Egyptian Dance

Egyptian religious rituals comprised of dance and music where trained dancers were employed. Dancers performed acrobatic acts in sacred temples. Egyptians ardently believe in resurrection such that funeral dances were adhered to with zealous conformity. Dancers don themselves with masks and stunning headdresses, in honor of the gods. Even the slaves were trained for home performances.

Acrobatic dancers, Karnak

Excerpt from a photo by M.Audrain

Masks and headdresses

Greek Dance
Dancing played a great part in Greek religious rites. They believe that dance came from gods, and such was a gift. Nevertheless, they were realistic enough to acknowledge that it was natural for man to move his body to express his emotions. Thus dancing was regarded both as gymnastic and mimetic, as a means of attaining health in every part of body.

Greek Dance
Ritual dances: Thesmophoria a tribute to Demeter, the goddess of agriculture and her daughter, Persephone. Orgiastic dances in honor of Dionysus, the god of fertility Dithyramb or choral dance executed with slow rhythmic steps.

Demeter

Persephone

Dionysus

Roman Dance
The great contribution of Romans to dance is the pantomime. Pantomime is a solo performance accompanied by a small orchestra, with highly stylized sequence of movements, and with stress on gestures.

Mimes Jean and Brigitte Soubeyran

Roman Dance
It is first seen in 22 B.C., with performances of Bathyllus of Alexandria and Pylades of Cicilia. Pantomime later declined when it became erotic and cheap.

Orestes and Pylades

Medieval Dance
The period when death was greatly shunned because of the prevalence of bubonic plague that killed rich and poor alike.

Medieval Dance
Danse Macabre or the Dance of Death gained social significance. It was hysterically gay, which started with animated dancing, until someone would fall to the ground and play dead, while the others would dance around him with mock mourning. If the corpse was a man, he would be kissed back to life by the girls and vice versa, then a round dance would follow. The act of dying and living signified the joy of life.

Medieval Dance
Dansomania uncontrollable dance craze that got hold the people during middle ages. Earole most popular dance at fairs and folk festivals. It is a professional dance from Provence dance-song performed only in May. During the 12th century, dance was revolutionized by romantic love and chivalry. Politeness and suggestiveness was highlighted.

Medieval Dance
Chivalric dancing was done indoors with a leading couple, followed by others who stepped slowly around the room in a form of a procession. The most significant development during late Medieval period was the distinction between court and folk dancing. The distinction lies in the manner of execution, the former danced in a more refined and restrained manner while the latter in uncontrolled discipline.

Medieval Dance

 Theater Dance was born in the courts of Italian city states, where it was used as a political machinery, to show splendor, wealth and power. Entertainment includes masquerades, mummeries, and pageants The rustic folk dance was replaced by the more refined and restrained court dance. Bassa dance meaning slow dance, queen of all dances and the most popular

Renaissance Dance

Masquerade ball at the Carnival of Venice

A Venziana mask from Verona, Italy

Classical Dance
Ballet became a spectacle in every court and public performance during the middle 17th century. This is a mixture of poetry, music, dialogue, and an elaborate design. Ballets a entrees classic form of ballet.

Classical Dance
Minuet from pas menu or small step, a dance in moderate triple time became the social dance during the 18th century. The main characteristics include the ceremonies bows, solemn forward, sideward, and backward with graceful steps and gentle sliding. Waltz during the second half of the 18th century, came from the German walzen, to roll or to turn.

Classical Dance
The classical masters of waltz were Josef Lanner, Johann Strauss and his son Johann Strauss Jr. with his Beautiful Blue Danube, Southern Roses and Tales from the Vienna Woods. 19th century, classical ballet At underwent technical perfection such as aerial grace, fairy-tale background, clash of natural with supernatural, mingling of dream and actuality, with the ballerina becoming an idealized perfection of a woman, the unattainable, the dream.

Ballet

20 Century Dance to flourish. Classical ballet continued

th
Jazz became popular together with the emergence of tap dance. 1900 fox-trot, two-step, and Boston Between 1912-1914 Castle walk and Castle polka 1910 tango 1920s Charleston

20 Century Danceand conga 1930s Cuban rumba,

th
(a follow-the-leader dance) At the end of World War II mambo with an interest in calypso and rock n roll Late 1950s and early 1960s chacha-cha and twist

Modern Dance
Isadora Duncan, together with Mary Wigman of Germany pioneered modern dance in America creating new form of expression. Others were Doris Humprey and Charles Weidman Twyla Tharp became the most prominent figure in modern dance in early 1970s. Musical comedies on Broadway began a new era where words and music were integrated.

Modern Dance
Hanya Holm found expression for the dance in the musicals namely Kiss Me, Kate and My Fair Lady. Jerome Robbins, producer of West Side Story, used the dance to further the drama, and so with musicals entitled On the Town, The King and I, and Fiddler on the Roof.

Isadora Duncan

Mary Wigman

Doris Humprey and Charles Weidman

Hanya Holm

Twyla Tharp

Philippine Dance
The religious and communal festivities of the Filipinos have a bearing on their traditional dances.

Philippine Dance
Some Classification of Philippine Dance: 1. Tribal Dance Ex. Canao (a magic dance of the mountain tribes)

Igorot men dancing a canao

Philippine Dance
2. Imitation of Nature and folk activities Maglalatik (joys of gathering coconut)

Philippine Dance
Singkil (Muslim wedding dance)

Philippine Dance
3. Group dancing in Festivities Ex. Ati-atihan (Kalibo)

Philippine Dance
Sinulog, hala-bira (Cebu)

Philippine Dance
4. Courtship and War Dances (Cordilleras) 5. Imitation of animal movements Tinikling (tikling)

Philippine Dance
Itik-itik (duck)

Philippine Dance
6. Lunsay a unique and intricate

group dance of Jama Mapuns. The participants hold hands forming a circle while they dance and sing to the tune of the accompanying love song. The steps can be slow or fast depending on the mood of the dancers and it may go on for hours.

Philippine Dance
7. Folk Dances Pandanggo, Surtido and Jota ( Spanish and Mexican origin) Polka, Rigodon, and Waltz (European origin)