The Importance of Dancing in Different Cultures

8/13/2019 The Importance of Dancing in Different Cultures

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Neculai Geanina Ionela Neculai 1

Conf. dr. Monica Matei Chesnoiu

Text Typology and Writing ( Redactare de texte )

The ! th of May "1#The I$portance %f &ancing In &ifferent Cultures

What is the specific role of dancing in different countries fro$ around the 'orld

a*e you e*er tapped your feet to snappy $usic T'irled in a circle +tretched on your tiptoes

and s'ept your ar$s a,o*e your head %ur ,odies can t'ist- u$p- stretch and turn. &ance

,lends these $o*e$ents together- usually 'ith $usic. &ance uses space- ti$e- 'eight and

energy. /or exa$ple- so$e countries ha*e a *ery po'erful culture that other people can easily

notice and recogni0e.

/rench and Italians are ro$antic- apanese are clean- 'hile 2orean are *ery united. Tango

originated in 3rgentina- expressing passion and elegance. 4eople $ay dance as part of an

i$portant cere$ony- e*en as part of their religion. /urther$ore , so$e cultures honour their

ancestors through dance. &ances $ay cele,rate i$portant e*ents- such as a ,irth- $arriage or

death. 3lso- dance is used to cure an illness or to reach a state of trance so the dancers can

perfor$ acts of courage- such as dancing on hot coals. 3s 'ell- a dance $ight ,e used to help

'or5 go faster- as in the apanese rice6planting dance.

/irstly- dance pro*ed to ,e an i$portant part of hu$an culture since ancient ti$es. 7gyptian

car*ings of six thousand years ago record the use of the dance in religious rituals8 and 'ide

e*idence certifies the i$portance in 'hich it 'as held at all ti$es through the period of 7gypt9s

po'er. The la,orers 'or5ed $ore fruitful in rhyth$ic $otion to the sounds of songs and

percussion- and street dancers entertained passers ,y. In solo dances- :the 5ing; perfor$ed :the

sun dance; 'hile in pair dancing- it 'as either t'o $ales or fe$ales doing their dance as a 5ind

of entertain$ent. Girls held hands 'hile perfor$ing unison sy$$etrical and dra$atic



Neculai Geanina Ionela Neculai



The ! th of May "1#$o*e$ents to express e$otions as longing or depression. 7gyptians used a *ast array of $usical

instru$ents such as harps- lutes- dru$s- flutes - cy$,als - clappers and ta$,ourines that played a

pro$inent role in $elodic co$positions of ancient co$posers and $usicians. 3lso- ,allet is a

for$ of classic acade$ic dancing ,ased on the accepted fi*e positions of the feet and using a

*oca,ulary of $o*e$ent de*eloped since the 1< th century8 originally descended fro$ court

dances and spectacles of the 1= th and 1> th century. In the 1= th century- it 'as +pectaculi6

grandiose *ariety sho's including e?uestrian for$ations- tourna$ents- $oc5 co$,ats- and e*en

ac?uatic displays- 'ere a pro$inent cultural acti*ity- initially in north of Italy and then in /rance.

These- and other arranged dances- 'ere perfor$ed ,y $e$,ers of the court. In addition- in the

1>th century- this type of dance e*ol*ed and attended three different directions@ Aallet6co$i?ue6

danced spectacles 'ith unifying dra$atic the$es- Aallet6$ascarade6 costu$es and $as5s-

panto$i$es and acro,atics and Aallet a entrBe6 characters 'ere perfor$ed ,y non6no,les8 at the

conclusion of an entrBe ,oth perfor$ers and *ie'ers 'ould all dance together. /urther$ore- in

the 1< th century Aallet6$elodra$ati?ue ,eca$e popular. 7ntrBes perfor$ed a song instead of

recitation- e*entually ,eco$ing opera. Ay the 1>!"s dance spectacles 'ere ,eing offered to

paying costu$ers- 'ether no,le or co$$on.

+econdly- dance plays an i$portant role in all aspects of hu$an life ,ecause ,efore logic- $an

5ne' e$otion and ,efore creed- ritual. /or instance- dancing or yoi is a part of e*eryday life on

the Ti'i islands. It plays an i$portant role in the cere$onial e*ents- for exa$ple- during the

4u5u$ani cere$ony the dances perfor$ed reflect the relationship to the deceased. The ,urial

ritual is organised ,y the head $ourner 'ho- along 'ith all the other $ourners- is adorned 'ith

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flute


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymbal


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tambourine







Neculai Geanina Ionela Neculai #



The ! th of May "1#'hite paint. +o$e of the ,elongings of the deceased are placed on the gra*e. %n the other hand-

in e,anon- the classical ,elly dancing still plays an i$portant role at 'eddings- representing the

transition fro$ *irgin ,ride to sensual 'o$an. In addition- +ha$an dance is a 5ind of dance

perfor$ed ,y +ha$anistic sorcerers during sacrificial rituals and acti*ities for dri*ing out e*il

and disease. It is perfor$ed to the acco$pani$ent of prayers- spells- chants and dru$,eats. The

highlight of the dance is 'hen the sorcerer is under possession of a god. 3t that ti$e- the dancer

is fast $o*ing to the rapid dru$,eats. In so$e cases- the perfor$er 5eeps i$itating all gods.

When he9s under possession ,y a hu$an god- the perfor$er ta5es on a particular person9s

expressions and $o*e$ents8 'hen he9s under possession ,y an ani$al god- he does *arious

$o*e$ents of the ,ear- the tiger- the deer.

3nother :dance; that is surely not a clichB is Capoeira. Dsually 'hen you see people dancing- it9s

for pure en oy$ent. Aut if you too5 a longer glance at such acti*ities in Ara0il- you $ight see

so$ething different. &ance $o*es 'ith purpose. 3nd that is the foundation of the $artial arts

style 5no'n as Capoeira- one 'ith a history that includes strong ties to 3frica- sla*ery- and

Ara0il./urther$ore- there is ighland &ancing- 'hich re?uires the endurance and strength of an

athlete and the artistry of a dancer. In pre*ious centuries- +cottish regi$ents used ighland

&ancing as exercise to 5eep the troops in shape.

Thirdly- dance is an art 'hich includes $any artistic ele$ents such as $usic- traditional

costu$es and scenery that tal5s a,out a country history. In 7urope- e*ery country has its national

style of dancing. /or exa$ple- the polonaise is a slo' dance of 4olish origin. 4olonaise is a

'idespread dance in carni*al parties. 4olonaise is al'ays a first dance at

http://martialarts.about.com/od/styles/a/styles.htm







Neculai Geanina Ionela Neculai !



The ! th of May "1#a studniówka (Ehundred6daysE)- the 4olish e?ui*alent of the senior pro$ that occurs

approxi$ately 1"" days ,efore exa$s. /rBdBric Chopin9s polonaises are generally the ,est

5no'n of all polonaises in classical $usic.

"His music was spontaneous, miraculous. He found it without seeking it, without

previous intimation of it. It came upon his piano sudden, complete, sublime, or it sang in his

head during a walk, and he was impatient to hear it himself with the help of the instrument. But

then began the most desperate labor that I have ever witnessed. It was a succession of efforts,

hesitations and moments of impatience to recapture certain details of the theme he could hear;

what he had conceived as one piece, he analy ed too much in trying to write it down, and his

dismay at his inability to rediscover it in what he thought was its original purity threw him into a

kind of despair. He would lock himself up in his room for whole days, weeping, pacing back and

forth, breaking his pens, repeating or changing one bar a hundred times, writing and erasing it

as many times, and beginning again the ne!t day with an infinite and desperate perseverance.

He sometimes spent si! weeks on one page, only in the end to write it e!actly as he had sketched

at the first draft." 1

Tur5ey has $any types of dance such as ora or Fey,e5. The costu$es 'orn ,y the dancers are

often *ery colorful is representing happiness- or either *ery dull 'hen doing a slo'- depressing

dance. 3lthough e*ery country has its specific dance- there are so$e types of dance 'hich are

spread all o*er the 'orld. The Walt0 is the oldest of the ,allroo$ dances- dating fro$ the $iddle1 George +and- tory of #y $ife% &he 'utobiography of (eorge and)ed. &helma

*urgrau,+ +-



Neculai Geanina Ionela Neculai =



The ! th of May "1#of the 1 th century. When the Walt0 'as first introduced into the ,allroo$s of the 'orld in the

early years of the 1H th Century- it 'as $et 'ith outraged indignation- for it 'as the first dance

'here the couple danced in a $odified position 6 'ith the $an9s hand around the 'aist of the

lady. The $ost popular is iennese Walt0. 3lso- there is Tango. The exact origins of tangoJ

,oth the dance and the 'ord itselfJare lost in $yth and an unrecorded history. The 'ord

EtangoE had ac?uired the standard $eaning of the place 'here 3frican sla*es and free ,lac5s

gathered to dance ,y the ti$e 3rgentina ,anned sla*ery in 1 =#. 4hrasing is an i$portant part of

Tango. Most Tango $usic phrased to 1> or # ,eats of $usic. Tango $usic is li5e a story. It

contains paragraphs 8 sentences 8 and the period at the end of the sentence is the tango close.

/ancing is surely the most basic and relevant of all forms of e!pression. 0othing else

can so effectively give outward form to an inner e!perience. 1oetry and music e!ist in time.

1ainting and architecture are a part of space. But only the dance lives at once in both space and

time. In it the creator and the thing created, the artist and the e!pression, are one. 2ach

participates completely in the other. &here could be no better metaphor for an understanding of

the mechanics of the cosmos.3 4

In conclusion- dance can express feelings li5e sadness- anger or oy. It is clear that dance is an

i$portant part of any culture- fro$ tri,es to the $ost ci*ili0ed countries. There are fol5 dances

yall Watson - (ifts of 5nknown &hings% ' &rue tory of 0ature, Healing, and

Initiation from Indonesia6s /ancing Island )

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8518.Lyall_Watson


http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3065027









Neculai Geanina Ionela Neculai >



The ! th of May "1#that are passed do'n through generations and they re*eal the past and 5eep their traditions ali*e.

7*en if there is ust playing- a ritual or a co$pound of studied steps- if you dance 'ith your

heart- your feet 'ill follo'. The 'ay of dancing is uni?ue for e*ery culture in the 'orld- e*en

today. i5e our ancestors long ago- 'e dance for i$portant cere$onies. 3nd li5e our ancestors-

'e also dance for the oy of $o*e$ent- to express our e$otions- and to share $usic and fun. It

is perfor$ed in $any cultures as a for$ of e$otional expression- social interaction- or exercise -

in a spiritual or perfor$ance setting- and is so$eti$es used to express ideas or tell a story. &ance

$ay also ,e regarded as a for$ of non*er,al co$$unication ,et'een hu$ans or other ani$als-

as in ,ee dances and ,eha*iour patterns such as a $ating dances. &ancing really plays a special

role in culture not only ,ecause it is a special 'ay to preser*e it- ,ut also ,ecause of the

'onderful 'ay that it puts so $any art for$s together@ $usic- for $usic you need singers-

players- special national costu$es. &ance $a5es the hu$an passing through life an art.

K+leep $y little ,a,y6oh

+leep until you 'a5en

When you 'a5e you;ll see the 'orld

If I;$ not $ista5enL

2iss a lo*er

&ance a $easure

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exercise

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exercise



Neculai Geanina Ionela Neculai <



The ! th of May "1#/ind your na$e and ,uried treasureL

/ace your life

Its pain

Its pleasure-

ea*e no path unta5en. #

Wor5s Cited

yall Watson - (ifts of 5nknown &hings% ' &rue tory of 0ature, Healing, and Initiation from

Indonesia6s /ancing Island

# Neil Gai$an- &he (raveyard Book)ed. Harper7ollins, 4889-









Neculai Geanina Ionela Neculai



The ! th of May "1#George +and- +tory of My ife@ The 3uto,iography of George +and(ed. Thel$a urgrau-1HH1)

Neil Gai$an- &he (raveyard Book)ed. Harper7ollins, 4889-

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The Importance of Dancing in Different Cultures