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THE DANCE
_Historic Illustrations of Dancing
from 3300 B.C. to 1911 A.D._
BY
AN ANTIQUARY
LONDON
JOHN BALE, SONS & DANIELSSON, LTD.
83-91, GREAT TITCHFIELD STREET, OXFORD STREET, W
Respectfully dedicated
to Dr. Eleanor Maxwell.
1911
PREFACE.
* * * * *
This sketch of the iconography of the dance does not pretend to be a
history of the subject, except in the most elementary way. It may be
taken as a summary of the history of posture; a complete dance cannot
be easily rendered in illustration.
The text is of the most elementary description; to go into the subject
thoroughly would involve years and volumes. The descriptions of the
various historic dances or music are enormous subjects; two authors
alone have given 800 dances in four volumes.[Footnote: Thompson's
complete collection of 200 country dances performed at Court, Bath,
Tunbridge, and all public assemblies, with proper figures and
directions to each set for the violin, German flute, and hautboy, 8s.
6d. Printed for Charles and Samuel Thompson, St. Paul's Churchyard,
London, where may be had the yearly dances and minuets. Four volumes,
each 200 dances. 1770-1773.]
It would have been interesting if some idea of the orchesography of
the Egyptians and Greeks could have been given; this art of describing
dances much in the manner that music is written is lost, and the
attempts to revive it have been ineffective. The increasing speed of
the action since the days of Lulli would now render it almost
impossible.
It is hoped that this work may be of some use as illustrating the
costume, position and accessories of the dance in various periods to
those producing entertainments.
To the reader desirous of thoroughly studying the subject a
bibliography is given at the end.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I
Egyptian, Assyrian, Hebrew, and Phoenician Dancing. The Ritual Dance
of Egypt. Dancing Examples from Tomb of Ur-ari-en-Ptah, 6th Dynasty,
British Museum. Description of Dancing from Sir G. Wilkinson; of the
Egyptian Pipes and Hieroglyphics of Dancing, &c. Phoenician Round
Dances, from a Limestone Group found at Cyprus, and Bronze Patera from
Idalium, Cyprus.
CHAPTER II
Greek Dancing. Bacchanalian Dance, by the Ceramic Painter Hieron.
Description of some Greek Dances, the Geranos, the Corybantium, the
Hormos, &c. Dancing Bacchante from a Vase and from Terra Cotta. The
Hand-in-hand, and Panathenaeac Dance from Ceramic Ware. Military Dance
from Sculpture in Vatican, Greek Dancer with Castanets. Illustration
of Cymbals and Pipes from the British Museum. The Chorus. Greek
Dancers and Tumblers.
CHAPTER III
Etruscan, South Italian and Roman Dancing. Illustrations from the
Grotta dei Vasi, the Grotta della Scimia, and the Grotta del
Triclinio, Corneto. Funeral Dances from Albanella, Capua, &c. Pompeii
and the Baths of Constantino. The Dances of the Etruscans and South
Italians. The Roman, Dance of the Salii. The Bellicrepa. The social
position of Dancing. The Chorus.
CHAPTER IV
Early English and Mediaeval Dancing to the 14th Century. Dancing in
Churches and Religious Dancing. The Gleemen's Dance. Military Dances.
The Hornpipe. Tumbling and Jest Dances. Illustrations of Gleemen's
Dance, Hornpipe, Sword Dances, Tumbling and Various Comic Dances.
CHAPTER V
Society Dancing, the 15th to 18th Centuries. Out-of-door Dances.
Chamber Dancing. Comic Dances. The Ball. Illustrations from Italian
15th Century, German 15th and 16th Centuries, French 15th, 16th, 17th,
English 15th, 16th and 18th Centuries Dancing.
CHAPTER VI
The Modern Theatre Dance: its Origin. Introduced into France from
Italy. Under Henry III., IV., Louis XIII., XIV. Influence of Cardinals
Richelieu and Mazarin. Foundation of the Academic de Danse et de
Musique. The Court Ballet. Molière. Corneille. Lalli, &c. The Theatre
Ballet. The Influence of Noverre. Its introduction into and its
Present Condition in England, &c. Illustrations of Mlles. de Camargo,
Duvernay, Taglioni. Fanny Ellsler. Ferraris, Carlotta Grisi. Adeline
Genée. Anna Pavlova. Fédorova, &c. Various Eastern Examples.
[Illustration: Fig. 1.--Dancing to the clapping of bands. Egyptian,
from the tomb of Ur-ari-en-Ptah, 6th Dynasty, about 3300 B.C. (British
Museum.)]
* * * * *
Historic Illustrations of Dancing.
CHAPTER I.
EGYPTIAN, ASSYRIAN, HEBREW AND PHOENICIAN DANCING.
In this work it is not necessary to worry the reader with speculations
as to the origin of dancing. There are other authorities easily
accessible who have written upon this theme.
Dancing is probably one of the oldest arts. As soon as man was man he
without doubt began to gesticulate with face, body, and limbs. How
long it took to develop bodily gesticulation into an art no one can
guess--perhaps a millennium.
In writing of dancing, one will therefore include those gesticulations
or movements of the body suggesting an idea, whether it be the slow
movement of marching, or the rapid gallop, even some of the movements
that we commonly call acrobatic. It is not intended here to include
the more sensual movements of the East and the debased antique.
Generally the antique dances were connected with a religious ritual
conceived to be acceptable to the Gods. This connection between
dancing and religious rites was common up to the 16th century. It
still continues in some countries.
In some of the earliest designs which have come down to us the dancers
moved, as stars, hand in hand round an altar, or person, representing
the sun; either in a slow or stately method, or with rapid trained
gestures, according to the ritual performed.
Dancing, music and poetry were inseparable. Dancing is the poetry of
motion, and its connection with music, as the poetry of sound, occurs
at all times. In our own day musical themes are marked by forms
originally dance times, as waltz time, gavotte time, minuet time, etc.
[Illustration: Fig. 2.--Greek figures in a solemn dance. From a vase
at Berlin.]
Amongst the earliest representations that are comprehensible, we have
certain Egyptian paintings, and some of these exhibit postures that
evidently had even then a settled meaning, and were a phrase in the
sentences of the art. Not only were they settled at such an early
period (B.C. 3000, fig. 1) but they appear to have been accepted and
handed down to succeeding generations (fig. 2), and what is remarkable
in some countries, even to our own times. The accompanying
illustrations from Egypt and Greece exhibit what was evidently a
traditional attitude. The hand-in-hand dance is another of these.
The earliest accompaniments to dancing appear to have been the
clapping of hands, the pipes,[Footnote: Egyptian music appears to
have been of a complicated character and the double pipe or flutes
were probably reeded, as with our clarionet. The left pipe had few
stops and served as a sort of hautboy; the right had many stops and
was higher. The single pipe, (a) "The recorder" in the British Museum,
is a treble of 10-1/2 in. and is pentaphonic, like the Scotch scale;
the tenor (b) is 8-3/4 in. long and its present pitch--[Illustration:
a] [Illustration: b] the guitar, the tambourine, the castanets, the
cymbals, the tambour, and sometimes in the street, the drum.
The following account of Egyptian dancing is from Sir Gardiner
Wilkinson's "Ancient Egypt" [Footnote: Vol. i., p. 503-8.]:--
"The dance consisted mostly of a succession of figures, in which the
performers endeavoured to exhibit a great variety of gesture. Men and
women danced at the same time, or in separate parties, but the latter
were generally preferred for their superior grace and elegance. Some
danced to slow airs, adapted to the style of their movement; the
attitudes they assumed frequently partook of a grace not unworthy of
the Greeks; and some credit is due to the skill of the artist who
represented the subject, which excites additional interest from its
being in one of the oldest tombs of Thebes (B.C. 1450, Amenophis II.).
Others preferred a lively step, regulated by an appropriate tune; and
men sometimes danced with great spirit, bounding from the ground,
more in the manner of Europeans than of Eastern people. On these
occasions the music was not always composed of many instruments, and
here we find only the cylindrical maces and a woman snapping her
fingers in the time, in lieu of cymbals or castanets.
"Graceful attitudes and gesticulations were the general style of their
dance, but, as in all other countries, the taste of the performance
varied according to the rank of the person by whom they were employed,
or their own skill, and the dance at the house of a priest differed
from that among the uncouth peasantry, etc.
"It was not customary for the upper orders of Egyptians to indulge in
this amusement, either in public or private assemblies, and none
appear to have practised it but the lower ranks of society, and those
who gained their livelihood by attending festive meetings.
"Fearing lest it should corrupt the manners of a people naturally
lively and fond of gaiety, and deeming it neither a necessary part of
education nor becoming a person of sober habits, the Egyptians forbade
those of the higher classes to learn it as an amusement.
"Many of these postures resembled those of the modern ballet, and the
pirouette delighted an Egyptian party 3,500 years ago.
"The dresses of the females were light and of the finest texture, a
loose flowing robe reaching to the ankles, sometimes with a girdle.
"In later times, it appears more transparent and folded in narrow
pleats.[Footnote: There is a picture of an Egyptian gauffering machine
in Wilkinson, vol. i., p. 185.] Some danced in pairs, holding each
other's hand; others went through a succession of steps alone, both
men and women; sometimes a man performed a solo to the sound of music
or the clapping of hands.
"A favourite figure dance was universally adopted throughout the
country, in which two partners, who were usually men, advanced toward
each other, or stood face to face upon one leg, and having performed a
series of movements, retired again in opposite directions, continuing
to hold by one hand and concluding by turning each other round (see
fig. 3). That the attitude was very common is proved by its having
been adopted by the hieroglyphic (fig. 4) as the mode of describing
'dance.'"
[Illustration: Fig. 3.--The hieroglyphics describe the dance.]
[Illustration: Fig. 4.--Egyptian hieroglyphic for "dance."]
Many of the positions of the dance illustrated in Gardner Wilkinson
are used at the present day.
The ASSYRIANS probably danced as much as the other nations, but
amongst the many monuments that have been discovered there is little
dancing shown, and they were evidently more proud of their campaigns
and their hunting than of their dancing. A stern and strong people,
although they undoubtedly had this amusement, we know little about it.
Of the Phoenicians, their neighbours, we have some illustrations of
their dance, which was apparently of a serious nature, judging by the
examples which we possess, such as that (fig. 5) from Cyprus
representing three figures in hooded cowls dancing around a piper. It
is a dance around a centre, as is also (fig. 6) that from Idalium in
Cyprus. The latter is engraved around a bronze bowl and is evidently a
planet and sun dance before a goddess, in a temple; the sun being the
central object around which they dance, accompanied by the double
pipes, the harp, and tabour. The Egyptian origin of the devotion is
apparent in the details, especially in the lotus-smelling goddess
(marked A on fig. 6) who holds the flower in the manner shown in an
Egyptian painting in the British Museum (fig. 7).
[Illustration: Fig. 5.--Cyprian limestone group of Phoenician dancers,
about 6-1/2 in. high. There is a somewhat similar group, also from
Cyprus, in the British Museum. The dress, a hooded cowl, appears to be
of great antiquity.]
From the Phoenicians we have illustrated examples, but no record,
whereas from their neighbours the Hebrews we have ample records in the
Scriptures, but no illustrations. It is, however, most probable that
the dance with them had the traditional character of the nations
around them or who had held them captive, and the Philistine dance
(fig. 6) may have been of the same kind as that around the golden calf
(Apis) of the desert (Exodus xxxii. v. 19).
[Illustration: Fig. 6.--Phoenician patera, from Idalium, showing a
religious ritual dance before a goddess in a temple round a sun
emblem.]
When they passed the Red Sea, Miriam and the maidens danced in chorus
with singing and the beating of the timbrel (tambour). (Exodus xv. v.
1.)
[Illustration: Fig. 7.--Female figure smelling a lotus. From a
painting in the British Museum.]
King David not only danced before the ark (2 Samuel vi. v. 16), but
mentions dancing in the 149th and 150th Psalm. Certain historians also
tell us that they had dancing in their ritual of the seasons. Their
dancing seems to have been associated with joy, as we read of "a time
to mourn and a time to dance"; we find (Eccles. iii. v. 4) they had
also the pipes: "We have piped to you and you have not danced"
(Matthew xi. v. 17). These dances were evidently executed by the
peoples themselves, and not by public performers.
[Illustration: Fig. 8.--Dance of Bacchantes, painted by the ceramic
painter, Hieron. (British Museum,)]