History of dance
Its origins are lost in prehistoric times, but, humans have been dancing for millennium, because from the study of the most primitive peoples, it is known that men and women have always danced.
In the primitive cultures the dances had their inspiration in the changes suffered by people during their lives, changes as people grew from boy to old, and they experienced as the seasons changes, about as tribes won their wars or experienced routs. Movement or motion was shared with singing to tell a story of love, birth, combat, religion, and death. When a man and a woman were needed to tell the story, a form of couples dancing became required. The man was naturally situated on the left with the woman on right because his sword would be on the left and he would require this arm free.
Throughout the time, two kinds of dance develop as cultures: The social dances, these celebrated births, commemorated deaths, and particular events; and the magical or religious dances for different reasons: To ask to gods to end a famine, to provide rain, or to cure the sick. The men, who invoked the assistance of a god were feared and respected, are considered by many to be the first choreographers, or composers of formal dances.
The first times, rhythmic sound was provided by the dancers themselves. A separate rhythmic possibly evolved and probably played on animal skins extended over wooden frames and made into drums or similar instruments. After, melodies were incorporated; these probably have imitated the sounds of nature, or they probably have been a vocal expression of the dancer’s or musicians’ state of mind. Later the rhythmic beat, became the most significant element, because this pulsation let all the dancers maintain time together and it helped them to remember their movements too and control the pace of the movement.
Primitive dancers used a large vocabulary of gestures and movements; these were used in both their social dances and religious or magical dances. One of the principal reasons for them was to help tribes survive. Long time before the written word could assure that cultures would be passed on and respected; it was dance that helped the ethnic group conserve its continuity.
A brief history of some styles of dance:
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