The History of Dance

 Dance in Rome

from this website 

The city of Rome in 364 BCE was suffering from a plague. Believing the plague to be the result of the anger of the gods, the Romans brought in Etruscan dancers in an effort to appease the gods and gain some relief from the plague's devastation. The Etruscans danced to the music of the aulos, the precursor

to the oboe, without any songs or gestures, but their graceful movements entranced the Romans, who began to imitate them. 

Roman character had a strong discipline streak. The Etruscans may have introduced Romans to the dance, but it retained the reputation of a foreign import for years after. Plato may have said that a man who did not know how to dance was uneducated, but Plato was a Greek, and his Roman contemporaries would have thought the sentiment ridiculous. The art of the dance did eventually come to Rome along with the rest of Greek culture, but for the Romans, dancing always remained entertainment. It was never part of a Roman's formal education. But eventually the upper-class Romans did start to send their children to dancing-masters for lessons.

One dance native to early Rome is called the bellicrepa, it was supposedly instituted by Rome's founder, Romulus, and was a dance in armor performed by warriors drawn up in battle ranks.  They shuffled from left to right, then from right to left, and all the while they beat the earth with their feet and made leaps into the air as they beat their shields. 

Medieval Dance

from this website

Medieval Dance and music during the medieval period can be traced back to the early parts of the medieval era and some even date back to the times the Anglo Saxon glee-men. There are several types of medieval dances. 

• 
  Circle dances were probably the oldest type and perhaps the oldest medieval dance formation everknown. This type of medieval dance has been a part of community life ever since people started dancing, not just during the medieval period. However, some of these dances were not documented in history.
• Court Dances were dignified dance performances done at a court. As recorded in historical documents, these dances included tiptoeing and jumping steps, as well as several curtseys. The most common court dances were the Basse Dance, Black Alman, Black Nag, Rufty Tufty.
• Line Dance was another type of medieval dance. Line dances were choreographed dances with repeated steps. Similar to the circle dance where the dancers formed a circle, a line dance was performed in one line or several rows. Common lines dances were La Spagna, The Morris Dance and The Jig.
• Country Dance were considered folk dances and were identified by a combination of circle and line dancing. It also involved a lot of clapping and spinning steps. The most popular country dances during the medieval period were The Egg Dance, Quadrille, Pavan, Farandole and Burgundian dance.

Renaissance Dances

from this website

During the Renaissance period, there was a distinction between country dances and court dances. Court dances required the dancers to be trained and were often for display and entertainment, whereas country dances could be attempted by anyone. At Court, the formal entertainment would often be followed by many hours of country dances which all present could join in. Dances described as country dances such as Chiarantana or Chiaranzana remained popular over a long period – over two centuries in the case of this dance. A Renaissance dance can be likened to a ball.

The dances in these manuals are extremely varied in nature. They range from slow, stately dances (bassadance, pagane, almain) to fast, lively dances (galliard, coranto, canario). Some were choreographed, others were improvised on the spot.

Regency Era Dance

from this website

Lovers of Regency novels, such as Pride and Prejudice, will know that going to a dance was a popular form of entertainment in this era. Dances ranged from lavish balls at  great country houses to impromptu dances attended by family and friends after dinner. Dances provided an opportunity for young men and women to meet suitable husbands and wives.

Dances in the Regency era were elaborate, involving intricate steps and quite difficult to learn. Most of the dances were English Country Dances all the dancers faced each other in a long line, and the movements involved elaborate patterns.  Two dances were with the same partner and usually lasted for half an hour, so it would not have been pleasant to dance these with someone that you didn't like!

The Cotillon was introduced into England in about 1770, and although the French used the pattern of a square for this dance, the English danced it in a longways form, to suit their large ballrooms.  The Quadrille was introduced into English Society by the ladies of Almacks in 1816. This dance consisting of five distinct parts or figures was a lively and graceful one - music was usually adapted from popular songs and stage works. The waltz and the Quadrille gradually replaced the English Country Dance, although when the waltz was first introduced it was regarded as shocking. This was because of the physical contact involved in this closed couple dance.