In European culture, one of the earliest records of dancing is by Homer, whose Iliad describes chorea (χορεία khoreia).

It is also linked to the origin of 'lovemaking.' Before the production of written languages, dance was one of the methods of passing these stories down from generation to generation. It was also sometimes used to show feelings for one of the opposite gender. One of the earliest structured uses of dances may have been in the performance and in the telling of myths. Īccording to a Sinhalese legend, Kandyan dances originated 2500 years ago from a magic dance ritual that broke the spell on a bewitched king to cure the king of a mysterious illness. Medieval European danses macabres were thought to have protected participants from disease however, the hysteria and duration of these dances sometimes led to death due to exhaustion. Dance is used for this purpose by many cultures from the Brazilian rainforest to the Kalahari Desert. As a method of healing Īnother early use of dance may have been as a precursor to ecstatic trance states in healing rituals. Ritual dances may also be performed in temples and during religious festivals, for example the Rasa ritual dances of India (a number of Indian classical dances may have their origin in ritual dances), and the Cham dances of Tibet. Dance is an important aspect of some religious rites in ancient Egypt, similarly dance is also integral to many ceremonies and rites among African people.

Shamans dancing for rain is mentioned in ancient Chinese texts. As folk celebrations ĭance may be performed in religious or shamanic rituals, for example in rain dance performed in times of drought. When there is a group performance by holding hands or shoulders or even dancing opposite each other makes them feel communicated and bonded. So dance moves and background sounds play a big role too. When someone uses all the body muscles and feeling in a dance you will send like a message to the audience or who was watching. And dance in communication is like language, you can understand, feel, see and hear. Īlso, the term “kinesthetic” is the right term to help understanding how dance makes communication, and it means recognition of movement of one’s own body, this word is a combination of two words (kinein=to move, aesthesis= perception). Studies found that today's best dancers share two specific genes associated with a predisposition for being good social communicators. Means of social communication and bonding ĭance may have been used as a tool of social interaction that promoted cooperation essential for survival among early humans. Many contemporary dance forms can be traced back to historical, traditional, ceremonial and ethnic dances of the ancient period. Archaeology delivers traces of dance from prehistoric times such as the 10,000-year-old Bhimbetka rock shelters paintings in India and Egyptian tomb paintings depicting dancing figures from c. ĭance has been an important part of ceremony, rituals, celebrations and entertainment since before the birth of the earliest human civilizations. The natural impulse to dance may have existed in early primates before they evolved into humans. Dance can help tell a story, convey feelings and emotions, and connect with others and ourselves. It is not possible to identify with exact precision when dance becomes part of human culture.Dance is filled with aesthetic values, making it distinct from one society to another and is shrouded in symbolism that expounds on the cultural heritage of a community accordingly being unique from one society to another. The history of dance is difficult to access because dance does not often leave behind clearly identifiable physical artifacts that last over millennia, such as stone tools, hunting implements or cave paintings. Ancient Greek terracotta statuette of a dancing maenad, 3rd century BC, from Taranto.

Lyrical dance costume