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ELIZABETH E. CASTILLO

SongSoptok | 9/15/2016 |


Dance had always been an integral part of a country’s tradition and culture. Since time immemorial, dance played a significant role in a country’s distinct culture and heritage. Dance is also considered as one form of communication – to be able to express one’s emotions through body movements.

Dance Differentiate The Upper Class From The Lower Class

Some forms of dance like the folk dance was created to distinguish the upper class from the lower class and usually depicts the traditional way of living of the inhabitants of a particular region or culture. The accompanying various steps involved in this dance are handed down from generation to generation and are often observed or showcased during festivals or cultural celebrations.

Dance For Different Festivities

We can often witness dances to be a major part of any cultural affairs and used to liven up the celebration.

“Quadrilles” for example are performed during the Irish’s St. Patrick’s Day when the Irish dancers perform classical Irish folk dance.

The “Square Dance” on the other hand is an American folk dance which is performed by eight dancers arranged in squares.

Dances spice up festivities and provide people a glimpse of the way of living in the past.

Historical Significance Of Dance

Different forms of dance which are passed down from many generations until the present modern times allow historians and citizens to witness a living, and moving example of how their ancestors danced and moved with each other. The distinguished steps themselves connote different meanings and we can often get a sneak peak of the traditions and customs of different cultures along with the costumes dancers wear when they perform.

The so-called Elizabethan and Restoration kind of dance are specifically created for the sophisticated upper class owing to its fine and very graceful, modest movements. These are more formal and can be noticed that partners hardly touch each other. The rural English dances meanwhile show the daily lives of the locals.

Dance As Part Of Other Activities

Dances are also major parts of religious activities. They can also take part in rice-planting as in the Japanese rice-planting dance which is performed to help get work done faster. In other cultures, dance is performed by a “shaman” or healer in order to cure or remedy a lingering illness.

The Evolution of Dance

The different forms of dance may come and go as years go by as new trends are welcomed by every culture. We can deny the fact that dance constantly changes and can go out of fashion and can also be reinvented during these modern times.

Different cultures possess unique kinds of dances but all for the main purposes of having fun, expressing our emotions and to depict our distinct cultures.


***Author/Poet Elizabeth Esguerra Castillo is an Internationally-Published Author/Poet and Professional Writer and has 2 published international books, “Seasons of Emotions”, UK and “Inner Reflections of the Muse”, USA and a co-author to more than 60 international anthologies. She is a member of American Authors Association (AAA), and PEN International.


[ELIZABETH ESGUERRA CASTILLO]


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