Dance and Rhythm

                    Rhythmand danceare deeply linked in history and practice. The American dancerTed Shawnwrote;"The conception of rhythm which underlies all studies of the dance is something about which we could talk forever, and still not finish."[13]A musical rhythm requires two main elements; first, a regularly-repeatingpulse(also called the "beat" or "tactus") that establishes thetempoand, second, a pattern ofaccentsandreststhat establishes the character of themetre or basic rhythmic pattern. The basic pulse is roughly equal in duration to a simple step or gesture.

                    Just as musical rhythms are defined by a pattern of strong and weak beats, so repetitive body movements often depends on alternating "strong" and "weak" muscular movements.[15]Given thisalternation of left-right, of forward-backward and rise-fall, along with thebilateral symmetryof thehuman body, it is natural that many dances and much music are induple and quadruple meter. However, since some such movements require more time in one phase than the other - such as the longer time required to lift a hammer than to strike - some dance rhythms fall equally naturally intotriple metre.[16]Occasionally, as inthe folk dances of the Balkans, dance traditions depend heavilyon more complex rhythms. Further, complex dances composed of a fixed sequence of steps always require phrases and melodies of a certain fixed length to accompany that sequence.

                             The very act of dancing, the steps themselves, generate an "initial skeleton of rhythmic beats" that must have preceded any separate musical accompaniment, while dance itself, as much as music, requires time-keeping[17]just as utilitarian repetitive movements such as walking, hauling and digging take on, as they become refined, something of the quality of dance

Dance and Music

                         Dance is generally, though not exclusively, performed with the accompaniment of music and may or may not be performedintimeto such music. Some dance (such astap dance) may provide its own audible accompaniment in place of (or in addition to) music. Many early forms of music and dance were created for each other and are frequently performed together. Notable examples of traditional dance/music couplings include thejig,waltz,tango,disco, andsalsa. Somemusical genreshave a parallel dance form such asbaroque musicandbaroque dance; other varieties of dance and music may share nomenclature but developed separately, such asclassical musicandclassical ballet.

Dance

                         Danceis aperformance artformconsisting of purposefully selected sequences ofhuman movement. This movement hasaestheticandsymbolicvalue, and is acknowledged as dance by performers and observers within a particularculture.[nb 1]Dance can be categorized and describedby itschoreography, by its repertoire of movements, or by itshistorical periodorplace of origin.An important distinction is to be drawn between the contexts oftheatricalandparticipatorydance,[4]although these two categories are not always completely separate; both may have special functions, whethersocial,ceremonial,competitive,erotic,martial, orsacred/liturgical. Other forms of human movement are sometimes said to have a dance-like quality, includingmartial arts,gymnastics,cheerleading,figure skating,synchronized swimmingand many other forms of athletics.

                         Theatrical dance, also called performance or concert dance, is intended primarily as a spectacle, usually aperformanceupon astagebyvirtuosodancers. It often tells astory, perhaps usingmime,costumeandscenery, or else it may simplyinterpret the musical accompaniment, which is often specially composed. Examples are westernballetandmodern dance,Classical Indian danceand Chinese and Japanese song and dance dramas. Most classical forms are centred upon dance alone, but performance dance may also appear inoperaand other forms ofmusical theatre.Participatory dance, on the other hand, whether it be afolk dance, asocial dance, agroup dancesuch as aline,circle,chainorsquare dance, or apartner dancesuch as is common in westernWestern ballroom dancing, is undertaken primarily for a common purpose, such associal interactionorexercise, of participants rather than onlookers. Such dance seldom has any narrative. A group dance and acorps de ballet, a social partner dance and apas de deux, differ profoundly. Even asolo dancemay be undertaken solely for the satisfaction of the dancer. Participatory dancersoften all employ the same movements and steps but, for example, in therave cultureofelectronic dance music, vast crowds may engage infree dance, uncoordinated with those around them. On the other hand, some cultures lay down strict rules as to the particular dances in which, for example, men, women and children may or must participate.
                             Archeologicalevidence for early dance includes 9,000-year-old paintings inIndiaat theRock Shelters of Bhimbetka, andEgyptiantomb paintings depicting dancingfigures, dated c. 3300 BC. It has been proposed that before the invention of written languages, dance was an importantpart of the oral and performance methods of passing stories down from generation to generation.[5]The use of dance inecstatictrance statesand healing rituals (as observed today in many contemporary "primitive" cultures, from the Brazilianrainforestto theKalahari Desert) is thought to have been another early factor in the social development of dance.