History of dance Study Guide

📖 Core Concepts Artifact Scarcity – Dance rarely leaves durable traces (stone tools, paintings), so historians rely on textual, ethnographic, and indirect evidence. Multifunctional Nature – One dance can simultaneously tell stories, express emotions, and forge social bonds. Kinesthetic Perception – Awareness of one’s own body movement; the sensory basis for dance‑based communication. Natya Shastra – The oldest known treatise on Indian classical dance (e.g., Bharatanatyam). Ballet d’action – 18th‑century reform that introduced narrative plots and facial expression, replacing masks. Noverre’s Reforms (1760) – Lightweight costumes & soft slippers → ability to rise en pointe. Romantic Ballet – Early‑19th c. emphasis on fantasy & ethereal pointe work (e.g., Marie Taglioni). Postmodern Dance – 1960s movement that stripped away costumes, narrative, and elaborate staging; “no” manifesto by Yvonne Rainer. Breakbeats (1967) – DJ Kool DJ Herc introduced looping drum breaks that birthed breakdancing, a cornerstone of hip‑hop. Capoeira – African‑derived martial art disguised as dance to evade slave‑owner scrutiny. --- 📌 Must Remember Evidence Gap: No stone tools or cave paintings → reliance on primate behavior, myths, and written accounts. Early Social Role: Group dance (hand‑holding, shoulder‑linking) reinforced cooperation vital for survival. Key Texts: Natya Shastra → earliest codified Indian dance; Aristotle placed dance beside poetry. Ballet Origins: Italian Renaissance courts → French court under Louis XIV → professionalized at Paris Opéra. Ballet d’action (Lully/Noverre): Narrative, expressive faces, light shoes → rise en pointe. Romantic Pointe: First true pointe work appears in early 19th c.; Taglioni epitomizes “gliding” ballerina. Postmodern Tenets: Simplicity, raw untrained movement, rejection of narrative/costume. Hip‑Hop Foundations: B‑boying, Locking, Popping, Boogaloo each have distinct regional roots (NY, LA, Fresno, Oakland). --- 🔄 Key Processes From Social Bonding to Ritual: Rhythm heard → kinesthetic response → synchronized movement → physical contact (hands/shoulders) → heightened group cohesion → ritualized performance. Ballet Evolution Path: Italian court dance → French court adoption (Louis XIV) → Lully establishes professional company → Noverre’s reforms (light costumes, soft slippers) → pointe technique → Romantic narrative ballets → 20th‑century hybridization with contemporary art. Postmodern Minimalism Workflow: Strip away narrative & costume → select raw, untrained movement → perform in plain space → (later) re‑introduce set/prop for contrast. --- 🔍 Key Comparisons African Dance Types Religious vs Griotic – Religious dances invoke spirits & aim for peace/health; griotic dances tell stories via griots. Ceremonial vs Religious – Ceremonial marks life events (weddings, rites); religious focuses on deity worship. Classical Ballet vs Postmodern Dance Classical Ballet: Structured technique, narrative, costumes, pointe work. Postmodern: Minimalist, no narrative, no costume, everyday movement. Hip‑Hop Street Styles B‑boying (NY) – Power moves, floor work. Locking (LA) – Stopping (locking) motions, comedic flair. Popping (Fresno) – Rapid muscle contractions (hits). Boogaloo (Oakland) – Fluid rolling of hips & knees. --- ⚠️ Common Misunderstandings “Dance left many artifacts.” – False; the evidence gap is a core challenge. “All ballet uses masks.” – Incorrect after the ballet d’action reforms (facial expression replaces masks). “Postmodern dance is always costume‑free.” – Later postmodern works reincorporated sets and décor. “African dance is only religious.” – Overlooks griotic and ceremonial categories. “Hip‑hop began in the 1980s.” – Roots trace to 1967 breakbeats and earlier street styles. --- 🧠 Mental Models / Intuition Dance as Multitool: Think of a Swiss‑army knife—one tool (dance) can cut (storytelling), pry (ritual), and hammer (social bonding) simultaneously. Evidence Reconstruction: Like solving a puzzle with missing pieces; use indirect clues (texts, ethnography, primate behavior) to infer the whole picture. Evolution Layers: Visualize dance history as sedimentary layers—each new style builds on, modifies, or strips away the previous layer. --- 🚩 Exceptions & Edge Cases Capoeira: Martial art masquerading as dance → exception to “dance is non‑violent.” Ballet d’action: Replaced masks with facial expression—breaks the “ballet always masked” rule. Noverre’s Lightweight Costumes: Allowed pointe work earlier than previously thought. Postmodern Re‑incorporation: Later works added sets, contradicting the “always minimalist” stereotype. --- 📍 When to Use Which Identify Period by Costume & Technique: Heavy court attire + group formations → Renaissance court dance. Light slippers, en pointe, narrative → Classical/Romantic ballet. Bare body, floor‑level movement, no story → Postmodern. Choose Evidence Source: Archaeology → stone tools, cave art (rare for dance). Textual → Natya Shastra, Aristotle, court records → reliable for early formalized dance. Ethnographic → African griotic, religious dances, modern street styles. Select Analytical Lens: Social‑bonding lens → early prehistoric dance, kinesthetic perception. Ritual‑healing lens → trance dances (Brazilian rainforest, Kalahari). --- 👀 Patterns to Recognize Multifunctionality Pattern: Whenever a dance description mentions “storytelling,” “emotion,” and “community,” expect it to serve all three roles. Cultural Diffusion Pattern: Slavery → African rhythms → New World dance forms (e.g., Capoeira, Brazilian samba). Narrative Shift Pattern: Masks → facial expression (ballet d’action) → pure movement (postmodern). --- 🗂️ Exam Traps Distractor: “Dance originated in ancient Egypt because of temple murals.” – No direct artifact evidence; only textual references. Distractor: “All postmodern pieces reject any set or prop.” – Later postmodern works re‑added staging. Distractor: “Ballet always requires pointe shoes.” – Early court ballets pre‑Noverre used flat shoes. Distractor: “African dances are exclusively religious.” – Overlooks griotic and ceremonial categories. Distractor: “Hip‑hop dance began with breakdancing in the 1990s.” – Breakbeats and street styles emerged in the late 1960s–1970s. ---