Dance is present in mythology and religion globally. Dance has certainly been an important part ofceremony,rituals,celebrations andentertainment since before the birth of the earliest humancivilizations.Archeology delivers traces of dance fromprehistoric times such as the 5,000-year-oldBhimbetka rock shelters paintings inIndia andEgyptian tomb paintings depicting dancing figures from c. 3300 BC.
One of the earliest structured uses of dances may have been in the performance and in the telling of myths. It was also sometimes used to show feelings for one of the opposite gender. It is also linked to the origin of "love making." Before the production of written languages, dance was one of the methods of passing these stories down from generation to generation.[1]
Another early use of dance may have been as a precursor toecstatictrance states in healing rituals. Dance is still used for this purpose by many cultures from the Brazilianrainforest to theKalahari Desert.[2]
An early manuscript describing dance is theNatya Shastra on which is based themodern interpretation ofclassical Indian dance (e.g.Bharathanatyam).
In a classical Greek song,Apollo, the god of medicine, music and poetry, one of the twelve greater gods and son of the chief godZeus, was called The Dancer. In a Greek line Zeus himself is represented as dancing.Terpsichore is one of the nine Muses, representing dancing and dramatic chorus. InSparta, a province of ancient Greece, the law compelled parents to exercise their children in dancing from the age of five years. They were led by grown men, and sang hymns and songs as they danced. In very early times aGreek chorus, consisting of the whole population of the city, would meet in the market-place to offer up thanksgivings to the god of the country. Their jubilees were always attended with hymn-singing and dancing.
TheTorah, thePsalms, and many other scriptures reference dance:
From a Hindu point of view, the whole Universe is being brought into existence as the manifestation of the dance of the Supreme Dancer,Nataraja. In the Hindu scriptures, every god has his or her own style (lasya andtandava respectively represent two aspects of dance) we read about 23 celestial beings calledApsarases who dance to please the gods and express the supreme truths in the magic of movement.
The dance in the Hinduism used to be a part of a sacred temple ritual, especially in South and Eastern India, where the female priestessesdevadasi's worshiped different aspects of the Divine through the elaborate language of mime and gestures.Natyashastra is the most ancient and the most elaborate scripture describing every element and aspect of this sacred art-worship.
The temple dance gradually evolved into what is known today as the South Indian Classical Dance that still preserves many ritualistic elements of Hinduism. Some of theclassical Indian dancers are believed to be incarnations of apsaras.
SeeSeungmu
In theProtoevangelium of James, it is reported thatMary danced before theArk of the Covenant in theTemple of Jerusalem at the time of herpresentation.[3]
Throughout the history of Christianity, several denominations and independent congregations prohibited social dancing for various reasons;[4] however, dance has always been a part of the social life of many Christians. Christian lyrics are found in the sounds of Ballroom, Country, Rock and Roll, Latin, Night Club, and other dance music.Ballet originated in Italy at weddings.
Numerous examples of traditional dance can be found in modernRoman Catholic communities. The Brazilian dance and martial art ofcapoeira (particularlycapoeira angola) is regularly performed—including betweencapoeiristas of different sexes—to lyrics andladinhas (litanies) praising God, the saints, and the Virgin. In a similar vein, several genres of dance music inRomani people/Romani culture involve religious themes and lyrics. In the Philippines, theSubli—a devotional dance of theCatholicTagalogs inBatangas Province—honours theTrue Cross. Finally, the celebrations ofCarnival andMardi Gras feature dance.
ManyCharismatic andPentecostalProtestant denominations practice dance during worship services. Congregants frequently dance during services as an act of worship. Some Charismatics practiceprophetic dance, a religious practice in which practitioners believe they are representing what the Lord is doing through their movements. This is often accompanied with banners, ribbons and, instruments.Bethel Church inRedding, California has a school where people who wished to be trained in prophetic dance can go.