Dance from the Past

The word dance comes from the German word “damson”, which
means "to stretch" or "to drag." Dancing may be the oldest
among all the arts. It developed as a natural expression of
combined feeling and action. The music of early man came from
the stamping of feet, clapping of hands, snapping of fingers, or
any sound that could produce rhythm. Dancing is an art that
needs no instrument because the dancer's body is the
instrument. It is the art of expressing one's emotion through
graceful movement, performed with musical accompaniment.
Dance is considered the mirror of the society because it reflects
historical and religious events as well as expresses social and
political statements.
PREHISTORIC PERIOD
Prehistoric dance was very basic as it involved everyday
movements. It served as an important means of
communication and revolved around life events that were
meaningful to individuals and tribes: birth, puberty,
courtship, marriage, and death. Most tribes incorporated
dance in their religious ceremonies and festival activities
based on superstition and infused with magic.
Primitive dances explained the supernatural and natural
events happening in each tribe. Shamans, who spearheaded
these events, were said to possess magical powers. They
acted as physicians, religious leaders, and lead dancers. They
also kept tribes healthy, prosperous, and safe. They
performed and imparted dances and rituals to the people to
combat and win ove environmental forces and remain in
good graces with the gods and the spirits.
 ANCIENT CIVILIZATION
Dance was the ancient Egyptians' primary way of expressing their
religious beliefs and practices and teachings about their ancient myths.
The major dancers were the following:

1. the king
2. the priests who performed magical dances for the gods and other
spiritual entities and took the role of the god Osiris in a great religious
dance-drama
3. the virgin dancers who were trained to perform during ceremonies
led by the priests
Dance was also a popular form of entertainment. Irena Lexova,
a 20th-century author, classified the ancient Egyptian dances
into these categories:

• dramatic dances
• pure movement or spontaneous dances
• lyric dances
• acrobatic dances, imitative dances
• grotesque dances
• pair dances
• group dances, war dances
• funeral dances
• religious dances
 Ancient Crete
The Cretan civilization, which existed from 3000 to 1400 BC,
was a cultural link in the ancient world between Egyptians and
Greeks. Cretans were sophisticated and rich in arts and culture.
Like Egyptians, their dances intertwined religious
ceremonies and fertility rites, myths, and symbols.
Dance themes included military training, healing,
religious rituals, and entertainment.

According to the Greek writer Homer, the Cretans had

an excellent army because they used dance to perfect
their training.
 Ancient Greece
Dances in ancient Greece were extremely organized and
structured. A total of 95,140 combined body movements were
calculated to have existed in these dances. These dances
maximized body movements; incorporated ritualistic, symbolic,
or representative gestures; and were accompanied by music,
both vocal and instrumental. The dancers were also required to
sing during a performance.
Dance was an essential part of religious celebrations,
entertainment, and theatrical performances. Even the army
performed a dance which "inflamed courage and gave strength
to preserve in the paths of honor and valor."
Phorai and cheironomia are Greek terms describing the carriage of the
body during a dance and when doing mimetic gestures. Many steps were
very much similar to the present classical ballet movements, such as leaps
and pirouettes, and the Greeks even used the "points" or the tips of the
toes.

Schemata refers to the form and shape of gestures, focusing on how a

dancer ancer executed the short movement patterns.

Deixis means pure dance, performed by a male Greek dancer who

portrayed the essence of a human character, an animal, or a natural
element such as fire or wind.
 ROME
Dances during the Roman era were primarily performed for
religious, social, and entertainment purposes. They frequently
highlighted burlesque, overtly erotic, comic, and frightening
elements. Many of the dance performers were slaves that
came from Greece and other conquered nations. These
dancers had low status as professionals and were less
respected as artists and participants of religious events.
Wealthy Romans generally did not dance but they preferred
to hire and watch dancers.
Salii or the college of 24 dancing priests that were
members of the noble class did war dances in full armor
with a sacred shield in their left hand and a staff in their
right hand. They worshipped the god Mars and
conducted rituals for purification and funeral ceremonies.
They also held fertility dances to honor the god Pan.
Pantomime refers to a performance by an actor or solo dancer
who does not speak but acts in a stylized form. Pantomimists of
the olden days became famous for their ability to relate entire
stories with gestures and postures. They sometimes wore
masks with closed mouths and intricate costumes or were
covered with cloak and jewelry.
THE MIDDLE AGES AND THE
RENAISSANCE
Dance played a vital part in peoples' lives during this
period. It was a form of celebration, amusement, and
entertainment that showed how people acted or
behaved.
During the Middle Ages, dance was associated with either the church
(liturgical or sacred) or the society (secular). With these two
categories, dance themes included sacred dance and life-span events
that were connected to religious activities and other occasions. The
priests and the clergy performed ritual procession during Eucharistic
celebrations, while the bishops led sacred devotional dances around
the altars during feasts days and Sundays. For a particular feast being
celebrated, a corresponding hymn and dance were sung and danced
by worshippers at the courtyard.
Feudalism and knighthood prospered during the 12th
century, defining codes of decorum, loyalty, bravery,
romantic love, and chivalry. Knights wore their armor during
training, but they seldom danced in it because of its weight.
Chivalry transformed dancing, giving it a code of etiquette,
manners, and courtly love.
Dancing Toward the 21 Century
st
Late 16 and 17 Centuries
th th

This period in the history of dance in Italy, France,

and England was pleasantly deep and rich. In the late
Renaissance and the Baroque periods, dancers and
personalities exerted remarkable influence in the
development of ballet.
Late 16 and 17 Centuries
th th

France became the forerunner in dance during this

period. With Catherine de Medici's transfer to France and the
production of Le Ballet- Comique de la Reine in 1581,
influence on dance began to transfer from the Italian court to
the French court.

With Louis XIII and Louis XIV, the court dance became a
form of amusement and during the latter's reign, it
transformed into professional entertainment.
Late 16 and 17 Centuries
th th

Male dancers played both male and female roles in court

ballets.

In 1681, Mlle de Lafontaine, the first female professional dancer

produced by the Academie Royale de la Musique et de Dance,
performed in Le Triomphe de L'Amour, the first ballet in which women
took part. She was hailed as the queen of the dance after the
performance.
Most significant ballets produced in the 17th
century French court were the following:
Ballet Royal de la Nuit (1653)
• In this ballet, Louis XIV was portrayed the Sun King, after which he
became known by that name.
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (1670)
• This is Molière's comedy play, which featured music and dance
sequences.
Le Triomphe de L'Amour (1681)
• This is a ballet created by Jean-Baptiste Lully, in which the first
female dancers appeared.
18 Century
th
As the century continued, dance in ballroom and
in theatrical performance began to separate
technically and aesthetically. The French and English
theaters grew as major dance centers, while Austria
and Germany reduced their centers in the court
theaters.
18 Century
th
With the establishment of the Paris Opera, both male
and female professional dancers were given equal
opportunity to take lead roles rather than just character
parts. During this period, the professional male dancers or
danseurs nobles took the leading roles in the ballets. To
further enrich their roles, professional female dancers
explored techniques and skills beyond the court dances by
enhancing their movements with beats, turns, and leg
extensions. Dancers used five positions of the feet, both on
the stage and in the ballroom.
19 Century
th
During this century, both males and females strictly
followed the code of etiquette when attending a ball or else
they would not be admitted. The master of ceremonies
prepared a set of written ballroom guidelines, activities, and
written instructions for the dances. Dance manuals, which
included instructions and directions for dances and manners
in the ballroom, were also developed by the dance masters.
Ballroom Dances of the 19 Century
th

Cotillion
- a forerunner of the
American square dance, had
many participants that
required practice by groups.
The complexity of the dance
made it a special
performance at a ball or a
presentation by a dance
master in a recital hall.
 Ballroom Dances of the 19 Century th

Polonaise
The polonaise, which opened a court
ball, involved partners dancing side by
side behind a lead couple and moving
through various choral figures. The
dancers started with bows, then they
proceeded down the center of the
room, creating two columns from
which they could change places, from
squares or wheel around, and move
forward or back. For the final part of
the routine, the dancers were led down
the middle of the hall.
 Ballroom Dances of the 19 Century th

Quadrille
The "queen of London society," Lady
Sarah Jersey, introduced the quadrille
to English society at Almack's in 1815.
It began as dance in cotillions where
only two couples were featured. Later
on, more couples-who placed
themselves in a square were added.
 Ballroom Dances of the 19 Century th

Waltz
Many scholars believe that the waltz
was derived from the suburbs of
Vienna and in the Alpine region of
Austria. Performed in triple time by
single couples in close embrace, the
waltz featured wild hopping, stamping,
and throwing of the female partner
into the air.
 Ballroom Dances of the 19 Century th

Polka
The polka, which might have originated
in Poland or the former Czechoslovakia,
was a popular social dance in the early
part of the 19th century. The dance
entered English ballrooms by 1844. The
name of the dance is derived from the
Czech word pulka (meaning "hate")
which refers to the lively, fast-paced,
and jumpy type of dancing.
 20 Century Dance
th
• The 20th century can be best described as a period of "dance fever" wherein the
young and old alike were not limited to expressing their emotions through dance.
• With the introduction of ragtime, people were not afraid to show their energetic
movements such as skipping and running barefoot.
• Ragtime is a type of music known for its syncopated melodic line and regularly
accented accompaniment played especially on the piano.
• Scott Joplin, an African-American composer and pianist, created the influential
ragtime piece "Maple Leaf Rag" which made him famous among both black and white
societies.
 20 Century Dance
th
• This century is also known as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties when the Charleston, the
black bottom, and the Lindy Hop were introduced.
• The Charleston, which originated in the harbor city of Charleston, South Carolina, is done in
4/4 time signature. It can be performed solo, with a partner, or with a group. Though it is
usually performed in place, it looks like normal walking. Its simplicity makes it easy for
performers to improvise.
• The black bottom originated in New Orleans. It has movements similar to the Charleston.
"The Original Black Bottom Dance" was printed in 1919 and the dance became a fad in
American society in the mid-1920s.
• The Lindy Hop was an American dance that originated in Harlem, New York City. It combines
many dances such as jazz, tap, breakaway, and Charleston. It is sometimes referred to as a
street dance because of its improvisational and social nature.
Latin dance and music have been identified as a fusion of American music styles. Dances such as
rumba, mambo, and cha-cha-cha from Cuba and samba from Brazil became popular in America
during the 1930s and 1940s, because they were performed by movie stars.
• The rumba is considered the "grandfather of the Latin dances." It is a dance that narrates
love and passion between a tough male lover and a timid, mischievous woman. With its
sensual hip action movements and intense sharp eye contact, it is considered to be the
sexiest ballroom dance.
• The mambo music comes from a very old tradition of Africa which consisted of multifaceted
thythms. The word "mambo" was not initially a term for a dance, but simply an Afro-Cuban
name for polymetry or rhythm against rhythm. The mambo is the music of voodoo and the
music of the people.
• The cha-cha-cha was derived from the mambo and the swing. Like most Latin dances, the
dancers' feet remain close to the floor; the hips are relaxed to allow free movement in the
pelvic area; and the upper body shifts over the supporting foot as the steps are taken.
Meanwhile, the samba has a distinct look and feel because of its "samba bounce action," a light,
effortless, and carefree movement from the knees and ankles.
• The bossa nova also emerged in this decade and earned its popularity in the early 1960s. It is
a Latin dance in 2/4 syncopated time. It is a combination of samba rhythm and jazz, resulting
in a Latin mix. Eydie Gormé recorded the first bossa nova dance music titled "Blame It on the
Bossa Nova.“
• The boogaloo is a combination of Latin, African American, rhythm and blues, rock 'n roll, and
soul music. It lasted only during the 1960s but returned the following decade in the West
Coast with a funky style that featured head and body rolls and unconventional leg
movements.
 In the early 1960s, Chubby Checker first performed and introduced the
twist on American Bandstand. The twist is an expression of individualism-there
are no definite roles for men or women. The dancers dance apart, stand in one
place, and twist their hips from side to side, pivoting on their feet. The movements
are free and provocative.
The 1970s marked the dance bang as the disco clubs progressed from
Europe to the United States that featured African American and Latino artist. Disco
jocks created music from jazz, soul, and rhythm and blues.
In 1975, a Cuban dance that originated in New York City called the hustle
became popular and was used in the movie Saturday Night Fever. Since then, it
became part of the American pop culture and kept its popularity in the 1980s and
1990s.
 In the last two decades of the 20th century, choreographers and dancers
continued to explore new directions. Individual statements, revised old themes,
and stretching the medium through collaboration and technology were the main
focus. In 1983, "King of Pop" Michael Jackson released his music video of
"Thriller," while Madonna recorded "Like a Virgin."
In the 1980s, there was a continuous innovation in social dances, while
Western line dances gained their popularity throughout the 1990s. In 1983, the
popularity of disco dance slowly declined; but other dances were introduced, such
as pop-rock, rap, techno, and rhythm and blues. In 1990, the disco came back to
be a part of pop and hip-hop dances again. Its influence on the said dances can
still be seen and heard today.
 The funk music was started in the mid-1960s by James Brown. Jimi Hendrix
and Earth, Wind and Fire followed with their funk rock in the 1970s. Lyrics became
more explicit in music synthesizers in the early 1980s. From the mid-1980s to the
1990s, funk rock and funk metal were popular among rock artists. The era of funk
nostalgia began in the mid-1990s.
Popular fad dances emerged in the 1980s and the 1990s. The Village People
performed the song YMCA in 1978. The group used cheerleading arm positions to
spell out the letters of the song's title.
Macarena hit the Billboard Top 100 in the U.S. for 60 weeks and became the
dance craze among the youth with its arm movements and hip swiveling.
Street dance began in California during the 1970s and was performed both in
nightclubs and on the streets. It is associated with funk, breakdancing, and hip-
hop. Through the improvisations in movements and style, the individual
expressions are very evidently demonstrated. The vernacular style, which is very
common among the urban communities, became the source of dance battles as a
substitute for street fighting. From this informal encounter known as jamming, the
dance battle transformed itself into a global event, an annual breakdance
competition known as the Battle of the Year.