Stepping into the History of Dance

It has been believed that before the discovery of any written language, dance was a significant form of narrating stories and passing them down from one generation to another. The use of dance in delirious dream-like states and ceremonies is an additional early factor in the social progress of dance. There are many references to dance in recorded history. Horos, a Greek dance was referred by Aristotle, Plato, Lucian, and Plutarch. Looking into religious literature, the Bible and Talmud mention many events linked to dance and cover over 30 distinct dance terms! As early as the Neolithic period, in Chinese pottery, groups of people are depicted dancing and holding hands in a line, and the first Chinese word for ‘dance’ is seen embossed on oracle bones. In the Lüshi Chunqiu, there is a further description of the dance. In the first epoch BCE in India, many manuscripts were created which tried to collate features of daily life. The text of dramaturgy, also known as Bharata Muni's is one of these ancient texts. It principally goes with drama that is narrated by dance. It classifies dance into four forms – secular, ritual, abstract, and, interpretive. The text expands numerous hand-gestures also known as mudras and categorizes actions of the many limbs, steps and so on.

Whether you are a pro dancer or an appreciator of this fantastic dance form, dance is always refreshing. There are plenty of dance forms that might catch your attention. Whether you love classic dance forms like step dance, or contemporary moves, make dance an essential part of your life. Do you love dancing? Share your favorite dance style in the comments below!