FREE ESSAY ON DANCE

DANCE

A series of set of movements to music, either alone or with a partner. That is the
definition of dancing. Dancing is a way to express one's feeling and to get active.
Dance has been a part of human history since the earliest records of human life. Cave
paintings found in Spain and France dating from 30,000 -10,000 BC. have vivid drawings of
dancing figures in association with ritual illustrating the pesents of dance in early
human society. Many people around the world see life as a dance from the movements of the
heavens and the turn of the seasons to the unique dance of every creature. The history of
dance reflects the changes in the way people see the world, relate to their bodies and
experience the cycles of life. In India among the Hindus, the Creator is a dancer who
dances the world through the cycles of birth, death and rebirth. In the early churches of
Europe, Christian worship included dance while at other times in western history dancing
was outlawed and banned.
In Ancient Egypt, ceremonial dances were enacted by the pharaohs as a dancing priest-
king representing his people. These dances, culminating in ceremonies representing the
death and rebirth of the god Osiris became more and more complex until ultimately they
could only be performed by a highly valued professional class of dancers. In Ancient
Greece, Egyptian dance influences were carried over by Greek philosophers who went to
Egypt for general study.
The dance rituals of the Gods and Goddesses of the Greek pantheon are recognized as the
origins of contemporary Western theater. Around Dionysus, the god of transformation and
generation celebrated through wine, grew a cult of primarily of women followers known as
the maenads who worshiped with captivating dance. These dances eventually evolved to
include praise songs and myths that were enacted by trained dancers and actors. By the
end of the 5th century BC, these dance dramas were part of entertainment and provided
social and political commentary on the times. 
Amongst the Romans, dance waxed and waned in acceptance by the powers that ruled. Until
200 BC, dance brought life to Roman processions, festivals and celebrations. However, in
150 BC all of the dancing schools were closed as Roman nobility considered dance as
suspicious and even dangerous activity of the masses.
Dancing has come a long way since ancient times. But there are still some similarities.
When people thought up these dances they were trying to express themselves, their
emotions, their problems and beliefs. Today we do the same thing. We make up dances
according to our attitudes, beliefs, thoughts and feelings. The future will also contain
dances that will reflect that society.
There are many different kinds of dances. There is ballet, line dancing, slow dancing,
the list goes on and on. Some of these dances are slow. Some of them are fast. They all
use different type of instruments. Each dance representing a time, an event, an
expression or feeling. Each dance expressing something different.
Dances will never die. They are too interconnected in the world's society. They will
live. They will show the generations ahead what the ancient 90s were like. Through dance
our culture and society will be remembered to the end of time.