A Historical Overview Of Dance
Although it’s not possible to say when dance became part a of human culture, we can say with high certainty that it has been an important part of ceremonies, rituals, celebrations and entertainment for almost as long as human beings have existed. It seems that dance is as old as man himself.
In most ancient societies, dancing was an important part of rituals and religious ceremonies. Today we see dance more as a sport or social event, but it wasn’t until the middle ages that socializing and fun became the primary focus of dancing.
The most common dance forms of the early Middle Ages were chain dances. One of the most documented is the carol or the ronde known from the 12th and 13th centuries.
Dances of the Renaissance were many and quite diverse. From slow forms such as almain, bassadance, and pavane, to fast, lively dances like galliard, coranto, and canario. The court dances were usually elaborate and very stylized. Average people preferred branles or bransles, which were danced by many people in a circle or line.
The famous Waltz was first introduced by the Austrian court in the 17th century. The early Waltz was what we now call the Viennese Waltz and it is much faster that the normal waltz. When it first came to the United States in the mid-1800s, it was shown as a vigorous, demanding dance. Soon, it evolved into the slower version we know today.
The twentieth century was the explosion of dance. The advent of radio and gramophone brought music and dance to every corner of the earth. When the ballroom dancing craze hit America in the early part of the 20th Century, social dancing really took off. Dances like the tango, waltz, foxtrot, jive and Samba quickly became popular not only across America, but all over the world.
Today, we see dance as a social phenomenon that is integral to all cultures. Whether we do it just for the fun of it or through traditions and rituals, dance is, and will always remain an important part of our lives.
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