Social dance
Social dances are dances that have social functions and context.[1] Social dances are intended for participation rather than performance.[2] They are often danced merely to socialise and for entertainment, though they may have ceremonial, competitive and erotic functions.
Many social dances of European origin are in recent centuries partner dances (see Ballroom dance) but elsewhere there may instead be circle dances or line dances.
Social dance in western cultures
The types of dance performed in social gatherings change with social values.
Social dances of lower classes were not recorded until the
During the
During the Regency Era, from 1811 to 1830, the
The waltz, which arrived in Britain toward the end of the Napoleonic Wars, was a partner dance in which partners danced more closely than had previously been considered acceptable. In the waltz, neither partner led. Individuals danced as equals, which was new at the time. The Polka was another dance that arose during this time in which partners were scandalously close. According to Powers, the dances of this time were "fresh, inventive, youthful, and somewhat daring," which mirrored society at the time.[4]
20th century United States
Towards the end of the 19th century, Americans were tiring of the court dances of their grandparents' era. In the early 20th century, Americans began pairing Victorian dances such as the
The introduction of the phonograph record marked a shift toward dancing to recorded music, as radio stations, jukeboxes, and sock hops played records to dance to.[5]
References
- ^ Origins Archived 2007-11-21 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 0-932980-11-2.
- ISBN 9780810927919.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Powers, Richard. "Brief Histories of Social Dance". Social Dance at Stanford. Stanford University. Retrieved 2015-04-29.
- OCLC 1230460986.)
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Further reading
- Wallace, Carol McD.; et al. (1986). Dance: a very social history. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 9780870994869.