A Brief History of Dance

To dance is "to move or seem to move up and down or about in a quick or lively manner" according to Merriam-Webster. Wikipedia's first line on dance defines it as "a type of art that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, performed in many different cultures and used as a form of expression, social interaction, and exercise or presented in a spiritual of performance setting." Dance can be defined in countless ways, relative to perspective and personal experience, but regardless of definition, dance has always been an important part of human culture. Dance can be participatory, social, or performed for an audience, but it can also be ceremonial, competitive, or erotic. From ceremonies and rituals to celebrations and entertainment, dance has been a significant reflection of popular culture and common beliefs during many major parts of history. Though it changes significantly with time, dance has always remained one of the key aspects of society.

Dance has continually changed and progressed as humanity lives on. Like most art forms, dance is strongly influenced by the events of the time period and of the customs of the society at the time. A fundamental part of life even before the advent of civilizations, dance has expanded vastly and split into more and more specialized styles and variations as the different forms have spread over the globe and acquired their various distinctions. Dance has often adapted to the changing cultures of regions and peoples into numerous styles. Hip-hop culture was responsible for spawning styles like break-dancing and krumping, while African dance remains largely interpretative. Ballet, Ballroom, Waltz, and Tango are mostly classical styles of dance while Square Dancing and the Electric Slide are step dances. These are just a few broad generalizations, because there are probably thousands of different variations of dancing styles and it'd be impossible to name them all.

In the past, dance used to be prominently spread through the movement of cultures, the holding of large scale dance competitions and exhibitions where different varieties were on display, or by the movement of established teachers who imparted distinct styles. This propagation of information was generally slow and it usually took a while for a dance to establish itself in an area. Although many dancers flourished with elegant styles and extraordinary imagination before modern technology ever entered dance, technology allowed dancers to express themselves in ways previously unavailable. Fred Astaire was an amazing dancer who reveled in the flexibility and freedom provided for him on the cinema stage. In a 2004 article in The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, & Dance, Professor Scott Crawford notes how "some of [Astaire's] most creative work was achieved by combining his dance skills with improvisational hand-and-leg and with special effects made possible by film technology... His autobiography, Steps in Time (1960), reveals an embrace of film technology." Nowadays, technology can be used in so many ways to aid dancing, whether through learning, teaching, or spreading publicity.