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Dance
Morris dancing in the grounds of Wells Cathedral, Wells, England
Morris dancing in the grounds of Wells Cathedral, Wells, England

Dance (from French danser, perhaps from Frankish) generally refers to rhythmic movement of the body, usually to music,[1] used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting.

Dance is also used to describe methods of non-verbal communication (see body language) between humans or animals (bee dance, patterns of behaviour such as a mating dance), motion in inanimate objects (the leaves danced in the wind), and certain musical forms or genres.

Definitions of what constitutes dance are dependent on social, cultural, aesthetic, artistic and moral constraints and range from functional movement (such as Folk dance) to virtuoso techniques such as ballet. In sports, gymnastics, figure skating and synchronized swimming are dance disciplines while Martial arts 'kata' are often compared to dances.

Dance can be directly participatory, social or performed for an audience. It can also be ceremonial, competitive or erotic. Dance movements may be without significance in themselves, such as in ballet or European folk dance, or have a gestural vocabulary/symbolic system as in many Asian dances. Dance can embody or express ideas, emotions or tell a story.

Choreography is the art of creating dances, and the person who does this is called a choreographer.

Contents

Origins and history of dance

  • Professional practice: performance and technical skills
  • Practice-based research: choreography and performance
  • Ethnochoreology, encompassing the dance-related aspects of Anthropology, Cultural Studies, Gender Studies, Area studies, Postcolonial theory, Ethnography, etc.
  • Dance therapy or Dance-Movement Therapy.
  • Dance and technology: new media and performance technologies.
  • Laban Movement Analysis and Somatic studies
  • A full range of Academic degrees are available from BA (Hons) to PhD and other postdoctoral fellowships, with many dance scholars taking up their studies as mature students after a professional dance career.

    Dancing is evolved in so many different styles. Breakdancing and Crumping which is related to the hip hop culture. African dance which is interperative. Ballet, Ballroom, Waltz, and Tango are classical styles of dance. While square and the infamous electric slide are forms of step dances.

    Dance occupations

    There are different careers connected with dancing: Dancer, dance teacher, dance sport coach, dance therapist and choreographer.

    Dancer

    The training as the dancer differs depending upon the dance form with nationally recognized university studies for classical dance (e.g. Ballet) compared to the more sports like training in competition dance (e.g. Latin dance) and private training as the solo dancer (e.g. eastern dance).

    Dancers are usually employed on contract or for a particular performance. Constantly changing work situations, strong competition pressure and only rarely high fees do not deter dancers. Professional dancers often need to supplement their income, either in dance related roles (e.g., dance teaching, dance sport coaches, yoga or Pilates instruction) to achieve financial stability.

    In the U.S. many professional dancers are members of unions such as the American Guild of Musical Artists, the Screen Actors Guild and Actors' Equity Association. The unions help determine working conditions and minimum salaries for their members.

    See also: Risks of classical ballet
    Dance teachers

    Dance teacher and operators of dance schools rely on reputation and marketing. For dance forms without an association structure such as Salsa or Tango Argentino they may not have formal training. Most dance teachers are self employed.

    Dancesport coaches

    Dancesport coaches are tournament dancers or former dancesports people, and may be recognised by a dance sport federation.

    Choreographer

    Choreographer are generally university trained and are typically employed for particular projects or, more rarely may work for a specific company. A choreographic work is protected intellectual property. Dancers may undertake their own choreography.

    Dance by ethnicity or region

  • Dance in Australia
  • Dance in Canada
  • Dance in the United States
  • Backup dancer
  • Lists

    Related topics

    Further reading

    • Adshead-Lansdale, J. (Ed) (1994) Dance History: An Introduction. Routledge.
    • Carter, A. (1998) The Routledge Dance Studies Reader. Routledge.
    • Cohen, S, J. (1992) Dance As a Theatre Art: Source Readings in Dance History from 1581 to the Present. Princeton Book Co.
    • Charman, S. Kraus, R, G. Chapman, S. and Dixon-Stowall, B. (1990) History of the Dance in Art and Education. Pearson Education.
    • Daly, A. (2002) Critical Gestures: Writings on Dance and Culture. Wesleyan University Press.
    • Dils, A. (2001) Moving History/Dancing Cultures: A Dance History Reader. Wesleyan University Press.
    • Miller, James, L. (1986) Measures of Wisdom: The Cosmic Dance in Classical and Christian Antiquity, University of Toronto Press.

    References

    1. ^ britannica
    2. ^ a b Nathalie Comte. "Europe, 1450 to 1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World". Ed. Jonathan Dewald. Vol. 2. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2004. p94-108.
    3. ^ Guenther, Mathias Georg. 'The San Trance Dance: Ritual and Revitalization Among the Farm Bushmen of the Ghanzi District, Republic of Botswana.' Journal, South West Africa Scientific Society, v30, 1975-76.
    4. ^ http://www.idsf.net/press97/idsfp172.htm
    5. ^ http://www.idsf.net/press00/idsf0026.htm
    6. ^ Dance: The Living Spirit of Indian Arts, by Prof. P. C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet.
    7. ^ "The yakun natima - devil dance ritual of Sri Lanka" at WWW Virtual Library - Sri Lanka

    External links

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