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Kirsten Cannon

Dance History

November 19, 2012From Ritual to Art

In ancient history dance was interlaced into multiple aspects of people’s daily lives.

Dance was incorporated into rituals, ceremonies and celebrations for religious or cultural

purposes. Ancient cultures used dance to celebrate the different stages of life and danced for

fertility of good crops (Kassing 33); dance for the Jews was a significant part of their religious

practices and was seen in festivals and celebrations; in Egypt dance was especially important in

their funeral services (Kassing 45). As time continued and cultures developed so did the notion

of dance and its purpose in their cultures. In ancient Greece we see a shift from dance being

simply part of a ritual to transitioning for the first time to an art form. It is not to say that dance

as we know it was invented by the ancient Greeks but that with the development of drama the

ancient Greeks pioneered and furthered dance through the use of the theatre, setting

choreographic dance steps and the support of their government.

The origin of Greek drama is not one that is immaculately clear but it is safe to say that

its origins come from primitive rituals of song and dance. These rituals of song and dance were

most commonly religious in nature. Lillian Lawler, a historian specializing in Ancient Greek

Dance, says that the ancient Greeks mostly believed that dance was divinely inspired which is

why many of their divinities and gods are portrayed and honored in their art and dancing (“The

Dance in” 13). The dance rituals of the Greeks can be traced to have its influence from other

nations most notably, Crete and as such their culture became a fusion of many elements. These

dances included animal dances, military dances and funeral dances (Kassing 55). One certain

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type of dance in particular that persisted for many years was a frenzied, wild dance to worship

the god, Dionysus. In close connection to the Dionysus dance is the Oreibasia which was also a

frenzied dance done by women in which they traveled through the woods and over the mountains

reaching an altered state of “sacred madness” (Kassing 52). This rather violent ritual is said to

have caused opposition from the Greek kings who sought to stop the rituals. The dance gradually

succeeded in becoming less frantic and wild transitioning dance into festivals and ceremonies,

furthering the impetus to find new ways to use dance in society (“The Dance in” 76).

From this point in time the other type of dance that was influential in shifting dance from

ritual to art was the Dithyramb. The Dithyramb was danced in honor of the Greek god of fertility

and wine, Dionysus. The early version of this dance was also like the Dionysus dances in which

there was little order and constant movement. Then as time went on different poets, one being

the poet Arion, raised the standard of the Dithyramb giving it lyrics and giving the dance a

circular form. These Dithyrambic dances were performed by fifty men and were taken to

festivals where contests of the dithyrambic dances took place. Each chorus represented a

different tribe of the Athenian people and both the singers and dancers were trained for the event.

Often there was much rivalry among the different choruses as the prize was a bronze tripod

which as historian Lillian Lawler describes would be similar to a trophy in our day. The actual

event involved the performers coming out into a theatre and executing their dance by dancing

around an alter, following a chorus leader while music played. These Dithyramb competitions

continued and developed adding more show and spectacle as they progressed. Eventually these

competitions came to a resounding end as each tribe of Athens came together for a single

performance, but there was a still a need for these chorus dancers as the age of Greek tragedy

was on the horizon (“The Dance in” 79-81).

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Greek tragedy is known to have begun from a dancer and singer named Thespis who

added dialogue to the dance, making it new and different form from the traditional Dithyramb

(Kassing 55). The chorus was its own entity and was a vital part to Greek drama. Lawler alludes

that these dramas were more like semi-operatic spectacles than how we envision plays today,

showing that the chorus really was an integral part of the productions (“Ancient Greek Theatre”

22). The chorus dancers who performed were all male dancers and so the use of masks was the

way they distinguished male and female roles. As the plays began to develop the same circular

space in which the chorus once revolved around the alter, evolved into what is known as the

orchestra. This is where the chorus performed with the actors performing behind them on the

skene (Kassing 55-56). The skene was like a stage and was held in a large amphitheater with

marble carved seats reserved especially for important guests. Historian of ancient Greece Jane

Harrison expresses her opinion of this point stating that “the marble seats are the very symbol of

rest, aloofness from action, contemplation” giving people a break from reality (142). This idea of

a theatre being a place to come for entertainment was a big shift from how dance had been

presented before.

As this new development of drama and existence of the theatre began the relationship of

dance changed for those involved; there were now performers and spectators. No longer was

dance just an everyday event but it was something for people to be involved in a different way,

by observing and viewing it from an outside perspective. Harrison remarks that, “The spectators

are a new and different element, the dance is not only danced, but it is watched from a distance,

it is a spectacle; whereas in old days all or nearly all were worshippers acting, now many, indeed

most, are spectators, watching, feeling, thinking, not doing. It is in this new attitude of the

spectator that we touch on the difference between ritual and art” (Harrison). Having dance

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performed for people encouraged the audience to consider dance as entertainment and as

something that could be separate from traditional rituals.

The ancient Greeks also added a structure to dance making it differ in that way from

rituals, and leading dance to a more structured entity. The tragic chorus had developed what is

known as schema and cheironomia. Both of these gave way for the chorus to communicate to the

audience in a way that was captivating and engaging. The technical connotations for the word

schema include, “form, shape, appearance, figure, manner, the way of doing things” (“Ancient

Greek Theatre” 25). Schema refers to movement patterns that occurred in a dance frequently or

may have been used only once or twice through the dance. Cheironomia were symbolic gestures

that related to the audience meaning and purpose. Setting these dance phrases and gestures gave

dance a framework to make the dance more concrete and able to stand on its own. Lawler

reiterates the impact these dance designs had on the plays. She said, “It is thus evident that free,

varied choreographic designs were used frequently in tragedy, and that they must have enhanced

greatly the effect of the play” (“Ancient Greek Theatre” 84).

For the chorus members dance became something that was rehearsed versus something

lasting only for an instant as would be seen in a ritual. Lawler explains that the steps and gestures

for the dance of tragedy were, “carefully taught to the member of the chorus, and were never left

to chance or to the inspiration of the movement” (“Ancient Greek Theatre” 32). This could

include even just the formations on the floor for the chorus members. Dance also became

something that represented being well educated. Athenian citizens who came from wealthy

families were taught the art of dance from a young age (“Dance in Ancient Greece”).

Philosophers Plato, Socrates and Aristotle were all interested in the art of dance and saw it as a

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skill to promote physical strength and a well-balanced mind. Aristotle understood that, “the

creative expression in general can portray things as they are in real life, or better than they are, or

worse than they are” (“The Dance in Ancient Greek Theatre” 125). The people of Greece saw

dance in increasingly new lights which permitted dance and music making it more intriguing and

favorable to others.

It is important to look at the culture of the Greeks as well to consider why the arts

flourished and allowed for advancements to be made. After the Persian wars Athens was in

power because of their extreme wealth. They were the leading trading city and also had a high

slave population which allowed for more leisure time to devote to individual pursuits (Kassing

51). Brent Strong, a historian specifying in how creativity developed the course of history notes

several things that stimulated what is known as the Golden Age of Greece. He said what

influenced this time period was that the government actively supported the arts, architecture and

drama as did the general public, the wealth and culture provided, “market and means for the

creators to benefit economically from their work” and the existence of the Greek alphabet

enabled many social classes to be more literate and lead to more education and an appreciation of

new ways of thinking (145).

What has been explored is that in ancient Greece dance evolved from holding its place in

society as simply for rituals to a form of art. The development of the chorus through the

dithyramb gave dance recognition; the use of the theatre and development of drama allowed for

dance to be involved in a spectator event; the specific steps and gestures through schema and

cheironomia gave dance structure and the acceptance of dance from the government furthered

dance as it was supported and promoted. Dance continued to evolve into many forms but the

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foundation the Greeks laid for dance was one that elevated dance to new heights and laid a path

to further progression of dance as art for future generations.

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Works Cited

"Dance in Ancient Greece." Pandect:The World of Greek Dance. N.p., 11 2008. Web. 24

Sept2012.<http://www.dancepandect.gr/pds_portal_en/index.php?

option=com_content&view=article&id=56&Itemid=58>.

Harrison, Jane. "Ancient Art and Ritual." Project Gutenberg. Great Britain. (1948): 9-255. Web.

24 Sept. 2012.

Kassing, Gayle. History of Dance, An Interactive Approach Arts. United States: 2007. Print.

Lawler, Lillian . The Dance in Ancient Greece. 1st. Pennsylvania: Harper & Row Publishers,

1964. Print.

Lawler, Lillian . The Dance of the Ancient Greek Theatre. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press,

1964. Print.

Strong, Brent. History of Creativity In the Art, Science and Technology. 2nd 3e. United States:

Kendall Hunt Publishing Co., 2005. Print.

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