origins

dance origins art styles natyashastra benefits

background

Dance has certainly been an important part of ceremonies, rituals, celebrations and entertainment since the earliest human civilisations. Archeology delivers traces of dance from prehistoric times such as the 9,000 year old Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka paintings in India and Egyptian tomb paintings depicting dancing figures from c. 3300 BC. One of the earliest structured uses of dances may have been in the performance and in the telling of myths. It was also sometimes used to show feelings for one of the opposite gender. Before the production of written languages, dance was one of the methods of passing these stories down from generation to generation. Another early use of dance may have been as a precursor to ecstatic trance states in healing rituals.

origins

It is not possible to say when dance became part of human culture, but dance is probably the most ancient of the arts and the oldest means of expression, reflecting the need of humanity to express emotion and need, by using the most immediate instrument available, the body. Astronomical events made a deep impression on ancient man and movements of the heavenly bodies were imitated through circle dances and there are many and various rituals amongst the cultures of the world, present and past, where dance is an important element in the life and well being of the community, with love work and ritual all finding expression through dance. Many important events, such as births, marriages and death were celebrated and mourned with dancing and humans would dance for the heavens to send rain and would dance in bliss when these dancing prayers were answered.

record

It is only since 1890 that it has been possible to capture movement on film. For many thousands of years, dance could only be preserved by words or paintings hence we only have fleeting glimpses of the breadth and range of the dancing that enchanted man and womankind for eons. Sadly the vast majority of the human experience of dance is lost to us. Often the music is a essential part of the dance performance and sound recordings were first possible after 1877, hence the songs, melodies and refrains that accompanied dance have only been available for our enjoyment since the late 1800s’.