Ballroom dancing
When dances moved from squares to the halls of palaces, they became an expression of life in the upper classes. It was said of the favourite in the 18th century minuet: “He who dances the minuet well does well in everything he undertakes, and may undertake everything.

The elegance of manners, the nobility of posture, and the refined deference required in the minuet were the essential qualities of a courtier.
At that time ballet appeared at court, which very soon became a favorite entertainment of kings. It is known that Henry IV and his minister Sully danced in a ballet composed by the king’s sister; Louis XIV loved to take part in the ballet.

In the XX-XXI centuries a lot of new dance styles appeared – swing, hustle, break-dance, contemporaries, etc. Ballroom and historic dances also evolved. Modern dances are usually divided into three large groups:

-stage;
-competitive;
-environmental; -competitive; -entertainment.

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From the diverse and variegated “kaleidoscope” of dance styles of the 20th century can be distinguished such as rumba, hip-hop, lambada, contempo and many others. Such a variety of dances proves that the 20th century was a leap not only in science and technology, but also a huge step forward in culture, art and development of society as a whole.

Salsa is one of the most popular dances of the 20th century. This Latin American dance originated in Cuba in the distant 20’s and has been the most popular choreographic composition ever since. Salsa has won such a worldwide love because of its incredible incendiary, gracefulness and terrific rhythm. This dance is able to make you enjoy life and see the world only in bright colors. Salsa has several directions: cha-cha-cha, rumba, bocacha, mambo and others.

Salsa
Tango is an incredibly beautiful and passionate dance with Argentine roots. Since its inception, namely in the 19th century, it became the most popular and favorite choreography throughout Argentina, London, Paris, New York, etc. This dance soon “lit up” the whole of Europe, America and the world at large. Tango in the 20th century was even a kind of cult – whole ensembles were created, parties were dedicated to it, and musical compositions written specifically for the tango.

Tango
Another fantastically popular and unique in its kind dance of the 20th century is the rock and roll. This choreographic production made a real revolution in culture, art and society. Rock ‘n’ roll appeared in the 50’s in America. Its beginnings, first of all, began with the music, which gave the impetus to the emergence of this type of dance. Rock ‘n’ roll conquered the hearts of young people around the world, with its drive, “spark” and incredible dynamism. For this dance is characterized by very complex supports, jumps, throws, and a certain careless attitude of the partner to the partner. The slogan rock ‘n’ roll sounded like “sex, drugs and rock-n-roll”, so because of the excessive frankness and even vulgarity, this kind of dance was considered immoral and taboo.

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The Middle Ages are probably the most rich in a variety of choreographic types. Among the most striking are:

The saltarello is one of the most dynamic and energetic Italian dances, performed mostly at a three-toned tempo, less frequently at a two-toned tempo. Saltarello is danced in combination with passamezzo and bass dance in a certain sequence.

Moresca or morisco is a pantomime medieval dance performed in grotesque robes with bells on the ankles by several dancers to musical accompaniment, with exotic timbres and punctuated rhythms.

The jig is a choreographic composition with English roots that originated in the 16th century. It was originally performed in 4/4 measure and later in 6/8 measure with punctuated eights.

The Pavana is a bipartite dance, which is a kind of majestic and rather slow procession. It was with this choreographic composition that any ball began in the 16th and 17th centuries. This dance has Italian roots and is the “brother” of the bass dance.

The gagliarda is one of the merriest dances of the Middle Ages, specifically of the 16th-17th century. It is performed in three-syllable size with a decreasing tempo. It was one of the favorite dances of the 17th century in Europe.

Chaconne is a dance of the 16th-18th centuries that came to Spain from the West Indies. From the 16th to the 18th century, it underwent some changes – originally it was danced in a fast and temperamental rhythm, and then the chaconne was transformed into a majestic and slow dance.

The bass dance was a sliding ceremonial dance, very similar to the polonaise. It was performed either in bipartite or triplets. The structure of this choreographic composition lacked jumps, and it looked more like a kind of “strolling” than a dance.

Almanda is a dance of German origin in a moderate tempo with a bipartite measure. It is very similar to the pavana.

Carole is a dance that is a circular choreographic composition, whose participants, holding hands, created a variety of figures to the accompaniment of songs.

During the Middle Ages there were a huge number of types of dance. In addition to the above-mentioned varieties, there were such as estampi, curante, brance, bergamaska, etc. It is worth noting that medieval dances were marked by certain clumsiness, simplicity of schemes and a standard set of simple steps. Such absurdity in the dance was due to the presence of rather heavy and voluminous garments. In particular it concerned the fairer sex. But over time, women could afford to shorten the hem of their clothes during the dance, putting them at the waist. This contributed to greater freedom of movement.

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From the moment a person begins to walk, move, run, he expresses himself plastically. Sometimes a gesture, a turn of the head, a look are enough to understand each other. Look – here is a couple walking down the street at dusk. You only see them from the back – and yet immediately determine whether they are just acquaintances or lovers. It’s plastic. When a person is in grief, they become petrified. And the suffering of a silent man is not to be confused with the brooding of an inquisitive youth. This, too, is plastic. Everyone is capable of plastic expression of their emotions, that’s why dance connects people.

The history of the emergence and development of dance is rich and multifaceted.

Dance is one of the oldest forms of art. It appeared in the times of primitive tribes. Naturally, at that time the form and purpose of dancing differed greatly from those of today. The development of the art passed through several stages.

The dance began its life alongside the man. The history of early man’s art is inseparably linked with the history of human culture. Primitive man had ritual, hunting, labour and war dances. It was handed down from generation to generation. No matter how clever a man is, no matter how broad his interests, his life is inevitably impoverished if he cannot express his feelings in music, song and dance. It is no wonder that in ancient Greece, where were so developed the desire to cultivate a harmonious personality, philosophers, like all citizens, were not alien to dance, and of the great playwright and poet Sophocles we know for a fact that in honor of the victory of the Greeks over the Persians he publicly sang and danced the “Zeap”.

The Greeks understood the nature of dance, they understood that dance can reveal what drama, music and painting are powerless to do. The subtlest impulses of human feeling are subject to dance when it becomes art. Look at the ancient Greek steles, red-figure or black-figure vases. Here the bodies themselves are cheering, shouting, exulting. We say it’s plastic.

It is difficult for historians to determine exactly when people first began to dance. Still, the antiquity of this event can be judged from the ancient rock paintings found in India, which depict people dancing.

Presumably, dancing movements were used by primitive men even before the advent of speech. It was their way of communicating their emotions and feelings to each other. Besides, a dance might include a moment of play, giving the dancer an opportunity to “reincarnate”. For instance, hunters wove animal movements into their dances.
Dance was also closely intertwined with rituals. No ritual was without a special totemic dance that might last several days.

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