Classical Greek mythology

In a classical Greek song, Apollo, one of the twelve greater gods, the son of Zeus the chief god, and the god of medicine, music, and poetry, was called The Dancer. In a Greek line Zeus himself is represented as dancing. In Sparta, a province of ancient Greece, the law compelled parents to exercise their children in dancing from the age of five years. They were led by grown men, and sang hymns and songs as they danced. In very early times a Greek chorus, consisting of the whole population of the city, would meet in the market-place to offer up thanksgivings to the god of the country. Their jubilees were always attended with hymn-singing and dancing.

Dance in Holy Scriptures of various nations

Opinions vary greatly with respect to how Holy Books consider dancing. If anyone undertakes the articles of this section, please refrain from comments other than factual explanations. Let the texts (i.e., exact quotes) speak for themselves.

Dance in Bible

The Jewish records make frequent mention of dancing, as a religious ceremony, or as an expression of gratitude and praise. As a means of entertainment in private society, dancing was practiced in ancient times, but by professional dancers, and not by the company themselves. The Bible sanctions dancing as a religious rite, to be practiced on joyful occasions, at national feasts, and after great victories, and "performed by maidens in the daytime, in open air, in highways, fields, or groves;" however, there are no instances of dancing sanctioned in the Bible, in which both sexes united in the exercise, either as an act of worship or as an amusement, and any who perverted the dance from a sacred use to purposes of amusement were called infamous. The only records in the Bible of dancing as a social amusement were those of the ungodly families described by Job xxi, 11-13, who spent their time in luxury and gayety, and who came to a sudden destruction; and the dancing of Herodias, Matt. Xiv, 6, which led to the rash vow of King Herod and to the murder of John the Baptist.

Dance in Qur'an

Dance in Hindu scriptures

From a Hindu point of view, the whole Universe is being brought into existence as the manifestation of the dance of the Supreme Dancer, Nataraja. In the Hindu scriptures, every god has his or her own style (lasya and tandava respectively represent two aspects of dance) we read about 23 celestial beings called Apsara's who dance to please the gods and express the supreme truths in the magic of movement.

The dance in the Hinduism used to be a part of a sacred temple ritual, especially in South and Eastern India, where the female priestesses devadasi's worshiped different aspects of the Divine through the elaborate language of mime and gestures. Natyashastra is the most ancient and the most elaborate scripture describing every element and aspect of this sacred art-worship.

The temple dance gradually evolved into what is known today as the South Indian Classical Dance that still preserves many ritualistic elements of Hinduism. Some of the classical Indian dancers are believed to be incarnations of apsaras.

Related topics

• Basic dance topics
• Ceremonial dance