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| The Dances |
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| Dance School Directory |
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| The History of Dance |
Dance is not just about entertainment. As far back as prehistoric times there is evidence available from archaeological sites to suggest that dance was also important in ceremonial proceedings, rituals and celebrations. The first documented evidence dates back to around 200 BC when the first pictorial and written evidence appeared that suggests dance was an important part of every day life. Many modern dances can trace their origins back to some of these early forms of celebratory, ritualistic, ceremonial and even tribal dances. |
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Which Came First, the Dance or the Music? |
Although music as well as dance can be traced back to prehistoric times it is not that clear whether it is the dance or the music that came first. However, it is easy to see why the symbiotic relationship between music and dance exists. Dance can be inspired by the rhythm and sound of different types of music. Equally, a musician who witnesses a dance may be inspired to write a piece of music that complements it. |
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However, music is not always necessary for a dance, some post modern dance is performed without the need for music and some dances even make their own accompaniment, think tap dancing for instance. |
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If music is used, it may not always be necessary to dance in time with it. It depends on the dance style. Ballet for instance, although normally danced in a similar mood to which the music is played, does not necessarily get danced to the rhythm of the music. |
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Raoul Feuillet and Pierre Beauchamp used an adaptation of the word chorea to describe dance notation. Feuillet's Choregraphie (1700) set out a method of dance notation. |
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The word was used in many other forms up until the rejection of ballet vocabulary and terms by modern dance resulted in the word choreographer replacing ballet master as the term used to describe a creator of dance. |
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| The Art of Making Dance |
Choreography is the art of making dance and is also the generic name given to predetermined sequences of dance movement, or routines. The term 'choreography' has varied meaning throughout history. The word is comes from the Greek word 'chorea '. |
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Chorea is a Greek circle dance accompanied by music and singing. Derivatives of the word chorea are used to describe circle dances in other countries too. For instance, in Russia the word is 'Khorovod' but is 'Hora' in Romania , Moldova and Israel and 'Horo' in Bulgaria . |
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Paracelcus, who is known as the father of toxicology (1493 - 1541) used the word chorea to describe the rapid jerking physical movements of medieval pilgrims travelling to the healing shrine of St Vitus, giving rise to the term St. Vitus' Dance. |
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