4 Social Dance

What is Social Dance?

All over the world, people dance. Different social dances have different purposes and different values. Sometimes they blend and merge with others to become new dances. But no matter what, we find a connection to others in social dance.

The term folk dance refers to the secular, recreational, and celebratory dance expression of a past or present culture. The term was coined in the 19th century by European scholars studying the culture and art forms of different world regions. These academics viewed the simple, untrained “folk” carrying on their ancestors’ ancient traditions and often wrote condescending descriptions of these activities. The term folk dance was accepted until the mid-20th century, when it was replaced with the more respectful term traditional dance. It can refer to dances of the people and often has a nationalistic purpose. Although they were original dances done by and for the people in their own communities, they are sometimes adapted for performances and performed by trained dancers. It should be noted that not all traditional dancers dropped the designation folk dance; some use the term as a source of pride.

Indigenous, Ethnic or World Dance

These terms, often used interchangeably, describe many cultural or traditional dances. Reference is often made to their ethnic, rather than their tribal, origins. A world dance is simply a dance characteristic of a particular cultural group.

For our purposes, social dances are dances that have a social function and are intended for participation rather than performance. These are dances found in social gatherings and, in their original form, not found on a stage. They celebrate special occasions and reveal something about the dancers’ culture.

Social dances can be categorized by their purpose as:

1. Courtship Dances
2. Work Dances
3. War Dances
4. Communal Dances

COURTSHIP DANCES

In cultures where marriages are arranged, men and women do not engage in courtship dances. In other cultures, dance may serve as a simple flirtation or involve a more complex ritual.

Niger: Guerewohl Festival, Wodaabe

In Western Africa, the Wodaabe cattle herders gather in the fall for the Guerewohl. During the week-long festival, young men seek to attract women. They apply make-up that will help to make the white of their eyes and teeth pop, wear festive dresses, and line up, linking arms and swaying up and down onto their toes. They chant, call, and make rolling eyes and chattering teeth to attract women.

Spain: Flamenco

The Flamenco has its roots in Andalusia (southern Spain) and is thought to be an outgrowth of the mingling of the southern Spaniards and the Romani people who settled there. The rhythms and structure of the music developed alongside the dance. It is a relatively recent dance, with no record of it prior to the late 18th century. The flirtation between the couple speaks to courtship and passion. The dance is popular around the world and especially in Japan!

Austria: Waltz

In old Europe, Austrian villagers practiced a waltz dance from the German word walzen (to turn). Dancers spin around each other as they circle the room. The dance made its way into European ballrooms, where the closed stance between the man and woman indicated a loosening of the strict rules of behavior between the sexes. The waltz’s popularity spread throughout Europe with the invading armies of Napoleon, and then crossed the Atlantic to find popularity in America. It has remained a mainstay of social dance around the world for over two centuries.

WORK DANCES

Some dances are centered around the work that groups perform. Movements imitative of work routines engender unity and synchronization.

Japan: Ainu Fishermen’s Dance.

This is a performance of a dance imitating moves used in fishing. Dances that mimicked work routines were used in past times to help build unity and continuity among the crew. The Ainu are indigenous people who today live mostly in Hokkaidō in northern Japan. Traditional Ainu dance is performed at ceremonies and banquets, as part of newly organized cultural festivals and privately in daily life; in its various forms, it is closely connected to the lifestyle and religion of the Ainu.

Taiwan: Orchid Island Boat Launching Ceremony

On an island not far from Taiwan in the Philippine Sea, Tao, the indigenous people of Lan Yu, build long oared boats to catch the flying fish that inhabit the surrounding coral reefs. The fish are a major staple of Orchid Islanders. Groups of divers work together to wave fish into large nets suspended from the boat. For the Tao, a boat equates to the ocean itself and the bounty that comes from it. The high prow and stern of the iconic wooden canoes make them a recognizable cultural symbol for the island.

In the boat launching ceremony, men of the village surround the boat and shake their hands to ward off evil. Then the group tosses the boat into the air several times – the higher the toss means the more good fortune.

WAR DANCES

Another purpose of social dance is the War Dance, a ceremonial dance performed before a battle or to celebrate victory.

New Zealand: Māori Haka

The Haka is a traditional Māori dance. It was often used as a war dance to establish unity in the group and to intimidate opposition with foot stomping, loud chanting, and fierce facial expressions. It can be performed to chants that tell traditional Māori legends. There are other chants to use for celebrations like weddings and birthdays. The Haka is danced not only in New Zealand, but also in other Pacific nations. The New Zealand soccer team, the All Blacks, perform the Haka before every game.

Brazil: Capoeira

Capoeira is a martial arts fighting style in Brazil combining dance, acrobatics, percussion, and songs. It began during the 16th century when enslaved Africans were taken to Brazil. Its original purpose was to disguise fighting as dancing. Hidden in the musical and rhythmic elements, kicks were masked as dance movements which saved it from being identified as the practice of martial arts. Today, Capoeira is practiced for competition and entertainment. Two dancers battle inside a circle formed by the other players. They try to catch their opponent off guard with acrobatics and spinning kicks.

Great Britain: Morris Dance

It is believed that Morris Dance has primitive, pre-Christian fertility rite origins. Some aspects, such as stamping the earth, waving handkerchiefs to ward off the winter, and jangling bells to awaken the spring remain, but during the Crusades martial aspects were introduced. Staves and swords, weapons of combat at the time, were added to the dances. The movements took on the look of a drill to prepare for battle. They sometimes painted their faces for disguise and added dangling strips of fabric to represent making oneself fierce for battle. Another reason for hiding one’s identity is that it was usually done in mid-winter when resources were scarce and the townspeople would give them money or buy them drinks for their performance. This vigorous dance was practiced as a means of keeping physically fit. Although in the early versions of Morris it was performed solely by men, in the video below, you will see a group of both men and women performing.

COMMUNAL DANCES

Communal dances are found in cultures that value cooperation over competition. Some require dancers to have conformity within the group. Others feature long connected lines or circles to create a sense of togetherness and community.

England: Country Dance

English country dances were widely performed around Britain, as multiple generations joined together in dance. These dances were transported to North America and transformed into dances like the square dance and Virginia Reel.

Romania and Israel: Hora

A Hora is a circular chain dance. Another version is danced by Jews world-wide. It signifies happiness and It is danced at celebrations. Often, at weddings, or at bat and bar mitzvahs (coming of age rituals) the bride and groom or honoree are lifted into the air on their chairs as the group dances.

Native American:

Many Native American tribes gather yearly for pow wows. A pow wow is a great social event that features music, dance, food, crafts, and a sharing of culture. It is a chance to celebrate the tribe’s heritage. Visitors are usually welcome to attend the pow wow to appreciate the events.

China: Park Dancing

Older women in China congregate in parks, gymnasiums, and other public places to dance. They call themselves the ‘Dancing Grannies.’ In the 1970’s, the government encouraged the population to dance to stay physically and socially active. Due to its popularity, complaints of loud music and noise have caused the government to regulate this social activity.

INTERNATIONAL FOLK DANCE

Many ethnic and national groups have established professional folk dance companies. These companies tour the world bringing the traditional dances of their culture to other countries. This is also a way to preserve the dances of a people and develop new techniques.

Russia: Moiseyev Dance Company

Igor Moiseyev founded his company over a hundred years ago and it is still in existence today. In Russia, folk dancing troupes developed alongside the great ballet companies. These dancers are highly trained to present high quality performances to the world.

México:  Ballet Folklórico de México

Ballet Folklórico de México founded in 1952 by Amalia Hernandez, centers Méxican folklore from pre-Columbian civilizations to contemporary times. The company has made an entire performance available on YouTube. This performance features many types of dances from different regions of México.

Ireland: Riverdance

This show from 1995 established River Dance as a top touring group. The upright posture, immobile arms, and fancy footwork are hallmarks of Irish dance.

Riverdance was first introduced in 1994 as part of the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, Ireland. It became a crowd favorite, and shortly after, a touring group was established. The dancers perform in unison using upright posture, immobile arms, and fancy footwork.

Classical Chinese Dance

Classical Chinese dance has a 5000 year history. Its origins go back to dances in ancient imperial palaces and folk traditions that were passed down through the generations. It is expressive, with meaning driving the movement in the telling of a dance story. Dances in the Tang Dynasty fell into the two categories of martial and civil, with the civil dance being soft and graceful, while the martial dance was vigorous and bold.

Shen Yun Dance Company of China

Shen Yun, translating to “the beauty of divine beings dancing,” travels extensively in the United States.  They are credited with reviving the ancient Chinese classical dances with new life by adding modern production values. There is usually an acrobatic component with flips and spins. Some of the moves appear to have a martial arts component, but used in an expressive, dynamic way rather than as an offensive or defensive manner. Watch this promotional video from Shen Yun Dance Company.

SOCIAL DANCE: THE AMERICAN MELTING POT

From points around the world, immigrants bring their dances to America. The dances then become modified and merged, resulting in new American dances.

Dances of Colonial America

These dances have origins in the country dances of England, Scotland, and Ireland. There, couples danced in formations that were circular, geometric, or in long lines, with men on one side facing women on the other. Country dances have repeatable figures and a caller to alert dancers to each upcoming maneuver. They are frequently performed across generations.

Virginia Reel

The Virginia Reel is an upbeat and lively long dance. Couples move down their lines alternately circling partners. In a progressive reel, the lead couple changes as the dance proceeds. The Virginia Reel was danced in ballrooms of American society.

Square Dance

The square dance sets four couples facing each other to form a square. A variety of simple moves engage the dancers with their partners and other couples, moving about the square. Square dances also have a caller to tell dancers when to change to a new maneuver.

Dances of Cajun and Creole Louisiana

Cajuns are descendants of the Acadian people who arrived in South Louisiana after being exiled from Nova Scotia in the mid-18th century. These Acadians were originally from the Celtic region of northern France and brought traditional French songs and dances with them. These early dances were mostly rondes and branles and included figure dances and contra dances, similar to square dances. Today’s Cajuns have popular social dances called the Cajun Two-Step and the Cajun Waltz. The music is traditionally sung in Cajun French.

Cajuns dance the two-step and the waltz in an unusual tradition. It is the Courir de Mardi Gras, the “runners of the Mardi Gras.” It is a tradition that occurs in the prairies of rural South Louisiana. Costumed and masked participants, either on horseback or riding on trailers, go from house to house singing, dancing, and begging for money or ingredients for a community gumbo. The highlight is when someone donates a chicken which is thrown into the crowd of courirs, and the chase begins.

Zydeco Dance

Zydeco music and dance is a tradition of the Black Creole culture in South Louisiana. The word zydeco has expanded to be a noun, an adjective, or a verb. It refers to the style of social dance, the style of music, and a term for a social event. One could say, “Let’s go zydeco to the zydeco music at the zydeco.” The origin of the word zydeco is believed to come from haricots, green beans. There is a famous song by legendary zydeco musician Clifton Chenier called Les Haricots Sont Pas Salés. This translates to “the beans aren’t salty,” a phrase meaning that times are tough. When the words les haricots are slurred together it sounds like zydeco. It is an energetic partner dance with each couple adding their own flair to the dance.

Latin America

Brazil: Samba

Samba is an Afro-Brazilian dance. The city of Rio de Janeiro celebrates Carnival (a Brazilian version of Mardi Gras), a festival prior to the beginning of Lent. People parade in the streets dancing various styles of Samba. The oldest form of Samba, the Samba de Roha, is still taught and practiced in the Bahia province of Brazil.

Argentina: Tango

Toward the end of the 19th century, moves from the dance halls of Buenos Aires merged with the milonga, a fast, sensual Argentinian dance, to create the tango. Originally the dance was considered too risque for society, but the tango has since found great popularity around the world.

African American Dance

The Black Code

The Code Noir, better known as the Black Code, was enforced under the governance of King Louis XIV. The Black Code was extremely complicated and was introduced based on other codes in the French Caribbean Colonies. The French were much more lenient in their laws toward African slaves than the British and Dutch. Severe punishments of slaves were not prohibited. Being separated from their families was not allowed, and they were able to marry. On the other hand, interracial marriage was not granted, and master’s could not free slaves as they pleased. Freeing slaves was under the guise of the Superior Council’s approval and was not generously given. An exceptional reason for freedom was required by Council. On Sundays, the Catholic King ordered no work to be done.

In 1764, Spanish Governor Alejandro O’Reilly replaced French law and the Code noir with Spanish law. These laws gave more rights to African slaves than French laws. Slaves were allowed to not only purchase their freedom but do so over even if their master’s did not want to free them. Slaves also had the right to be freed from their masters if they were treating them inhumane through a petition from the courts. The code remained in effect until the United States completed the Louisiana Purchase in 1804.

Congo Square

Congo Square started as a French market but later came to be a gathering spot for upwards of 500 souls. Folks, enslaved and freed, came from four different regions:

• Enslaved Africans direct from the foreign slave trade
• Enslaved Africans from other parts of the U.S.
• New Orleans-born enslaved people
• Enslaved Africans from Haiti, Cuba, Caribbean (a large infusion of the Haiti population came to New Orleans following its 1791-1804 revolution.)

Although gatherings were discouraged, in South Louisiana slaves were allowed to  congregate in out of the way spots on Sundays. In 1819, the mayor of New Orleans restricted gatherings to a single parcel of land on “the back side” of New Orleans, situated along Bayou St. John (north of Rampart Street in Treme). It was known as La Place Congo (Congo Square).

In 1893, city leaders changed the official name of Congo Square to honor the civil war Confederate General Beauregard, in an effort to discourage African Americans from congregating there. But the name never really “took.”  In 2011, the city voted to return  to the name Congo Square.

Dance in Congo Square

The dances of Congo Square reflected the many origins and influences of the enslaved people and freed men who congregated in the square on Sundays. Dances featured include:

Bamboula

According to Merriam-Webster, the bamboula is a primitive drum used by inhabitants of western Africa and the West Indies, especially in voodoo ceremonies and incantations; the dance performed to the beating of the bamboula (drum). So the Bamboula dance is associated with a drum. This dance form came with the slaves from West Africa when they first came to the Caribbean, and variations of this dance appear throughout the Caribbean and eventually the US. The dance originally was done as a revolt against slavery, forward motion with skirts moving the evil spirits out, backward motion with the skirts, bringing the good spirits in. These revolts were said to be led by women who danced along with the drum.

Macislyn Bamboula Dance Company

History of Bamboula https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVbobvIfaOA

Bamboula variation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVQsnNzXXy0

Calenda Dance

Caribbeans performed the calenda in lines of men and women. As the dance proceeded it became more suggestive. Slave owners tried to banish the dance.

The Calinda is a voodoo dance brought to Louisiana by San Domingo and Antilles slaves. It is a martial art, as well as folk music and dance forms from the Caribbean. Commonly seen practiced in Trinidad and Tobago, it is a stick fighting seen at Carnival. Songs are known to have derived from calinda chants. The Calinda was better known as a dance rather than a stick fight due to its violent nature. “The well-known Cajun song “Allons dancer Colinda” is about a Cajun boy asking a girl named Colinda to do a risqué dance with him; probably derived from the Calinda dance which was reported to have been performed in New Orleans by Afro-Caribbean slaves brought to Louisiana.”

The Second Line

The tradition of second-lining includes Western African influences that slaves sought to preserve in the 1700s and 1800s and elements of American military funerals. Jazz music is a significant element; the event overall demonstrates a mixture of order, spontaneity, and unification, making it a memorable celebration of life and death.

A second-line parade is a celebration of life. The “first line” includes the brass band and members of the club, organization, or family being honored. The second line refers to the rest of the attendees, fellow revelers or mourners, and onlookers who join in as it moves along the streets. Participants in these rituals twirl a parasol or wave a handkerchief while strutting in formal attire or according to the event’s theme. This is a practice still found in New Orleans today. The second line is performed every Sunday, especially at funeral processions.

AMERICAN SOCIAL DANCE IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

Popular New York dance clubs like the Cotton Club and the Apollo Ballroom were an important part of the “Harlem Renaissance” that ran roughly from the 1910s to the 1930s. The Harlem Renaissance was a golden age for African American artists, writers, musicians, stage performers and dancers. It gave these artists pride in and control over how the Black experience was represented in American culture and set the stage for the civil rights movement. Popular dances associated with this time period are tap and jazz dance which were discussed in chapter 6, and the Charleston, just to name a few.

Charleston: danced by Josephine Baker

Josephine Baker was an American born entertainer and dancer. She moved to France in the 1920’s and became a naturalized citizen there. She appeared with Folie Bergere in Paris and was the first black woman to star in a major motion picture, the silent film Siren of the Tropics. Baker enjoyed a long and successful career in France where her costume of a skirt of bananas and a necklace became an iconic image of the Jazz Age of the 1920’s. Baker also worked with the French resistance in WWII. She refused to dance in front of segregated audiences.

Josephine Baker was an American born entertainer and dancer. She moved to France in the 1920’s and became a naturalized citizen there. She appeared with Folie Bergere in Paris and was the first black woman to star in a major motion picture, the silent film Siren of the Tropics. Baker enjoyed a long and successful career in France where her costume of a skirt of bananas and a necklace became an iconic image of the Jazz Age of the 1920’s. Baker also worked with the French resistance in WWII. She refused to dance in front of segregated audiences.

Baker spoke at the civil rights March on Washington at the side of Martin Luther King, Jr. She said, ” I have walked into the palaces of kings and queens and into the houses of presidents. And much more. But I could not walk into a hotel in America and get a cup of coffee, and that made me mad. And when I get mad, you know that I open my big mouth. And then look out, ’cause when Josephine opens her mouth, they hear it all over the world.”

Castle Walk

Vernon and Irene Castle helped to make ballroom dancing popular in the early twentieth century. They sometimes appeared in movies dancing their signature step “The Castle Walk.”

Foxtrot

“An overview of the Foxtrot in the Jazz Age (1920s-1930s) showing its infinite adaptability. All footage is from the era. While dance teachers of the time liked to make distinctions, music publishers, bandleaders and dancers lumped almost any dance in 4/4 or even 2/4 time under the title “Fox Trot” unless it was obviously a Tango.”

Lindy Hop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYu4p0S4bZc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahoJReiCaPk

Twist

Chubby Checker introduced the dance with his song  “Do the Twist” in 1960. It became a dance craze popularized with the introduction of rock and roll music.

West Coast Swing:

Swing dances developed during the Big Band Era of the 1940’s. It grew out of the Lindy Hop. It is one of few dances that emphasize improvisation. East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing and similar dances are as popular today as ever.

Summary

Religious dance is the use of dance in spiritual ceremonies and rituals, present in most religions throughout history and prehistory. Its connection with the human body and fertility has caused it to be forbidden by some religions. The social institution of dance provides an arena for people to communicate with each other through the use of non-verbal and culturally acceptable movements and gestures. Social dances have a social function and are participation oriented rather than performance.