Dance - an overview and history of the sport
Overview
Dance is viewed by many as a performance art rather than a sport. It requires individuals, pairs and large groups to put together a series of carefully selected movements to make a finished sequence. The final piece requires movements that are both aesthetically pleasing and reflective of the music/genre.
Dance is a popular recreational and competitive activity throughout the world. There are various styles of dance which use different music, costumes, shoes and props.
The performance of dance can be categorised into specialised areas that allow participants to enjoy expressing themselves through movement in several distinct forms:
- ballet
- ballroom
- breakdancing
- contemporary
- country-western
- hip-hop
- jazz
- Latin
- modern
- postmodern
- swing
- tap
When people talk about dance, they often associate it with televised competitions like Strictly Come Dancing. However it is not just about competition and every week people perform recreationally just for the love of it. While many people associate dancing with competitions, dance is also enjoyed recreationally just for the love of it. Like many sports, dance requires performers to be physically fit and usually requires a combination of fitness components.
History
It is very unlikely that any one civilisation or person invented dance. It is thought that early humans began to dance just for the excitement and pleasure of dancing. However, some early cave paintings do show dance being performed as part of a ritual, as meditation, a celebration and as entertainment.
This broad range of reasons for people to dance has led to what constitutes dancing to be defined differently by various cultures throughout the world. (Although there is no right or wrong answer or definition, it is agreed that the word 鈥榙ance鈥 was taken from the Frankish term 'dintjan' and was evolved with the French language into 'danser'.)