dance

D0020500 (dăns)v. danced, danc·ing, danc·es v.intr.1. To move rhythmically usually to music, using prescribed or improvised steps and gestures.2. Zoology To perform a specialized set of movements to communicate chiefly with other members of the same species.3. a. To move or leap about excitedly.b. To bob up and down or move about rapidly: The leaves danced in the wind.c. To appear to flash or twinkle: eyes that danced with merriment.4. Informal To speak or behave in an evasive or vacillating manner: danced around the issue.v.tr.1. To engage in or perform (a dance).2. To lead (someone) in a dance.3. To cause to move up and down quickly or lightly: danced the child on her knee.n.1. a. A series of motions and steps, such as the waltz or tango, usually performed to music.b. The act or an instance of dancing: May I have this dance?c. The music composed or played for a certain kind of dance or for a particular dance.d. The art of dancing: studied dance in college.2. A party or gathering of people for dancing.3. Zoology An act of communication by dancing: a peacock's courtship dance.Idiom: dance attendance on To attend to or try to please (someone) with eagerness or obsequiousness.

[Middle English dauncen, from Old French danser, perhaps of Germanic origin.]

danc′er n.danc′ing·ly adv.

dance

(dɑːns) vb1. (Dancing) (intr) to move the feet and body rhythmically, esp in time to music2. (Dancing) (tr) to perform (a particular dance)3. (intr) to skip or leap, as in joy, etc4. to move or cause to move in a light rhythmic way5. dance attendance on someone to attend someone solicitously or obsequiouslyn6. (Dancing) a series of rhythmic steps and movements, usually in time to music. 7. (Dancing) an act of dancing8. (Dancing) a. a social meeting arranged for dancing; ballb. (as modifier): a dance hall. 9. (Music, other) a piece of music in the rhythm of a particular dance form, such as a waltz10. (Pop Music) short for dance music²11. (Zoology) dancelike movements made by some insects and birds, esp as part of a behaviour pattern12. lead someone a dance informal Brit to cause someone continued worry and exasperation; play up[C13: from Old French dancier] ˈdanceable adj ˈdancer n ˈdancing n, adj

dance

(dæns, dɑns)

v. danced, danc•ing,
n. v.i. 1. to move one's feet or body, or both, rhythmically in a pattern of steps, esp. to the accompaniment of music. 2. to leap, skip, etc., as from excitement or emotion; move nimbly or quickly. 3. to bob up and down: The toy sailboats danced on the pond. v.t. 4. to perform or take part in (a dance). 5. to cause to dance: He danced her around the room. 6. to cause to be in a specified condition by dancing: She danced her way to stardom. n. 7. a successive group of rhythmical steps or bodily motions, or both, usu. executed to music. 8. an act or round of dancing; set: May I have this dance? 9. the art of dancing: to study dance. 10. a social gathering or party for dancing; ball. 11. a piece of music suited in rhythm or style to a particular form of dancing. 12. a stylized pattern of movements performed by an animal, as a bird in a courtship display. [1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French da(u)ncer, Old French dancier, v. of uncertain orig.] dance′a•ble, adj. dance`a•bil′i•ty, n. danc′er, n.

dance

Past participle: danced
Gerund: dancing

Imperative
dance
dance

Present
I dance
you dance
he/she/it dances
we dance
you dance
they dance

Preterite
I danced
you danced
he/she/it danced
we danced
you danced
they danced

Present Continuous
I am dancing
you are dancing
he/she/it is dancing
we are dancing
you are dancing
they are dancing

Present Perfect
I have danced
you have danced
he/she/it has danced
we have danced
you have danced
they have danced

Past Continuous
I was dancing
you were dancing
he/she/it was dancing
we were dancing
you were dancing
they were dancing

Past Perfect
I had danced
you had danced
he/she/it had danced
we had danced
you had danced
they had danced

Future
I will dance
you will dance
he/she/it will dance
we will dance
you will dance
they will dance

Future Perfect
I will have danced
you will have danced
he/she/it will have danced
we will have danced
you will have danced
they will have danced

Future Continuous
I will be dancing
you will be dancing
he/she/it will be dancing
we will be dancing
you will be dancing
they will be dancing

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been dancing
you have been dancing
he/she/it has been dancing
we have been dancing
you have been dancing
they have been dancing

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been dancing
you will have been dancing
he/she/it will have been dancing
we will have been dancing
you will have been dancing
they will have been dancing

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been dancing
you had been dancing
he/she/it had been dancing
we had been dancing
you had been dancing
they had been dancing

Conditional
I would dance
you would dance
he/she/it would dance
we would dance
you would dance
they would dance

Past Conditional
I would have danced
you would have danced
he/she/it would have danced
we would have danced
you would have danced
they would have danced

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	dance - an artistic form of nonverbal communicationart, fine art - the products of human creativity; works of art collectively; "an art exhibition"; "a fine collection of art"extension - the ability to raise the working leg high in the air; "the dancer was praised for her uncanny extension"; "good extension comes from a combination of training and native ability"choreography - the representation of dancing by symbols as music is represented by noteschoreograph - compose a sequence of dance steps, often to music; "Balanchine choreographed many pieces to Stravinsky's music"hoof - dance in a professional capacitytap dance - perform a tap danceheel - perform with the heels; "heel that dance"
	2.	dance - a party of people assembled for dancingparty - a group of people gathered together for pleasure; "she joined the party after dinner"ball - the people assembled at a lavish formal dance; "the ball was already emptying out before the fire alarm sounded"
	3.	dance - taking a series of rhythmical steps (and movements) in time to musicdancing, terpsichore, saltationsidestep - a step to one side (as in boxing or dancing)diversion, recreation - an activity that diverts or amuses or stimulates; "scuba diving is provided as a diversion for tourists"; "for recreation he wrote poetry and solved crossword puzzles"; "drug abuse is often regarded as a form of recreation"adagio - a slow section of a pas de deux requiring great skill and strength by the dancersbreak dance, break dancing - a form of solo dancing that involves rapid acrobatic moves in which different parts of the body touch the ground; normally performed to the rhythm of rap musiccourante - a court dance of the 16th century; consisted of short advances and retreatsnauch, nautch, nautch dance - an intricate traditional dance in India performed by professional dancing girlspavan, pavane - a stately court dance of the 16th and 17th centuriesphrase - dance movements that are linked in a single choreographic sequencesaraband - a stately court dance of the 17th and 18th centuries; in slow timeskank - a rhythmic dance to reggae music performed by bending forward and extending the hands while bending the kneesslam dance, slam dancing - a form of dancing in which dancers slam into one another; normally performed to punk rockhoofing, step dancing - dancing in which the steps are more important than gestures or posturestoe dance, toe dancing - a dance performed on tiptoechoreography, stage dancing - a show involving artistic dancingpas seul, variation - (ballet) a solo dance or dance figurepas de deux, duet - (ballet) a dance for two people (usually a ballerina and a danseur noble)pas de trois - (ballet) a dance for three peoplepas de quatre - (ballet) a dance for four peoplesocial dancing - dancing as part of a social occasionmambo - a Latin American dance similar in rhythm to the rumbaceremonial dance, ritual dance, ritual dancing - a dance that is part of a religious ritualtap - a small metal plate that attaches to the toe or heel of a shoe (as in tap dancing)performing arts - arts or skills that require public performancebusker - a person who entertains people for money in public places (as by singing or dancing), usually while asking for moneyjive - dance to jive music; dance the jivetrip the light fantastic, trip the light fantastic toe, dance - move in a pattern; usually to musical accompaniment; do or perform a dance; "My husband and I like to dance at home to the radio"clog - dance a clog dancetap dance - perform a tap dancebelly dance - perform a belly danceheel - perform with the heels; "heel that dance"shimmy - dance a shimmy
	4.	dance - a party for social dancingparty - an occasion on which people can assemble for social interaction and entertainment; "he planned a party to celebrate Bastille Day"formal, ball - a lavish dance requiring formal attirebarn dance - a dance party featuring country dancingrecord hop, hop - an informal dance where popular music is playedrave - a dance party that lasts all night and electronically synthesized music is played; "raves are very popular in Berlin"
Verb	1.	dance - move in a graceful and rhythmical way; "The young girl danced into the room"trip the light fantastic, trip the light fantastic toe, dance - move in a pattern; usually to musical accompaniment; do or perform a dance; "My husband and I like to dance at home to the radio"move - move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion; "He moved his hand slightly to the right"glissade - perform a glissade, in balletchasse, sashay - perform a chasse step, in balletcapriole - perform a capriole, in ballet
	2.	dance - move in a pattern; usually to musical accompaniment; do or perform a dance; "My husband and I like to dance at home to the radio"trip the light fantastic, trip the light fantastic toedancing, terpsichore, dance, saltation - taking a series of rhythmical steps (and movements) in time to musicjive - dance to jive music; dance the jivehoof - dance in a professional capacityclog - dance a clog dancetap dance - perform a tap dancebelly dance - perform a belly danceheel - perform with the heels; "heel that dance"shimmy - dance a shimmymove - move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion; "He moved his hand slightly to the right"dance - move in a graceful and rhythmical way; "The young girl danced into the room"bebop, bop - dance the bebopbump - dance erotically or dance with the pelvis thrust forward; "bump and grind"twist - do the twistwaltz, waltz around - dance a waltztapdance, tap - dance and make rhythmic clicking sounds by means of metal plates nailed to the sole of the dance shoes; "Glover tapdances better than anybody"tango - dance a tangoshag - dance the shagfoxtrot - dance the foxtrotcontra danse, contradance, contredanse, country-dance - perform a contradancebreak dance, break-dance, break - do a break dance; "Kids were break-dancing at the street corner"cakewalk - perform the cakewalk danceconga - dance the congasamba - dance the sambatwo-step - dance the two-stepCharleston - dance the Charlestonboogie - dance to boogie musiccha-cha - dance the cha-chadisco - dance to disco musicmambo - dance a mambopolka - dance a polkaone-step - dance the one-steprhumba, rumba - dance the rhumbamosh, slam dance, thrash, slam - dance the slam dancejig - dance a quick dance with leaping and kicking motionsjitterbug - do the jitterbugfolk dance - perform a folk-dancesquare dance - dance in formationquickstep - perform a quickstepkick - kick a leg upskank - dance the skankgrind - dance by rotating the pelvis in an erotically suggestive way, often while in contact with one's partner such that the dancers' legs are interlaced
	3.	dance - skip, leap, or move up and down or sideways; "Dancing flames"; "The children danced with joy"move - move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion; "He moved his hand slightly to the right"

dance

verb1. prance, rock, trip, swing, spin, hop, skip, sway, whirl, caper, jig, frolic, cavort, gambol, bob up and down, cut a rug (informal) They like to dance to the music on the radio.2. caper, trip, spring, jump, bound, leap, bounce, hop, skip, romp, frolic, cavort, gambol He danced off down the road.3. sparkle, move, flash, glitter, wink, shimmer, twinkle, glint, glisten, glister (archaic), scintillate patterns of light dancing on the rivernoun1. ball, social, hop (informal), disco, knees-up (Brit. informal), discotheque, dancing party She often went to dances and parties in the village.lead someone a merry dance run rings around, mess someone about, lead someone up the garden path The criminals led the police a merry dance.Related words
adjective Terpsichorean
like choreomaniaQuotations
"Dancing is the loftiest, the most moving, the most beautiful of the arts, because it is no mere translation or abstraction from life; it is life itself" [Havelock Ellis The Dance of Life]
"On with the dance! Let joy be unconfined;"
"No sleep till morn, when Youth and Pleasure meet"
"To chase the glowing hours with flying feet" [Lord Byron Childe Harold's Pilgrimage]
"No sober man dances, unless he happens to be mad" [Cicero Pro Murena]

Dance

Dances allemande, apache dance, ballroom dance, barn dance, beguine, belly dance, black bottom, body popping, bogle, bolero, boogaloo, boogie, bossa nova, boston, bourrée, branle, brawl, break dance, breakdown, buck and wing, bump, bunny hug, butterfly, cachucha, cakewalk, calypso, cancan, carioca, carmagnole, carol, cha-cha-cha or cha-cha, chaconne, charleston, clog dance, conga, contredanse or contradance, Cossack dance, cotillion, country dance, courante, czardas, Dashing White Sergeant, ecossaise, eightsome reel, excuse-me, fan dance, fandango, farandole, flamenco, folk dance, formation dance, foxtrot, galliard, galop, gavotte, Gay Gordons, german, ghost dance, gigue, gopak, habanera, hay or hey, Highland fling, hoedown, hokey cokey, hora, hornpipe, hula or hula-hula, hustle, jig, jitterbug, jive, jota, juba, kazachok, kolo, lambada, Lambeth walk, lancers, ländler, limbo, macarena, malagueña, mambo, maxixe, mazurka, merengue, minuet, Morisco or Moresco, morris dance, mosh, musette, nautch, old-time dance, one-step, palais glide, paso doble, passacaglia, Paul Jones, pavane, pogo, poi dance, polka, polonaise, pyrrhic, quadrille, quickstep, redowa, reel, rigadoon or rigaudon, ring-shout, robot dancing or robotics, ronggeng, round, round dance, roundelay or roundel, rumba, salsa, saltarello, samba, saraband, saunter, schottische, seguidilla, shake, shimmy, shuffle, siciliano, Sir Roger de Coverley, skank, snake dance, snowball, square dance, step dance, stomp, strathspey, strip the willow, sword dance, tambourin, tango, tap dance, tarantella, toe dance, twist, two-step, Tyrolienne, Virginia reel, vogueing, volta, waltz, war dance, ZapataGeneral dance steps and terms chassé, choreography, dosido, glide, grand chain, keep step, in step, out of step, pas, pas de basque, pas seul, phrase, pigeonwing, progressive, promenade, rhythm, routine, score, sequence, set, shuffle, slip step, steps, time

dance

verb1. To move rhythmically to music, using patterns of steps or gestures:foot, step.Slang: hoof.Idioms: cut a rug, foot it, trip the light fantastic.2. To leap and skip about playfully:caper, cavort, frisk, frolic, gambol, rollick, romp.nounA party or gathering for dancing:ball.Informal: hop.

Translations

舞蹈跳舞上下摆动舞会

dance

(daːns) verb1. to move in time to music by ma-king a series of rhythmic steps. She began to dance; Can you dance the waltz?跳舞2. to move quickly up and down. The father was dancing the baby on his knee.上下摆动 noun1. a series of fixed steps made in time to music. Have you done this dance before?; (also adjective) dance music.舞蹈2. a social gathering at which people dance. We're going to a dance next Saturday.舞会ˈdancer nouna ballet dancer.舞蹈演员ˈdancing nounShe likes dancing; (also adjective) dancing shoes. 跳舞，跳舞用的

dance

→ 舞蹈zhCN, 跳舞zhCN

Would you like to dance? → 你想跳舞吗？
I don't really dance → 我不会跳舞

dance

[Old High Ger. danson=to drag, stretch], the art of precise, expressive, and graceful human movement, traditionally, but not necessarily, performed in accord with musical accompaniment. Dancing developed as a natural expression of united feeling and action.

The Origins of Dance

The earliest history of human dance is a continuing mystery. From the evidence of illustrated ceramic fragments, some archaeologists have speculated that dance originated some 5,000 to 9,000 years ago in early agricultural cultures located in a swath running from modern Pakistan to the Danube basin. Others, however, have expressed caution regarding the reconstruction of social behavior from such sources. Speculation aside, specific knowledge of prehistoric dances is lacking, and thus many experts have extrapolated dance history from the preserved ritual dances of various preliterate societies.

Ritualistic and Ceremonial Dance

Native American dances illustrate most of the purposes of dance that is of a ritualistic or ceremonial nature: the war dance, expressing prayer for success and thanksgiving for victory; the dance of exorcism or healing, performed by shamans to drive out evil spirits; the dance of invocation, calling on the gods for help in farming, hunting, the fertility of human beings and animals, and other tribal concerns; initiation dances for secret societies; mimetic dances, illustrating events in tribal history, legend, or mythology; dances representing cosmic processes; and, more rarely, the dance of courtship, an invocation for success in love. The dance of religious ecstasy, in which hypnotic or trancelike states are induced (a characteristic phenomenon of Southeast Asia and Africa), was represented in America by the remarkable Ghost DanceGhost Dance,
central ritual of the messianic religion instituted in the late 19th cent. by a Paiute named Wovoka. The religion prophesied the peaceful end of the westward expansion of whites and a return of the land to the Native Americans.
..... Click the link for more information. .

Native American dancing is always performed on the feet, but in many islands of the Pacific and in Asia some of the dances are performed in a sitting posture, with only the hands, arms, and upper parts of the body used. Ancient Egyptian dances, often of a religious character, were derived from earlier African forms. In Greece the choral dance in honor of Dionysus played a part in the development of the drama and in religious worship. Many early religious or celebratory dances have survived in the folk dancefolk dance,
primitive, tribal, or ethnic form of the dance, sometimes the survival of some ancient ceremony or festival. The term is used also to include characteristic national dances, country dances, and figure dances in costume to folk tunes.
..... Click the link for more information. of modern times.

In India dance and drama have usually been related, both generally having religious significance. An elaborate code of movements of the arms and hands (mudras), expressive use of the face and especially of the eyes, and a sinuous posturing of the body are important features of Indian classical dancing, among the best-known examples being Kathakali and the Bharata Natyam, both of S India. The early dances of Japan, probably influenced by ancient Chinese forms, became institutionalized with the establishment of a national school of dancing in the 14th cent. Soon the dance became associated with the famous No drama (see Asian dramaAsian drama,
dramatic works produced in the East. Of the three major Asian dramas—Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese—the oldest is Sanskrit, although the dates of its origin are uncertain.
..... Click the link for more information. ). Secular dances are performed by the geisha.

The Development of Dance in Europe

In medieval Europe the repeated outbreaks of dance mania, a form of mass hysteria sometimes caused by religious frenzy and usually associated with epidemics of bubonic plague, are reflected in the allegory of the dance of death (see Death, Dance ofDeath, Dance of,
or danse macabre
, originally a 14th-century morality poem. The poem was a dialogue between Death and representatives of all classes from the Pope down. By the 15th cent., pictorial representation with verses illustrating the pictures became common.
..... Click the link for more information. ). Dancing as a social activity and a form of entertainment is of relatively recent origin. During the Middle Ages, especially in France, dancing was a feature of the more enlightened and convivial courts. Some medieval dances, such as the volta, precursor of the waltz, became the sources of modern dance steps. In the 16th cent. two types of dance were popular, the solemn and stately dances performed at the court of Charles IX and the lively peasant dances.

The balletballet
[Ital. ballare=to dance], classic, formalized solo or ensemble dancing of a highly controlled, dramatic nature performed to music.

See also dance; modern dance.
..... Click the link for more information. first appeared in Italian courts in the 16th cent., and it became popular in France, especially during the reign of Louis XIV. Among the formal dances of the 17th cent. were the courante, sarabandsaraband
, dance of Asian origin that first appeared in Spain in the 16th cent. At that time it was characterized by alternate 3–4 and 3–8 meter and was accompanied by castanets and tambourines.
..... Click the link for more information. , pavan, minuetminuet
, French dance, originally from Poitou, introduced at the court of Louis XIV in 1650. It became popular during the 17th and 18th cent. In 3–4 meter and moderate tempo, the minuet was performed by open couples who made graceful and precise glides and steps.
..... Click the link for more information. , gavottegavotte
, originally a peasant dance of the Gavots in upper Dauphiné, France. A type of circle dance characterized by lively, skipping steps, it was introduced at the court of Louis XIV and was used by Lully in his ballets and operas and by François Couperin and J.
..... Click the link for more information. , quadrille (or contredanse), and cotillion. Music, which had developed to accompany dancing, had, by this time, evolved many forms and rhythms no longer associated with the dance. French dances made their way to England in the 17th cent. where variations of the morris dancemorris dance
or morrice dance,
rustic dance of the north of England that had its origin in country festivals, such as those of May Day and Whitsunday. Reference to it in English literature is made as early as the 15th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. were frequently performed in villages and small towns.

Popular national dances include the mazurkamazurka
, Polish national dance that spread to England and the United States at the beginning of the 19th cent. Danced by four or eight couples and characterized by stamping of the feet and clicking of the heels, it is in moderate triple meter and permits improvisation.
..... Click the link for more information. and polonaisepolonaise
, Polish national dance, in moderate 3–4 time and of slow, stately movements. It evolved from peasant and court processions and ceremonies of the late 16th cent. and was later used by J. S. and W. F. Bach, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and Liszt.
..... Click the link for more information. from Poland; the czardas from Hungary; the fandangofandango
, ancient Spanish dance, probably of Moorish origin, that came into Europe in the 17th cent. It is in triple time and is danced by a single couple to the accompaniment of castanets, guitar, and songs sung by the dancers.
..... Click the link for more information. , bolerobolero
, national dance of Spain, introduced c.1780 by Sebastian Zerezo, or Cerezo. Of Moroccan origin, it resembles the fandango. It is in 2–4 or 3–4 time for solo or duo dancing and is performed to the accompaniment of castanets, guitar, and the voices of the
..... Click the link for more information. , seguidilla, and flamencoflamenco,
Spanish music and dance typical of the Romani (Gypsy), or gitano. Flamenco dancing is characterized by colorful costumes, intense and erotic movements, stamping of the feet (zapateado), and clapping of the hands (palmada
..... Click the link for more information. from Spain; the tarantellatarantella
, Neapolitan folk dance that first appeared in Taranto, Italy, in the 17th cent. It had rapid 6–8 meter with an increasing tempo and was thought to cure the bite of the tarantula (Lycosa tarantula,
..... Click the link for more information. and saltarello from Italy; the waltzwaltz,
romantic dance in moderate triple time. It evolved from the German Ländler and became popular in the 18th cent. The dance is smooth, graceful, and vital in performance.
..... Click the link for more information. and galop from Germany; the polka and schottische from Bohemia; the strathspey and Highland flingHighland fling,
national dance of Highland Scotland. Composed in the duple rhythm of the strathspey, a variety of reel, it is characterized by the Scotch snap (a succession of sixteenth notes alternating with dotted eighths). The "fling" emphasizes a kicking gesture.
..... Click the link for more information. from Scotland; the hornpipehornpipe,
English folk dance known since the 16th cent., when it obtained its name from the wind instrument that accompanied it. The hornpipes of the 17th and 18th cent. have moderate 3–2 time and 4–4 time.
..... Click the link for more information. from England; and the jigjig,
dance of English origin that is performed also in Ireland and Scotland. It is usually a lively dance, performed by one or more persons, with quick and irregular steps. When the jig was introduced to the United States, it was often danced in minstrel shows.
..... Click the link for more information. from Ireland.

Dance in the Americas

The United States initiated the barn dance, Virginia reel, clog dance, cakewalk, and Paul Jones in the 19th cent., the two-step c.1890, the turkey trot (one-step) c.1900, and the fox-trot c.1912. The popularity of jazzjazz,
the most significant form of musical expression of African-American culture and arguably the most outstanding contribution the United States has made to the art of music. Origins of Jazz

Jazz developed in the latter part of the 19th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. in the early 1920s produced a number of new social dances, of which the most popular was the charlestoncharleston,
social dance of the United States popular in the mid-1920s. The charleston is characterized by outward heel kicks combined with an up-and-down movement achieved by bending and straightening the knees in time to the syncopated 4/4 rhythm of ragtime jazz.
..... Click the link for more information. . From South America came the Argentine tango and the Brazilian maxixe and samba; from Cuba, the rumba, conga, and mambo.

Since the 1920s the United States has seen a wave of dance crazes, among them the Lindy Hop of the 1930s, the boogie woogie and jitterbug of the 1940s, the cha cha and rock 'n' roll of the 1950s, the twist, frug, and various frenzied discothèque and go-go dances of the 1960s, the disco dances of the 1970s, and in the 1980s hip-hop, which was tied to rap musicrap music
or hip-hop,
genre originating in the mid-1970s among black and Hispanic performers in New York City, at first associated with an athletic style of dancing, known as breakdancing.
..... Click the link for more information. and evolved into an energetic style of street dancing, called break dancing. Tap dancing and ballroom and adagio dancing have won wide popularity as entertainment and have been featured frequently in musical stage shows and movies.

See also modern dancemodern dance,
serious theatrical dance forms that are distinct from both ballet and the show dancing of the musical comedy or variety stage. The Beginnings of Modern Dance

Developed in the 20th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. .

Bibliography

See L. Kirstein, Book of the Dance (rev. ed. 1942); C. Sachs, World History of the Dance (tr. 1937, repr. 1963); W. Sorell, The Dance through the Ages (1967); W. Terry, The Dance in America (rev. ed. 1971); G. Vuillier, A History of Dancing from the Earliest Ages to Our Own Time (1898, repr. 1973); P. Magriel, Chronicles of the American Dance (1978); J. H. Mazo, Prime Movers (1977, repr. 1983); F. Bijester, Dancing Is Pleasure for Two: The Story of Ballroom and Social Dance (1985); S. Barnes, Terpsichore in Sneakers: Post-Modern Dance (1987); N. Reynolds and M. McCormick, No Fixed Points: Dance in the Twentieth Century (2003); B. Seibert, What the Eye Hears: A History of Tap Dancing (2015); A. Chujoy and P. W. Manchester, ed., The Dance Encyclopedia (rev. ed. 1967), S. J. Cohen, ed., International Encyclopedia of Dance (6 vol., 1998), and D. Craine and J Mackrell, Oxford Dictionary of Dance (2000).

dance

see SOCIOLOGY OF MUSIC AND DANCE.

Masked dancer from a cave painting, Dordogne, France. Courtesy Raymond Buckland.

Dance

(religion, spiritualism, and occult)

From earliest times, dancing has been an integral part of religious worship and of magical practice. The dance was, in many ways, considered a prayer, a spell, or an invocation. Gertrude Prokosch Kurath, in Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend, says, "Folk dance is communal reaction in movement patterns to life's crucial cycles." Pennethorne Hughes describes dance as "an extremely early expression of the emotional and rhythmic unity of the group." Throughout the world, humankind has celebrated life and communion with deity in dance. Its origins can probably be traced to early human mimicking of the stalking and slaying of game, perhaps as part of a hunting magic ritual.

Dancing around the Maypole on May Day is an example of an ancient dance custom. The phallic symbolism of the Maypole or Tree is generally accepted. Fine examples of such Maypole dancing are depicted in the stained glass windows of churches in England, such as the one at Batley, Staffordshire, dating from the reign of Henry VIII. One window depicts a figure astride a hobbyhorse. A similar hobbyhorse figure is included in the group that performs the ancient Abbotts Bromley Horn Dance, still enacted in the county of Staffordshire, England. Performed on the first Sunday after September 4, the Abbotts Bromley Horn Dance is the oldest such surviving ceremony in Britain, possessing shades of the shamanic magical workings of prehistoric times.

Dance was a part of Christian worship up into the seventeenth century, especially in Spain. In 1282, at Inverkeithing in Scotland, the village priest was admonished (but not punished) for leading his parishioners in a dance about a phallic symbol as part of the Easter celebrations. According to Pennethorne Hughes, dancing still occurs in the Church of Abyssinia.

It is no surprise, therefore, that dancing should have been an integral part of a religion so full of life as Witchcraft. Leaping dances, astride pitchforks, poles, and broomsticks were a part of fertility rites to promote the growth of crops (see broomstick). Dancing was also a big part of Witches' sabbat celebrations. Margaret Alice Murray suggests that there were two main types of dance at these: the ring dance and the followyour-leader type. Pierre de Lancre (Tableau de l'Inconstance des Mauvais Anges, Paris, 1613) described such a ring dance, saying, "once the banquet was finished the dancing began around a large tree, the participants dancing back to back in a ring." Thomas Cooper (Pleasant Treatise of Witches London, 1673) reported, "The dance is strange, and wonderful, as well as diabolical, for turning themselves back to back, they take one another by the arms and raise each other from the ground, then shake their heads to and fro like Anticks, and turn themselves as if they were mad." There is a detail of this back-to-back dancing in the painting The Entry of Isabel of Bavaria into Paris as Bride of Charles VI in the Bibilothèque Nationale, Paris.

In 1590 the North Berwick Witches (see Scottish Witchcraft) danced all around the churchyard. "Gelie Duncan played on a trump, John Fian, missellit, led the ring; Agnes Sampson and her daughters and all the rest following the said Barbara, to the number of seven score of persons," according to Robert Pitcairn (Criminal Trials, Edinburgh, 1833). Musical instruments varied, from Gelie Duncan's trump to trumpets, violins, drums, and tambourines. There was also much singing, as there is today at Wiccan gatherings.

Dancing Master or Dancing Mistress seems to have been one of the important positions in the old covens. Murray says, "One duty seems to have been delegated to a particular individual, who might perhaps hold no other office, or who might, on the other hand, be the chief official; this was the manager, often the leader, of the dance. As pace seems to have been an essential in the dance, the leader was necessarily active and generally young." One of the dances in use with most traditions is the meeting dance—a spiral dance that winds into the center and out again. As the Witches pass one another, males kiss females and females kiss males in greeting.

Many surviving examples of old Pagan dances can be found today, for example, in Morris dancing. The "dibbling" of sticks into the ground, as part of some of the dances, ties in with the planting of seeds, while the clashing of sticks and waving of handkerchiefs is intended to disperse negative spirits. In many of the Morris dances, the dancers leap high in the air in much the same way that the Pagans and Witches of old leapt high as part of imitative magic when showing the crops how high to grow.

Dancing is one of the ways for Witches to raise the power required to work magic. By moving rhythmically, clapping or slapping the body, and perhaps chanting, a state of ekstasis is brought on to direct the power raised to bring about the end sought. In Voodoo a similar ekstasis is achieved through dancing, which is done to the rhythmic beating of the drums. The ensuing ecstasy leads to the entry of the loa, the Voodoo deities.

Dance

an art form that employs bodily movements and gestures to express artistic images. Dance was first based on various movements connected with man’s work and man’s impressions of the surrounding world. The movements gradually became stylized, and the art of the dance evolved as one of the earliest examples of folk arts. Initially linked with speech and song, dance gradually acquired importance as an independent art form. Dance traditions have developed among all peoples of the world.

Stage dance, which is based on folk dance, became highly developed in the professional theater and was thoroughly systematized. Various schools of dance developed, including European classical dance, which is the basis of contemporary ballet, Asian dance, including the Indian kathak, kathakali, manipuri, tamasha, and African dance. Folk dance was also the basis of ballroom dance.

As an art form, dance is a means of intellectual and emotional expression. The artistic quality of a given dance is determined by its thematic content and the way it is performed. The chief means of expression used in dance are harmonious movements and poses, plasticity, and facial expression; important features of the dance are dynamics, rhythm, and design (arrangement of movements). Costumes and stage props are used to enhance the beauty of dances and to make dance visually real. Ballet is enriched by dramaturgy, which lends it particular expressive power. The most basic element of dance movement is the tempo. Individual steps are grouped into combinations. Dance is measured by the same rhythmic units as music.

The dance of antiquity exerted a great influence on the development of European dance, for example, the religious dances in Assyria and Egypt and various dances in Greece, including dances in honor of Apollo, Bacchus, and other gods, the pyrrhic war dances, and the gymnopaedic dances, all of which were an integral part of the Greek theater. Dancer-mimes appeared in the Hellenistic period, between the fourth and second centuries B.C. During the second and first centuries B.C., the Romans adopted Hellenistic dance, which they subsequently developed as pantomime in the second and fifth centuries A.D.

During the Middle Ages dance was discouraged by the clergy. Later, dance was gradually theatricalized by jongleurs, Spielmänner, and skomorokhi (Russian itinerant performers). In the 15th and 16th centuries, Morescas (narrative dance scenes) were performed and the first treatises and textbooks on the dance were written.

With the appearance of the first ballets in the early 17th century, a new dance technique evolved. The French Academy of Dance (founded 1661) codified what subsequently became known as classical dance. Reforms in music, for example, the opera reform of C. Gluck, influenced the structure of ballets, helping ballet emerge as an independent art form.

During the Enlightenment, ballet became emotionally and dramatically more profound. The pas d’action, a dance with narrative or thematic content, evolved and later was developed in the romantic ballet. During the second half of the 19th century, a new virtuoso dance style developed, facilitated by special point shoes, which permitted the ballerina to stand, move about, and execute rapid turns while on her toes. A great contribution was made to ballet in the late 19th century by the symphonic composers P. I. Tchaikovsky and A. K. Glazunov and the choreographers M. I. Petipa and L. I. Ivanov. Their innovations included the use of leitmotifs and the coordination of the choreography of soloists and the corps de ballet.

The character dance, a balletic stylization of folk dance, developed in ballet and was followed by an interest in genuine folk dance, elements of which were employed by many Russian choreographers, including M. M. Fokine, K. Ia. Goleizovskii, and F. V. Lopukhov. Experiments were conducted in new choreographic forms, and the traditional structure of the pas de deux, pas de trois, and grand pas was discarded.

By the late 19th century, a new school of dance had evolved. Conventionally termed “modern dance” (or “free,” “plastic,” or “rhythmic” dance), it was originally based on the methods of F. Delsarte and E. Jaques-Dalcroze. I. Duncan also exerted an influence on the development of modern dance. In Europe and the USA between the 1940’s and the 1960’s, modern dance borrowed elements from classical ballet, and ballet likewise adopted certain elements of modern dance. The dance of the variety stage, in which performers strive for virtuosity and striking, expressive technique, has also developed.

Dance has become especially popular in the USSR, where numerous amateur and professional dance companies have been established, including song and dance ensembles. National schools of dance have been founded by peoples who once lacked developed dance traditions or whose traditions had disappeared, such as the Turkmen, Kazakhs, and Kirghiz. Soviet choreographers utilize classical dance as the most highly perfected dance system. Distinctive schools of ballet are developing in the national republics on the basis of the Russian school of ballet. An integrated system of teaching has been adopted in the ballet schools of the USSR, and textbooks and teaching aids have been created for folk dancing, ballet, character dancing, and ballroom dancing.

REFERENCES

Khudekov, S. N. Istoriia tantsev, parts 1–4. St. Petersburg, 1913–18.
Lucian. “O pliaske.” Sobr. soch., vol. 2. Moscow-Leningrad, 1935.
Lopukhov, A. V., A. V. Shiriaev, and A. I. Bocharov. Osnovy kharakternogo lantsa. Leningrad-Moscow, 1939.
Vaganova, A. la. Osnovy klassicheskogo tantsa, 3rd ed. Leningrad-Moscow, 1948.
Ivanovskii, N. P. Bal’nyi tanets XVI-XIX vv. Leningrad-Moscow, 1948.
Vasil’eva-Rozhdestvenskaia, M. V. Istoriko-bytovoi tanets. Moscow, 1963.
See also under .

E. IA. SURITS

What does it mean when you dream about dancing?

Dancing is a rich symbol, capable of many different interpretations. Depending on the type of movement in which we engage, dancing may be associated with romance and sex, with the experience of freedom from constraints, with participating in life or in social activities (the dance of life), with frivolity, with gracefulness, or with group cooperation.

Dance

Carmichael, Essieuntalented girl who goes into her ballet routine with little or no encouragement. [Am. Drama: Kaufman and Hart You Can’t Take It with You in Hart, 955]Esmereldagypsy girl whose street dancing captivates onlookers. [Fr. Lit.: Victor Hugo The Hunchback of Notre Dame]“Red Shoes, The”bewitched shoes force Karen to dance unceasingly. [Danish Lit.: Andersen “The Red Shoes” in Magill II, 27]Rockettesprecision dancers; a fixture at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. [Am. Dance: Payton, 576]Roseland BallroomNew York dance hall. [Pop. Culture: Misc.]Salomedanced to obtain head of John the Baptist. [N.T.: Matthew 14:6–11]St. Denis, Ruth, and Ted Shawn(1877–1968) (1891–1972) husband-and-wife team, founders of Denishawn dance schools. [Am. Dance: NCE, 2395]Terpsichoremuse of dancing. [Gk. Myth.: Brewer Dictionary, 849]Vitus, St.patron saint of dancers. [Christian Hagiog: Saints and Festivals, 291]Ziegfeld Folliesbeautiful dancing girls highlighted annual musical revue on Broadway (1907–1931). [Am. Theater: NCE, 3045]

dance

1. a series of rhythmic steps and movements, usually in time to music 2. an act of dancing 3. a. a social meeting arranged for dancing; ball b. (as modifier): a dance hall 4. a piece of music in the rhythm of a particular dance form, such as a waltz 5. dancelike movements made by some insects and birds, esp as part of a behaviour pattern
www.culturekiosque.com/dance
www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3modrn1.htm
www.sapphireswan.com/dance/links/modern.htm
www.artindia.net/modern.html
www.britisharts.co.uk/moddance.htm

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Synonyms for dance

verb prance

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verb caper

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verb sparkle

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noun ball

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phrase lead someone a merry dance

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Synonyms for dance

verb to move rhythmically to music, using patterns of steps or gestures

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verb to leap and skip about playfully

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noun a party or gathering for dancing

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Synonyms for dance

noun an artistic form of nonverbal communication

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noun a party of people assembled for dancing

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noun taking a series of rhythmical steps (and movements) in time to music

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noun a party for social dancing

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verb move in a graceful and rhythmical way

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verb move in a pattern

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verb skip, leap, or move up and down or sideways

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