Dance is a form of performing arts which is based upon the creative and rhythmic movements of the body. Generally dancing is accompanied by rhythmic background music. Various expressions relevant to the subject of the dance are conveyed through facial expressions or limb movement. Dance, in older days was a form of expression between humans and animals. It was and still is a type of non verbal communication. Nowadays, synchronized forms of any performing arts like swimming, karate, gymnastics and even skating and sports are regarded as forms of dance.
Dance can only be defined while considering social, cultural, aesthetic, artistic and moral aspects of the society in which it is performed. It can be participatory, public or performed for spectators. Dance can also be ceremonial or even erotic. In some forms of dance, there is no meaning as such. Only a harmonious movement of the body, in tune with the background music that makes it attractive, European dance is one such form of dance. The vocabulary/symbolic system used in Asian dances is a form of expression of ideas, emotions which may also be to tell a story.
There are various styles of dancing. There are Break dancing and Krumping. They are mostly related to the hip hop culture. Most forms of the African dance are interpretive. Ballet, Ballroom, Waltz, and Tango are forms of classical styles of dance while Square and the Electric Slide are forms of step dances. Choreography is integrally related with dance. It is a form of creating dances that are interesting and have a particular style or form.
We are fortunate that we have historical data that depicts earlier forms of dance. Statues or sculptures of earlier dance forms exist, that give us an idea about the dance forms that existed hundreds of years ago. The Bhimbetka paintings are an interesting example, which depict earlier dance forms. There are stone tools and drawings in caves, from the time of the Stone Age which also indicate the existence of dance in those times. The dancing figures in these drawings display a wide number of expressions which are very interesting. It is astonishing that human beings used dance as a means to express themselves in those times as well.
The earliest forms of dance involved describing myths and expressing emotions through special movements and facial expressions. Cave paintings clearly indicate the skills of the people involved in the dancing. Online art galleries also have a wide number of such paintings, both old and contemporary.
