#2 - Ethnic & Nobility Dances
Yes it’s been three weeks since creating this blog and no I do not yet have pictures on my profile.. it be like that. Anywho. Let’s talk about the dances that came before ballet. This week we’ve got the chapters “Glimpses of the Past” and “Dance At The Royal Courts” from Ballet & Modern Dance by Jack Anderson and “Baroque Dance-17th and 18th centuries” from earlydancecirclo.co.
Way back in the day, performed dances could be divided into three broad categories based on intent: to please the dancers themselves, to please the gods, or to please other people. Jumping forward to sixteenth century Italy, court dances were performed for and by the nobility. Even though these court dances were meant to be viewed by others, the active participants used this dance for societal means of interacting with others. I’m wondering if there was ever a shift between using dance as a medium for social business to a form of entertainment, or if both existed simultaneously but just for different occasions.
Stringing together Greek, court, and baroque dances, I found it significant that there’s continuity in the use of spatial patterns. Each form of dance placed importance on the formations being made by the dancers, some to indicate meaning to an audience and others to show societal behavior. I definitely think this element of dance has gotten lost in today’s social dances. Unless there’s a deeper meaning behind a bunch of people standing in ‘lines’ during the Cupid Shuffle that someone wants to share with me.
Also, I thought it was ironic to learn that the word “ballet” comes from the Italian verb “ballare” which means “to dance.” Did anyone else think that since ballet uses French terms it would’ve derived from a ~French~ word??
