay will examine and analyze two dance works from history and give an insight into what each dance work provided to the society of its time.
The history of choreography is also very important Any choreography that seems new, fresh and different is usually a variation of something that has been done before. As long as men and women have lived upon this earth, they have danced. The art of movement is among the oldest of the arts.
In Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice, set in the Regency Period, dance performs several important functions. Dance patterns emulate courtship rituals, marking dance as a microcosm for courtship and marriage - two main themes of the novel. The Regency period propagated the belief that no ingredient was more essential to a courtship than dancing: "To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love..." (Austen 7). Therefore, knowledge of dance - dance steps as well as dance etiquette - was a crucial necessity and was often acquired through study and awareness of conduct codes. These crucial codes were disseminated through popular courtesy/conduct books, which informed readers of correct dance steps, movements, and patterns, as well as socially acceptable etiquette.
At any sort of celebration in the Renaissance, there was always people dancing. The head form of all group, medieval dancing was called a carol (Johnston, “Dance” 3 May). The most famous carol that was done was called “Threading the Needle” (Johnston, “Dance” 29 Apr.). Carols always took place outdoors in a garden or town. Everyone in the group would be joined together and skip or walk as they danced (Johnston, “Dance” 3 May). Dancing always represented happiness (Johnston, “Dance” 3 May). There was a lot of dancing at holidays. People wore bells on their clothes to represent festiveness (Johnston, “Medieval”). In Rome specifically, dance, music, and theatre were always combined into one
The first social dance explored was ballroom dancing. Ballrooms were a place of courtship; therefore, these dances were always performed by a male, female couple. Traditional gender roles began the dance as the men always asked the women to dance. As the dance began, the bodies were transformed into vehicles to connect these opposite sex partners. However, societal rules applied to this dance because partners must be from within the appropriate class, the intentions proper, and the movements executed in a specific manner. The woman’s role was essentially to avoid a misstep of tripping on the man’s feet, since the male always led the dance.
Irish step dance has its roots in traditional Irish dancing from over two thousand years ago. During the Iron Age in central Europe, members of the Celtic upper class danced in religious rituals honoring the sun and oak tree. When they arrived in Ireland they brought these folk dances with them. Even after converting to Christianity in 400 A.D., Irish peasants kept their same style of dance while new priests evolved it. In the sixteenth century, dances like the Trenchmore were performed in castles.
Like many Indian arts, Indian dance also has its root in religion. Without the religious and cultural background of India, the growth and beauty of Indian dance is not possible. In ‘Natya Shastra’, there is a small story about the origin of Indian dance. According to Hindu mythology, dance first existed in heaven. There was always a constant conflict between the Asuras and the Devas for wealth and power. The Devas were tired of the Asuras’ greediness and jealousy.
Dance is an ancient human practice, however the earliest record of human dance remains a mystery. By
dance. The combination of dance and music makes it possible to convey intense experiences. Dance often incorporated into rituals and combined with chants, speech and instrumental music. Bodily expression in rhythmic form held an important place for the original Polynesian inhabitants of Hawaii. Hula dance is a significant ritual expression, through whose flowing movements myths and natural powers are presented, communicated and transmitted from one generation to another. It also represents adaptation of secular ideas and exploitation of non-European religions.