Dance

Definition

Dance is the art of movement of the body, usually rhythmically and to music, using prescribed or improvised
steps and gestures. "A dance" is any one prescribed sequence of such movements, or the music to which it is
performed, or an event at which it takes place. Dance may also be regarded as a form of nonverbal
communication recognisable in other animals; in bee dances and behaviour patterns such as mating dances.

Dance can be categorized and described in various ways. It may be analysed purely by its choreography, its
repertoire of movements, or it may be classified according to its time or place of origin. Yet study reveals
many generic similarities in many different times and places.

Origins and History

Dance does not leave behind clearly identifiable physical artifacts such as stone tools, hunting implements or
cave paintings. It is not possible to say when dance became part of human culture, but archeological
evidence indicates dance has been an important part of ceremony, rituals, celebrations and entertainment
since the earliest human civilizations. Examples of such evidence include 9,000 year old paintings in India at
the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka, and Egyptian tomb paintings depicting dancing figures, dated c. 3300 BC.

One of the earliest structured uses of dances may have been the telling of myths. Before the invention of
written languages, dance was one of the methods of passing stories down from generation to generation.
Dance was also used to show feelings for one of the opposite gender. Another early use of dance may have
been as a precursor to ecstatic trance states in healing rituals; dance is still used for this purpose by many
cultures from the Brazilian rainforest to the Kalahari Desert.

Many contemporary dance forms can be traced back to historical, traditional, ceremonial, and ethnic dance.
For example, some Sri Lankan dances are related to aboriginal, mythical devils known as "yakkas", and
according to local legend, Kandyan dance began as a ritual that broke the magic spell on a bewitched king.

From the earliest moments of known human history, dance accompanied ancient rituals, spiritual gatherings
and social events. As a conduit of trance, spiritual force, pleasure, expression, performance and interaction,
dance became infused into our nature from the earliest moments of our existence - from the moment when
first African tribes covered themselves in war-paint to the to the spreading of music and dance across all four
corners of the world. Without a doubt, dancing remains one of the most expressive forms of communications
that we know.

The oldest proof of existence of dancing comes from the 9000 year old cave paintings that were found in
India, which depicts various scenes of hunting, childbirth, religious rites, burials and most importantly,
communal drinking and dancing. Since dancing itself cannot leave clearly identifiable archeological artifacts
that can be found today, scientist looked for secondary clues, written word, stone carvings, paintings and
similar artifacts. Period when dancing became widespread can be traced to the third millennia BC, when
Egyptians started using dance as integral parts of their religious ceremonies. Judging by the many tomb
paintings that survived the tooth of time, Egyptian priests used musical instruments and dancers to mimic
important events stories of gods and cosmic patterns of moving stars and sun.

This tradition continued in ancient Greece, where dance was used very regular and openly to public (which
eventually brought the birth of the famous Greek theatre in 6th century BC). Ancient paintings from 1st
millennia clearly speak of many dance rituals in Greek culture, most notably the one before start of each
Olympian Games, precursor to the modern Olympic Games. As centuries went on, many other religions
infused dance in the core of their rituals, such as Hindu dance "Bharata Nhatyam" which is preformed even
today.

Of course, not all dances in those ancient times were intended for religious purposes. Ordinary people used
dance for celebration, entertainment, seduction and to induce the mood of frenzied exhilaration. Annual
celebration in honor of Greek god of wine Dionysus (and later Roman god Bacchus) included dancing and
drinking for several days. 1400BC year old Egyptian painting showed the group of scantily dressed girls who
danced for the wealthy male crowd, supported by the several musicians. This kind of entertainment
continued to be refined, until medieval times and the start of the Renaissance when ballet became integral
part of the wealthy class.

European dances before the start of Renaissance were not widely documented, any only few isolated
fragments of their existence remain found today. The most basic "chain shaped" dance practiced by
commoners was most widespread across Europe, but the arrival of Renaissance and new forms of music
brought many other styles in fashion. Renaissance dances from Spain, France and Italy were soon surpassed
by Baroque dances which became widely popular in French and English courts. After the end of French
Revolution, many new types of dances emerged with focused on less restrictive woman clothing, and
tendency for skipping and jumping. These dances soon became even more energetic in 1844 with the
beginning of so called "international polka craze" which also brought us the first appearance of famous waltz.

After the short period of time when great ballroom masters created wave of complicated dances, the era of
modern day 2 person dance started with the careers of famous ballroom dances Vernon and Irene Castle.
After those early years of 20th century many modern dances were invented (Foxtrot, One-Step, Tango,
Charleston, Swing, Postmodern, Hip-hop, breakdancing and more) and the expansion musical brought those
dances into worldwide popularity.

Different Kinds of Dance

-Jazz
Jazz dance is a classification shared by a broad range of dance styles. Before the 1950s, jazz dance
referred to dance styles that originated from African American vernacular dance. In the 1950s, a new genre
of jazz dance modern jazz dance emerged, with roots in Caribbean traditional dance

-Modern
Modern is a free, expressive style of dancing started in the early 20th century as a reaction to
classical ballet. In recent years it has included elements not usually associated with dance, such as speech
and film.

-Musical Theatre Dance

Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting,
and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical humor, pathos, love, anger are communicated
through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an integrated whole.

-Contemporary
Contemporary dance is a popular form of dance which developed during the middle portion of the
twentieth century and has since grown to become one of the dominating performance genres for formally
trained dancers throughout the world, with particularly strong popularity in the U.S. and Europe.

-Tap
Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a
form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway
tap focuses on dance; it is widely performed in musical theater. Rhythm tap focuses on musicality, and
practitioners consider themselves to be a part of the Jazz tradition.

The sound is made by shoes that have a metal "tap" on the heel and toe. There are different brands of shoes
which sometimes differ in the way they sound.

"Soft-Shoe" is a rhythm form of tap dancing that does not require special shoes, and though rhythm is
generated by tapping of the feet, it also uses sliding of the feet (even sometimes using scattered sand on the
stage to enhance the sound of sliding feet) more often than modern rhythm tap. It preceded what is
currently considered to be modern tap, but has since declined in popularity.
-Acro or Acrobat Dance
Acro dance is a style of dance that combines classical dance technique with precision acrobatic
elements. It is defined by its athletic character, its unique choreography, which seamlessly blends dance and
acrobatics, and its use of acrobatics in a dance context

-Lyrical
Lyrical dance is a style of dance created from the fusion of ballet with jazz and contemporary dance
techniques and is a "cousin" to those styles.

-Hip Hop
Hip-hop dance refers to street dance styles primarily performed to hip-hop music or that have
evolved as part of hip-hop culture. It includes a wide range of styles primarily breaking, locking, and popping
which were created in the 1970s and made popular by dance crews in the United States.

-Break Dance
Breakdance (also called breaking, b-boying or b-girling) is a type of dance that is done by people
who are part of the hip hop culture. B-boy means boy who dances on breaks (breakbeats). Breakdancing was
invented in the early 1970s in African-American and Puerto Rican communities in South Bronx in New York
City.

-Pom Squad
A dance squad or dance team, sometimes called a pom squad or drill team, is a team of athletes
that participates in competitive dance.

-Irish Dance
Irish dancing or Irish dance is a group of traditional dance forms originating in Ireland which can
broadly be divided into social dance and performance dances. Irish social dances can be divided further into
cil and set dancing.

-Swing
"Swing dance" is most commonly known as a group of dances that developed with the swing style
of jazz music in the 1920s-1950s, although the earliest of these dances predate "swing era" music

-Latin Dancing
Latin dancing is a style of dance that originates in the Latin culture, which incorporates Central
American, South American, Mexican, North American, European and African influences.

-Pointe Ballet
Pointe technique is the part of classical ballet technique that concerns pointe work, in which a
ballet dancer supports all body weight on the tips of fully extended feet.

-Belly Dancing
Belly dance or belly-dance is a Western-coined name for "solo, improvised dances based on torso
articulation". Belly dance takes many different forms depending on the country and region, both in costume
and dance style, and new styles have evolved in the West as its popularity has spread globally.

-Zumba
Zumba is a dance fitness program created by Colombian dancer and choreographer Alberto "Beto"
Perez during the 1990s. Zumba involves dance and aerobic elements. Zumba's choreography incorporates
hip-hop, soca, samba, salsa, merengue and mambo.

-Folk Dance
Folk dances are dances that share some or all of the following attributes: Dances performed at
social functions by people with little or no professional training, often to traditionally based music.