How long has choreography been around

Dance and music begin as partners in the service of ritual. In most ancient civilizations, dancing before the god is an important element in temple ritual. In Egypt the priests and priestesses, accompanied by harps and pipes, perform stately movements which mime significant events in the story of a god, or imitate cosmic patterns such as the rhythm of night and day.

At Egyptian funerals, women dance to express the grief of the mourners. Sacred occasions in Greek shrines, such as the games at Olympia from the 8th century BC, are inaugurated with dancing by the temple virgins. The choros is originally just such a dance, performed in a circle in honour of a god.

In the 6th century it becomes the centrepiece of Greek theatre. In India the formalized hand movements of the priestesses in Hindu temples are described in documents from as early as the 1st century AD. Each precise gesture is of subtle significance. A form of classical dance based upon them - known as Bharata Nhatyam - is still performed by highly skilled practitioners today.

Any sufficiently uninhibited society knows that frantic dancing, in a mood heightened by pounding rhythm and flowing alcohol, will set the pulse racing and induce a mood of frenzied exhilaration. This is exemplified in the Dionysiac dances of ancient Greece. Villagers, after harvesting the grapes, celebrate the occasion with a drunken orgy in honour of Dionysus, god of wine whose Roman name is Bacchus. Their stomping makes a favourite scene on Greek vases; and dancing women of this kind, whose frenzy even sweeps them into an act of murder, are immortalized in a tragedy, the Bacchae , by Euripides.

This movement has aesthetic and symbolic value, and is acknowledged as dance by performers and observers within a particular culture. Archaeological evidence for early dance includes 9,year-old paintings in India at the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka, and Egyptian tomb paintings depicting dancing figures, dated c.

It has been proposed that before the invention of written languages, dance was an important part of the oral and performance methods of passing stories down from generation to generation. Greek bronze statuette of a veiled and masked dancer, 3rd-2nd century BC, Alexandria, Egypt. References to dance can be found in very early recorded history; Greek dance horos is referred to by Plato, Aristotle, Plutarch and Lucian. During the first millennium BCE in India, many texts were composed which attempted to codify aspects of daily life.

It mainly deals with drama, in which dance plays an important part in Indian culture. It categorizes dance into four types — secular, ritual, abstract, and, interpretive — and into four regional varieties.

The text elaborates various hand-gestures mudras and classifies movements of the various limbs, steps and so on. A strong continuous tradition of dance has since continued in India, through to modern times, where it continues to play a role in culture, ritual, and, notably, the Bollywood entertainment industry.

Many other contemporary dance forms can likewise be traced back to historical, traditional, ceremonial, and ethnic dance. Dance in Africa is deeply integrated into society and major events in a community are frequently reflected in dances: dances are performed for births and funerals, weddings and wars.

Thousands of dances are performed around the continent. These may be divided into traditional, neotraditional, and classical styles: folkloric dances of a particular society, dances created more recently in imitation of traditional styles, and dances transmitted more formally in schools or private lessons. All Indian classical dances are to varying degrees rooted in the Natyashastra and therefore share common features: for example, the mudra s hand positions , some body positions, and the inclusion of dramatic or expressive acting or abhinaya.

Indian classical music provides accompaniment and dancers of nearly all the styles wear bells around their ankles to counterpoint and complement the percussion. The most famous members of the Ballet Russe were brother and sister Vaslav Nijinsky, the choreographer of Rite of Spring, music by then unknown Igor Stravinsky and Bronislava Ninjinksa, the company ballet master.

A young George Balanchine began developing his ideas of neo-classical ballet while working for the Ballet Russe in the s His partnership with composer Igor Stravinsky began here. Their Apollo is considered the first neo-classical ballet. Belly Dance — has roots in India. Some think it may be one of the oldest styles of dance in the world. Belly dancing became in famous in the U. Also known as cooch dancing, belly dance found its way into silent film, variety, burlesque, circus, seaside sideshows, and eventually Hollywood.

These Americanized theatrical versions in turn influenced dancers in the Middle East shaping the dance performance as we know it today. Belly dance takes different forms depending on country and region both in costume and dance style. Belly dance movement originates in the torso and features the hips rather than in the legs and feet. The dance focuses on weaving isolations through different parts of the body, together they make sensuous patterns that move throughout the body.

Probably the greatest misconception about belly dancing is that it is intended to entertain men. But belly dance is most often performed among women, generally during fertility rites or parties preparing a young woman for marriage, situations where men are not permitted. Danced by men and women in some Middle Eastern countries and the United States, most commonly at festive occasions such as weddings.

Contemporary Dance— means several things. First, and most generally, contemporary dance means all dance currently being created by living choreographers and performed at this time, no matter the genre. It is also the name of a specific, dramatic, virtuosic commercial dance form drawn largely from ballet and jazz, rooted in dance competitions , but now a style seen in concert dance, music videos, sports etc. The formula has to do with speeding up movement when the music is slow and drawing it out when a song picks up its pace.

Dance classical in India— is an umbrella term for 8 or more styles rooted in religious Hindu musical theater styles. The theory and practice of all classical Indian arts can be traced back to the Sanskrit text the Natya Shastra.

Dances are regional, all include music and recitation, and represent a unity of core ideas in a diversity of styles. All forms include both pure dance nirta , solo expressive dances nritya , and group dramatic dancing natya.

Dance in Japan — is largely connected with Japanese masked drama, told through dance, chanting, and music. All Japanese theater requires highly trained actors and musicians.

Performers are trained from early childhood through an apprenticeship that can last a lifetime. In training performers learn specific ways of moving, and the stylized walk that allow them to portray a particular genre of character. Performers tend to specialize in a single character style throughout their life. Performers often continue to perform throughout their life. Older performers are considered to have greater depth in their understanding of their roles.

Dance in the U. Unique social dance styles have developed, or been choreographed and taught, in the United States since the early 20 th Century and the beginning of the Jazz Age. Dances like the Foxtrot, Charleston, and especially the Lindy Hop and its variants, hip hop styles today, are all U. Each style has its own unique history. Contra Dance —originates from a mixture of English Country Dance , and Scottish and French dance styles from the 17th century.

Sometimes described as New England folk dance or Appalachian folk dance, contra dances can be found around the world. Dancers form couples and join long lines down the length of the dance hall.

Within the line, couples generally form sets of two. Throughout the course of a dance, couples progress up and down these lines, dancing with each other couple in the line. Dances are led by a caller who teaches the sequence of figures—a series of steps—in the dance before the music starts. In a single dance, a caller may include anywhere from 6—12 figures repeated through out the dance. Contra dancers often dance to live music. While generally U.

The fiddle is considered the core instrument, though other stringed instruments are used, as well as the piano, accordion, and occasionally wind instruments. Music in a dance can consist of a single tune or a medley of tunes.

Square Dance or Modern Western Square Dance — differs from contra in that the dances are performed in squares of 4 couples who dance exclusively with each other. Directed by a caller as in contra, there is less teaching during a Modern Western Square dance; dancers are expected to have some knowledge of the calls. Separate lessons are available.

Flamenco —refers to both a musical form and a dance form originating in Southern Spain among the Roma gypsys. Although they can be performed separately, the music and dance are considered a whole and flamenco concerts almost always include both. Danced flamenco is known for emotional intensity, proud carriage, expressive use of the arms, and rhythmic stamping of the feet.

The elements of flamenco include: cante singing , toque guitar playing , baile dance , jalco vocalizations and chorus clapping , palmas handclapping and pitos finger snapping. Flamenco footwork is often compared to tap and Irish step dance, but flamenco technique is different. Some scholars believe that the footwork may have origins in Indian dance technique.

Castanets—wooden disks that fit between the thumb and forefinger of the dancer and can be rhythmically patted together—are closely associated flamenco. There are 6 styles of flamenco. Informal gypsy flamenco , danced during celebrations in Spain, is considered the most "authentic," if less technically virtuosic. Only in this form do arms curve around the head and body, often with bent elbows rather than extended, and hips are allowed to sway.

Flamenco puro , the performance form considered closest to the gypsy tradition is always a solo improvisation. As the style developed, particularly in the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries, it was influenced by and influenced ballet.

The form that evolved came to be known as classical flamenco. Modern flamenco is highly technical requiring years of study. The emphasis is on lightning-fast, absolutely precise footwork.

Flamenco Nuevo, a choreographed recent stylistic development, shows influences from other dance styles and is characterized by pared-down costumes. Men often dance bare-chested, women wear plain jersey dresses. Young people are not thought to have the emotional maturity to convey the duende soul of flamenco. Tap dancing makes percussion sounds because of dancers most commonly wearing leather shoes with two pieces of metal and clip and clap against hard floors. Tap is still very popular to this day.

Merengue was first a music style that originated in the Dominican Republic before it became a dance style. The style originated from laborers working in sugar beet fields. It is a Caribbean dance style that involves partners holding each other in a tango-like position and moving their hips side to side. Jazz dance originated from Africa and puts an emphasis on rhythm and timing. Some older styles of jazz movements include the shimmy, the Lindy hop, and the Charleston. Acro dance is short for acrobatics.

It originated in circuses such as Cirque De Soleil.