A summary of dance

Dance

When people move in time to music they are dancing. People have a natural urge to move in time to rhythms. Children jump up and down when they are excited; babies mov enaturally to rhythms they hear or feel. In dancing ,these natural movenents are organized into rhythmic and visual patterns. Different dances have developed all over the world, and are performed for different reasons. dancing can be both an art form and recreation. It can express an emotion, tell a story, or set a mood.

Origins

Dancing is one of the oldest art forms. The first dance may have evolved from spontaneous stamping steps. These steps were later given rhythms and shapes and accompanied by grunts and shouts.

Ceremonial dance

early people found that rhythmic movements had a strong effect on the mind, and felt that dancing must have magical powers. They begin to dance to ward off evil spirits, heal people, and ensure good crops.

Dance as entertainment

The ancient Egyptians were the first people known to use dancing simply as a form of entertainment. Professional dancing girls entertained the pharaoh and his guests at banquets, performing dances that included running, high kicks, and sensual hip movement.

Dance as theatre

The ancient Greeks made dance the basic of all their theatre. The chorus in a Greek play was a group of actors who danced and sang a commentary o the action

African dance

Dancing is an essential part of life to many africans, and important events, such as births, deaths, and initiation to adulthood, are all observed by dancing. African dancers can last for many hours. The dances for men are usually very energetic, and includes a lot of stampings and leaping. Women tend to do more gentle dances, clapping and swaying to the music or rhythm.

Asian dancing

The main influence on dance styles in Asia comes from India. Many Asian dances make use of stylized hand movements, particularly those from countries such as india,sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand and Cambodia.

Europian folk dancing

Every Europian country has its folk dance, which are now essentially social. Some of them have been taken to other countries by settlers. The dances are often performed in traditional costumes and many of them involve people forming simple patterns, such as lines and circles.

South American dancing

The dances of Central and South America reflect the cultures not only of the native people who have long occupied the region, but also of the Europian colonists and their American slaves. Many dances that originated in this region, such as tango and samba, have become popular all over the world.

Ballroom dancing

Developed in the courts of Europe, many ballroom dances, such as the waltz and samba, were adapted from folk dances. They were danced on flat,polished floors,which allowed for elegant gliding movements, rather than the jumping and stamping, which folk dancers developed to cope with the rough floors or grass on which they danced.