History as Ritual

This chapter talks about the history of dance. Dance was originally seen as an ideal medium for the expression of the mysticism of Christianity. However, the church frowned upon dancing and this chapter explains why. The chapter features the different dances formulated in the middle of the history of dance talked about here and the time dance came back to its ritualistic way of expression. The chapter as well states that, due to the nature of dance, during this time, it became a profession consisting mainly of men, though some females were already in the profession, specifically in Egypt. The...

This chapter talks about the history of dance. Dance was originally seen as an ideal medium for the expression of the mysticism of Christianity. However, the church frowned upon dancing and this chapter explains why. The chapter features the different dances formulated in the middle of the history of dance talked about here and the time dance came back to its ritualistic way of expression. The chapter as well states that, due to the nature of dance, during this time, it became a profession consisting mainly of men, though some females were already in the profession, specifically in Egypt. The chapter also gives an interpretation regarding the period when the dance hall served as a testing ground for sexual relations and provided a place where new attitudes about sex roles could be freely played out.