WORLD DANCES

The history of dance

Dances have always existed. People used them to thank gods for their harvests, to
ask for good harvests for the next year and so on. But dances are also a way of
socialize, to know and to show the customs of their country.

The origins
Dancing originated at the same time as humans. It was a way to express and to
communicate. Both with the rest of humans and with the forces of nature which
were considered as gods.
It was used to encourage warriors, to court the opposite sex (like flirting) and to
exercise.
Dancing is in our nature: rhythm is in our body, in the way the organs work; think
about the breathing and the heart rate.
Dancing was born in the same way as music, they are strongly linked.
The first ones to recognize dance as an art were the Greek who even had a muse in
their mythology.
Dancing was linked with the cult to Dionisos and along with poetry and music it was
one of the basic elements in Greek tragedy. But it was also a way to communicating
and keeping society together.

Elena Martnez Benavides