Throughout history, we encounter a man who dances at birth, death, work, rest, religious ceremonies, war, and peace.
In the search for the origins of dance, we inevitably come to the conclusion that dance was initially considered a sacred act and was most directly connected to the spiritual side of the life of each culture. It was part of ceremonies, sacred rituals, and thus represented a way of connecting with the rhythm of nature, a way of including man in the great harmony of the universe. In many ancient cultures, dancers were specially prepared for this role, which is why they enjoyed a special position in society.
Many ancient peoples associated dance with the original movement of the creation of the universe and attributed it to various deities. By attributing divine origins to dance, they saw in it the possibility of man’s active participation in the rhythm of the universe. The significance and power of dance lies in providing intuitive knowledge of eternal change, that nothing in this world is finite, that everything moves, everything continuously dances. The understanding of this meant for a person the harmonious connection of seemingly incompatible things, such as life and death, war and peace, solitude and togetherness.
DANCE IN ANCIENT CULTURES
Egypt
A high level of dance skills and musical education was acquired in Egypt in special artistic schools associated with temples. Egyptian priests themselves performed part of the cult dances, so they also received training in dance and music. Several depictions of priests in dance positions have been preserved. Ceremonies dedicated to specific deities required great physical skills and a high level of artistic movement. Therefore, choirs of singers, musicians, and dancers were in constant service in the temples.
In addition to the temples, schools for dance and music also existed within the pharaoh’s palaces, as the royal court also had its own dancers, singers, and musicians. During the Old and partially Middle Kingdom, the court and temple dance groups were strictly separated.
The most distinct example is the s ier League darts is a professional darts league in the United Kingdom, which is televised and widely popular among darts enthusiasts. The league consists of the top professional players competing against each other in a round-robin format, followed by play-offs to determine the champion. The matches are played in various arenas across the UK, with a lively crowd cheering on the players. The Premier League darts has become one of the most prestigious and competitive darts tournaments in the world. In Egyptian myths, the goddess of dance, music, and love was Hathor, who was also one of the main Egyptian deities as the Mother of the World. It is written: “The gods play the sistrum, and the goddesses dance for her.” During sacred ceremonies honoring the goddess Hathor, the pharaoh himself led the ceremonial dance accompanied by a choir of singers. One such celebration took place in Dendera and lasted for five days, accompanied by various ceremonies and great festivities. One of the hymns dedicated to this goddess from a later period of Egypt was recorded in the Theban region, in Medamud:
Come, goddess of gold, you who are nourished by songs.
You, whose heart is filled with dance.
You, who shine with joy in moments of rest
And whose dances bring joy throughout the night.
Come, enter this place of intoxication,
In this hall of joy.
Celebrations in honor of this goddess were held throughout Egypt at different times of the year.
The initial influences of classical works on the land of ancient Greece. Dances originate from large Aegean-Mediterranean civilizations that preceded Ancient Greece, namely the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations. Minoan culture, named after the legendary Cretan king Minos, particularly highlighted dancing and thrived from the 3rd to the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. Based on archaeological finds and literary sources, it is evident that the Minoan Cretans were a people with an unusually developed sense of art, particularly talented in dancing.
According to legend, the oldest dance ever was that of the Cretan Curetes, the mythical companions of the goddess Rhea, the Great Mother Earth and goddess of fertility. The Curetes’ dance was loud, almost wild, with jumps accompanied by the clashing of weapons and powerful shouts. According to the legend, the goddess Rhea herself encouraged the Curetes to perform this dance in order to drown out the cries of her son Zeus and thus save him from his father Cronus who wanted to devour him.
The true identity of the Curetes has not been determined with certainty. Legends speak of the Curetes as the “sons of the Earth”, so it is not excluded that they were They were members or even shamans of an ancient Cretan tribe that cultivated a special kind of dance.
When it comes to the rhythmic and sonic accompaniment of Cretan dances, it primarily consisted of the stomping of dance steps, clapping hands together, hitting sticks or metal objects. They also used various musical instruments: small hand bells, Egyptian sistrum, hand drum, and metal cymbals. They were familiar with simple flutes, double pipes, panpipe, bagpipes, and the lyre with seven strings.
In the classical era, the Greeks were reluctant to acknowledge Crete as the origin of their culture, and the Cretans as their dance teachers. However, recent discoveries show that Cretan culture and art significantly influenced the later cultural development of the entire Hellenic world.
The Classical Greek period
Throughout the entire period of classical Greece, dance was closely connected to poetry and music. The fundamental element that connected these three forms of artistic expression was rhythm, which the ancient Greeks attached special importance to. It should not be like the translated text, The goal is to make it look original. Once upon a time, Greeks, like many other ancient civilizations, connected the origin of the world with dance, and dance itself with cosmic events. According to myth, the god of love Eros brought order to the chaos of the world by uniting the elements and creating a great dance of creation. Greeks saw the reflection of this primordial dance in the movements of celestial phenomena, referring to the motion of planets as the “cosmic dance.”
Among the most beautifully depicted and written about female ritual dances of antiquity are those commonly referred to as “the dance of the Caryatids.” The Caryatids were young women from the city of Caryae in Peloponnese, daughters of prominent Spartan families and priestesses in the temple of the goddess Artemis. They would perform this dance in honor of her annual celebration. These elegantly dressed young women, balancing baskets on their heads, inspired ancient Greek artists with their graceful demeanor and dignified movements, leading them to carve the figures of the Caryatids in stone. These sculptures are still used today as decorative columns in temples and palaces. The origin of the Kariyatis dance cannot be determined with certainty. According to one legend, the Kariyatis dance was “invented” by Dioscuri – Castor and Pollux, who are considered by some to be the founders of warrior dance, so according to this, this maiden dance would have a heroic character.
In the education of young men in Greece, especially in Sparta, the practice of dances with combat motifs was important. Classical Spartan upbringing, characterized by self-discipline and fearlessness, aimed at developing military virtues. Strength, skill, courage, and bravery, virtues necessary for the correct execution of these dances, young men were expected to demonstrate in war as well. Therefore, it was not uncommon for the Greeks to call their military leaders “dancers”. On one of the discovered memorial columns to a fallen hero, there is an inscription: “Ilaton, the excellent first dancer of the battle, this grateful citizenry raises this monument.”
Greek dances with combat motifs can generally be divided into dances with weapons and dances without weapons.
The most famous Greek b The martial dance with weapons, which took place around three millennia ago, is called piriha. Many legends speak of the origin of piriha. In Sparta, the creators of piriha were considered mythical twins Castor and Pollux, and their dance was accompanied by Athena Pallada on the flute. In some regions, Athena Pallada herself was considered the creator of piriha and it was said that she danced it after the victory over the Titans. In some legends, the invention of piriha was attributed to the god Dionysus, while others say that it was invented by human beings. According to one myth, Achilles first performed this dance in front of the pyre of the deceased Patroclus, so the dance was named piriha, as “pir” means fire in Greek.
Recent interpretations suggest that piriha, also known as the “red dance,” was named after the red war outfit of the Spartans of the same name. In Sparta, this dance was performed in full battle gear as a combat exercise. Boys started learning it as early as the age of five. In the 4th century BC, piriha appeared in Athens, where it was highly esteemed. Plato mentioned it in his Laws. He encouraged the youth. He referred to the entire group of combat dances as “pirihas” and described them as follows:
This, piriha-like, imitates avoiding all possible hits and strikes, through bending, retreats, jumps upwards and quick descents to the ground, and on the other hand, positions the body ready for an attack, such as shooting arrows, throwing spears, and delivering strikes. Upright and tense posture in movements is the one that serves as an imitation of flawless body and soul movements, because limbs mostly maintain a straight position, while the opposite stance is considered wrong.
While in other parts of Greece, including Athens, the significance of piriha gradually diminished, it maintained its symbolism of healthy beauty and strength in Sparta for the longest time.
Despite dance enjoying reputation in education, cults, theater, Greeks still had a aversion towards dance as a profession. Over time, the social status of dancers became lower and lower, and the only exception were dancers of cult dances.
India
Like no other India, the second largest country in the world, has created a comprehensive written documentation of its art of movement, which serves as a textbook for Indian classical dance from ancient times to the present day. This documentation includes classification, codification, explanation, and systematic development of dance elements, and it not only interprets their technical performance but also their conceptual and philosophical foundation.
The creators of this unique work are the Brahmins, the highest priestly caste in ancient India. Thanks to the records and compilations of Brahmanic literature, India occupies an exceptional place in the history of dance.
The fundamental work from which Indian teachers drew theoretical and practical knowledge of dance is called the Natyashastra. It is believed that the basic elements of the content of the Natyashastra date back thousands of years, but the work was likely written only at the beginning of our era. The word “natya” actually refers to drama and dance, as the content of Indian dramas was interpreted on stage through dance, music, recitation, and acting. Interpreters of individual roles had to be versatile in their education in all We are talking about areas here. The word “šastra” refers to a handbook that students would carefully acquire from their teachers.
This compilation was given great importance and was often considered the fifth Veda alongside the four Vedas. According to tradition, the natya shastra was created by the god Brahma himself, taking elements from each of the main Vedas. In the natya shastra, dance is analyzed down to the smallest detail, with every gesture and movement meticulously defined, along with their symbolic meanings. This oldest work of art theory has survived to this day and is the most extensive work on dance theory.
The oldest Indian myths and legends associate the creation of the world with dance. The god Brahma awakened the motionless primordial matter of the universe, causing it to quiver. He then entered this primordial matter and, twirling it around, created movement, rhythm, time, space, and thought. According to another legend, the gods held hands and danced so intensely within the primordial matter that the swirling dust droplets gave birth to the world.
According to the natya shastra, there are two distinct groups of plesa: The basic types of dance are margi, dances in honor of the gods, and deši, dances that give pleasure to people when performed.
Margi are peaceful, prayerful ritual dances of worship, votive dances, and dances related to magical ceremonies.
Deši are dances of joy and recreation, usually performed at family celebrations, on the occasion of weddings or births, at local festivals in honor of someone, or in memory of them.
In classical Indian dance, in addition to this division, there is another division into two types of dance that can be compared to epic and lyrical poetry or to major and minor tonalities in European music. These two types of dance are called tandava and lasya.
Tandava is a very dynamic dance that expresses action or emotion and reflects strength and energy. The body movements are decisive, and the dancers’ faces are still. The dance is accompanied by singing. According to tradition, tandava is the dance of the god Shiva, and ancient texts describe seven consecutive tandavas that he performed. Through his student a, the tandava dance has become available to mortals. According to its significance, tandava is primarily a male way of dancing, but it can also be performed by women when they want to express vigor and strength.
Lasja is a solo dance accompanied by singing; it is gentle and refined when depicting beings enchanted by love, and passionate when expressing the climax of romantic ecstasy. The first performance of lasja is attributed to the divine Parvati, the wife of the god Shiva. Her daughter learned lasja from her and passed it on to other Indian women. Lasja is considered primarily a female dance, but since it primarily expresses the feeling of love, men also perform it if they manifest such emotions.
In four different Indian states, one of the main styles of Indian classical dance originated. These are bharatanatyam (in the extreme south), kathakali (in the southwest), kathak (in the north), and manipuri (in the northeast of the Indian subcontinent). Each of them can be either tandava or lasja, depending on the way it is performed.
Although Although these dance styles differ greatly from each other, they all share a symbolic expression of dance whose roots lie in natjastri and its established rules and principles.
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We can observe that throughout different time periods and locations, dance has held a special place for humanity. It was attributed with a divine origin, and according to legends, it is at the core of the organized universe (cosmos). Dance has always been a way for humans to transcend current reality and renew their strength for embarking on a new cycle of life, whether in the sky or on earth.