From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The history of dance is difficult to access because dance does not often leave behind clearly identifiable physical artifacts that last over millennia, such as stone tools, hunting implements or cave paintings. It is not possible to identify with exact precision when dance became part of human culture.
Early dance
Dance has been an important part of ceremony, rituals, celebrations and entertainment since before the birth of the earliest human civilizations. Archaeology delivers traces of dance from prehistoric times such as the 30,000-year-old Bhimbetka rock shelters paintings in India and Egyptian tomb paintings depicting dancing figures from c. 3300 BC.
Means of social communication and bonding
Dance may have been used as a tool of social interaction that promoted cooperation essential for survival among early humans. Studies found that today’s best dancers share two specific genes associated with a predisposition for being good social communicators.[1]
As folk celebrations
Many dances of the early periods were performed to celebrate festivals, on important or seasonal occasions such as crop harvest, or births and weddings. Such dances are found all over the world.[2]
