Dance Advice | Dance FAQ’s | The History of Dance
The History of Dance
Dance is a physical expression. It’s a movement and it exists in a moment of time. Consequently, we cannot accurately date the origins of dance because we don’t have the usual evidence (physical proof or artefacts). However, it’s a fair supposition that as long as human beings have existed and been able to move – they have danced. We know that dance has been part of human civilisation by way of religious ceremony, ritual and expression since the first humans. We do have ancient Egyptian archaeological evidence, painting and depictions of dance and movement which trace back over 5000 years. The ancient Greeks used dance as part of their religious ceremonies. It was used as both education and entertainment. We also have prehistoric rock painting at The Bhimbetka rock shelters in central India which depicts dancing and ritual, which dates back 30,000 years. We are all aware of how movement and dance were once used as a means of communicating history and as a means of storytelling. In fact, many contemporary and modern forms of dance can be traced back to ancient times, including certain ethnic, ceremonial and traditional dances. It’s also important to remember that dance and movement were ‘created’ before drawing and writing. Oral traditions, which included dance expression came first which helped people pass on their history and culturally important stories to the next generation. These traditions are part of world history and an important part of the development of human civilisation. Dance has always been a method of human interaction, communication and bonding through social interaction. We can see that dance was an important part of ancient Greece and Rome through its depiction in ancient art and historical writings. The ancient Greek, Orpheus, who is one of the most significant inspirations of the western arts, was a legendary musician, poet and prophet in their religion and myth. He inspired dance and performance for thousands of years and even through to modern times with ballet, in the 1940s from the great Igor Stravinsky. We also see dance being traced back in cultures all over the world, for thousands of years, including the Chinese, Indian and many other traditional forms of dance which evolved into and influenced European traditions. We have seen ceremonial dance performed in the form of religious ritual in Africa through various rites for thousands of years and we even have shamanic dances to elicit rain for the cultivation of crops. In fact, these rituals and rites are still an integral part of their culture and identity. However, this is not only a practice that can be found in Asia or Africa or South America because this kind of folk dance and celebrations can be found in almost all cultures and locations around the world. In Europe, many countries celebrate the harvest with folk dance. These celebrations often centre around the dance element of these religious ceremonies. It’s important to differentiate between folk dance and religious dance though because there are important differences depending on the culture and setting. For example, certain dances of ‘ritual’ are not considered ‘folk’ dances because the intention behind them is slightly different. They may, however, look very similar. Ironically, the term ‘ethnic ’or ‘traditional’ might be used to describe all types of religious, ceremonial or folk dance, mainly because it is often culturally linked to a certain area or ethnicity. In Europe, we have many types of folk dance, including:
Barn dance, Clogging, English country dance, Georgian folk dance, Greek dance, Irish dance, Italian folk dance, Maypole dance, Morris dance, Polka, Polish folk dance, Russian folk dance, Turkish dance, Ukrainian dance, Nordic dance, Sword dance
This represents a small part of a much longer list. However, you can see that dance is an important part of our religious and cultural identity. It is, in a sense, our history. The evolution of dance in Europe, through folk and medieval dance, at times is fragmented but it’s clear that it was primarily propagated by all classes of people but specifically the upper classes, especially from the Renaissance 15th century, when ballet was actually performed in the royal court, which rose to real prominence in the 17th century during the reign of King Louis XIV. Ballet rose to prominence in France and especially at the world-famous Paris Opera House during the 18th century where the art evolved even further to an actual professional ‘performance’, with professional dancers, narrative and less costume/masks. It focussed more on the dancers and the dance, rather than the more ballet ‘demonstrations’ and displays in the various European royal courts. What is interesting is the new widespread distribution of different dance styles around the world, as well as music, which was helped by the ease of travel and the consequent sharing of culture. This not only helped spread the various artistic styles but helped mix them, which in turn, has created new styles. We then saw an evolution from classical ballet into a more ‘contemporary’ dance style which moved away from the formal rules of ballet. This modern dance, although based upon classical technique, liked to break the traditional rules. We have also seen the rise of street dance and various styles of dance often promoted by specific artists and celebrities.