History of Dance

 At the end of this presentation, you will be

able to answer the following questions:

 How dance came into existence?

 How dance became infused into our nature?
 What are the different forms/kinds of dance?
 From the earliest moments of known human history, dance
accompanied ancient rituals, spiritual gatherings and social events.
As a 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 9,000 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 of
musical brought those dances into worldwide popularity.
 Baroque in
Baroque in
Italy Baroque in
Spain
France

Waltz
Foxtrot
Charlestone
Dance
Swing Break Dance

Hip Hop
 Thank you so much for listening!!

 End!!