Do You Know Why Ancient People Invented Dance?
Dance! Any party or celebration is just incomplete without it! ‘Cause we love to move our bodies to the beat. It fills us with joy and happiness of course ‘cause we generally sit and play dead when we are upset. But do you ever wonder when and why this wonderful thing called dance originated? I’m here to set it clear for you.
Although it is difficult to trace the origin of Dance, many artifacts have been found that depict a dancing person. Still, there is no clarity as to when dance became a part of human culture. But there were obvious reasons for the ancient people to make this addition to our culture. Dance has been an important part of various celebrations, ceremonies, and rituals since ancient times. Some of the reasons that led to the invention of dance are as follows:
Used for healing
The dance was believed to be capable of healing people and keeping them away from diseases. This belief was spread in countries like Sri Lanka and Brazil mainly because of some incident related to dance that led to the cure of some person there.
An integral part of ceremonies and rituals
Dance has been performed by various people across the globe on various occasions. E.g.- The Shamans used to dance in the case of droughts so that it rains soon and people’s needs are satisfied.
For expression
The dance was used as a mode of communication by the people when language was not yet invented. Stories from the past were passed on to the next generation by means of dance.
The dance was used as a mode of social communication by the early men so that they ensured survival peacefully. The man is a social animal and can’t exist without communicating with others.
So, we see that dance was just not the same some time ago! Today we see Dance as a means of fun and enjoyment but the ancient people had different reasons to take up to this practice called dance.
Dance!