Dance: A Performing Art of Symbolic Body Movements - Essay Sample

Introduction

Dance can be defined as a form of performing art that consists of purposeful and selected sequences of body movement. The body movement carries both a symbolic and an aesthetic value, and is considered dance within a specific culture. The observers and viewers from that particular culture acknowledge the symbols incorporated in the dance (Copeland & Cohen, 1983). Dance is grouped and described according to the choreography, type of movements, its place of origin, as well as the historical period. The debate on whether dance is an art has raged on for years. Moreover, it has also been argued that dance without music cannot be considered as a form of art. Owing to this, dance has for many years been seen as a lesser art. For instance, it was always relegated to the opening or closing of ceremonies and exhibitions, but was never the main thing. However, there are several reasons why dance is a form of art. Generally, art is described as any human activity that leads to the creation of visual, auditory, as well as performing artifacts as a way of expressing one's conceptual or imaginative ideas and skills. The final product of these processes can also be referred to as art, and is meant to be appreciated for the emotional power or beauty it shows. Dance, even without music, shares many of these aspects and hence is an art on its own. First, dance is an expression of mood and emotion. Dance can also be used to tell a story (Caines, 2013). Therefore, dance is an art by itself. The fact that dance can incorporate other forms of art, such as music and poetry makes it a superior communication tool. This factor has also played a huge role in the increase in popularity of dance being witnessed around the world today. For instance, various artists have tried to bridge the worlds of visual arts, theatre, and dance. Having shown that dance is a form of art, this paper will now focus on the origin and evolution of dance.

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Origin of Dance

Tracing the history of dance is difficult since unlike other forms of art, dance does not leave behind any identifiable physical evidence. Therefore, historians use secondary clues such as paintings, stone carvings, and other artifacts to follow the history of dance. Dance is believed to be as old as human history. It is also believed to have been practiced in all human societies. For years, the effortlessness with which human beings move their bodies to music or rhythm, a fete that cannot be achieved by other animals, has fascinated scientists. Recently, scientists have found an association between dance and imitation (Laland, Wilkins, & Clayton, 2016). This might explain the popularity of dance throughout human societies in history.

Historians hold that the different celebratory, social, and ritual dances recorded in history were critical factors in the early human civilizations. Celebrations that were celebrated using dance include weddings, child births, harvests, among others. Dance was also an integral part of various rituals and ceremonies. Ancient Egyptians danced both for entertainment and in religious rituals. The dances mainly told the stories of gods and ancient myths. This was common in ancient Egyptian dances. Dance was also an integral part of many Roman and Greek religious ceremonies. For instance, they celebrated Bacchus and Dionysus, their wine gods, with long festivals characterized by alcohol, song, as well as dance (Ruyter, 2016). Simple folk dances were common in medieval Europe, especially among the wealthy classes. Dance was also used as tool of social communication and bonding. It is believed that dance enhanced cooperation, which was essential for survival to the early humans. Dance was also used in healing rituals among many cultures around the world.

There exist evidence of ancient dance in 9,000 year-old cave paintings in India (Dance Facts, 2019). It has also been shown that dance existed in Egypt more than 5,000 years ago as evidenced by various tomb paintings (Dance Facts, 2019). Features of infusion of dance into the modern culture can also be seen in China and Ancient Greece. Gradually, these dances evolved and merged to form a wide variety of European medieval dances, Chinese dances, as well as other traditional dances. However, it was not until the European Renaissance that dance exploded following its additions to songs. As transportation became easier, immigration to the new world rose, and the dances spread to these regions. They also mixed with different native cultures leading to the formation of new dances, some which exist up to this day.

Evolution of Dance

Religious ceremonies led to the introduction of structured dance. This, in turn, led to the development of dances that are still common today. However, the dances keep evolving and changing over time. The changes and evolutions are fuelled by various cultural, socioeconomic and political factors. For instance, ballet evolved as a dance for the nobles (Sorabella, 2004). The dance emerged during the 15th century. It was a form of social entertainment that gained great popularity during the Romanticism period. Composers such as Jean-Baptiste played a huge role in the spread of the dance. The 18th century saw the transition of ballet from a pure court dance to a form of performance art. Ballets in the Romanticism period were inspired by mystique and fantasy. They also greatly focused on emotions. However, the ballerina eclipsed the male dancer. It was not until the 20th century that male ballets emerged from the shadows (Klapper, 2017). Just like all the styles, ballet kept stretching and evolving to an extent that only a few techniques of the original ballet remain. Waltz, one of the world's most popular dances, became famous in the mid-19th century though it existed from as far as the 16th century. Efforts by various composers such as Johann Strauss played a huge role in raising the popularity of the dance. It has also greatly evolved, and the style popular today is not the original.

Dance changed more over the years influenced by different factors. For instance hip-hop dance was born in the 1970s in New York City. Breaking was its immediate predecessor. Media played a huge role in the spread of various dance types around the world. For instance, movies such as Wild Style and Beat Street led to the popularity of breaking around the world. However, breaking died down in the 1980s and was replaced by Hip-Hop. Other styles, such as popping and Krump, also came under Hip Hop through either cross-pollination or their association with the new, and more popular style. Therefore, to a large extent, hip-hop is an amalgamation of different styles and continues to evolve as well as adapt to changing times (BBC, 2015).

Modern and Contemporary Dance

The two have several similarities since they stem from the same roots. The breakaway from ballet towards the end of the 19th century led to the emergence of these dance styles. Modern dance thrived between 1900 and 1950. Unlike ballet, the new style was formalized and bore a certain aesthetic. It is built around movement, breathing, as well as contraction and relaxation of muscles. A break away from formal dance movements led to the birth of a style that was random, unique, and did not have to tell a particular story. This marked the birth of contemporary dance. Contemporary dance is primarily characterized by its heterogeneous plurality. The dance presents itself as a work of art and events that are usually experiential, aesthetic, critical, intellectual, and interactive. Unlike its predecessors, contemporary dance is not only focused on the development of dance movements. Instead, it expands the choreographic concept to participate in different discourses and use various information to not only produce a work of art but also participatory events and artistic situations. It also combines elements from different dance genres such as jazz, classical ballet, among others. The main aim of contemporary dance is to create a connection between the body and the mind through the fluid movements exhibited.

Today, dance employs thousands of people around the world. It has also become more mainstream and artists doing dance are almost as famous and respected as those doing other forms of art such as music. The competition in the modern world is also intense and hence more is demanded from both the dancers and the choreographers. Resultantly, more educational institutions have incorporated dance and choreography into their curricula.

The Future of Dance

Dance is bound to become more sophisticated moving into the future. Millenials prefer dance that is less conventional. Therefore, dance will reach levels of creativity not seen before. This might lead to more incorporation of unconventional movements such as yoga, acrobatics, and Tai Chi with conventional dance moves. Hi-tech will also be incorporated into dance more. Choreographers will get greater leverage in visual depth, dance motion, as well as many other dance props. Color, sound, and motion will also be incorporated into dance resulting into an explosive emulsion that can be compared to the surrealism witnessed in paintings. Employment of other technologies such as virtual reality in dance is also going to become popular in the future. Therefore, as a result of the advancement in technology, dance is going to venture into unexplored territories in future.

Conclusion

Different societies have practiced different forms of dance throughout history. Different people danced for different purposes, such as for religious rituals, celebrations, among others. As movement of people became easier, dance spread across the world. The different styles of dance have also evolved throughout history. Moreover, as shown in the discussion, some of dance styles were gobbled up by others leading to the creation of entirely new styles. It has also been shown that the emergence and evolution of music was determined by various social, economic, and political factors. For instance, ballet started as a dance for the nobilities in the Italian courts but grew outwards as the social and political beliefs changed. Media also plays a huge role in the spread of dance as evidenced by the spread of breaking throughout the world through film. Modern and contemporary dance are the most popular styles today. Though they still bear some elements of the traditional styles, they increasingly seek to break the formalization of the past. Moving into the future, technology will be incorporated into music more as millenials seek to spread their creativity further. Resultantly, dance will venture into realms of creativity not experienced before.

References

(2015, April 24). The History of Hip-Hop Dance. Retrieved from BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5CWQyWXZ4p7hr6NxG2L5qG9/the-history-of-hip-hop-dance

Caines, M. (2013, December 17). The woman behind the dance theatre company on funding, gender issues and why now is the time for cross-artform work. Retrieved from The Gurdian: https://www.theguardian.com/culture-professionals-network/culture-professionals-blog/2013/dec/17/arts-head-antonia-grove-probe-dance

Copeland, R., & Cohen, M. (1983). What is dance?: readings in theory and criticism. New York: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=_xytUIuaxloC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=what+is+dance&ots=3nZ_E3z0wi&sig=pUmQiFPmsc7M_rr6iFyq61KiSpQ

Dance Facts. (2019). Dance Facts - History, Interesting Tips and Types of Dance. Retrieved from Dance Facts: http://www.dancefacts.net/

Klapper, M....