Martial arts originated over 4,000 years ago in China and include forms like wushu, kung fu, tai chi, and qigong. Various martial arts also developed in India, Japan, and other parts of Asia and have close ties to traditional dances from those regions. Different dance forms from around the world are also surveyed, including dances from Africa, the Middle East, Europe, India, and more. Key figures in the development of modern dance are discussed, such as Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham, and Merce Cunningham.

1. world dance
pictorial history
slide show

2. Tai Chi Pose
snake creeps down

3. Martial Arts have an ancient tradition of
body, mind and spirit training.
Various forms of martial arts have been practiced in
China, India and Japan since antiquity.
According to legend, Chinese martial arts
originated during the semi-mythical
Xia Dynasty ( ) more than 4,000 years ago
and include wushu, kung fu, qigong, and t’ai chi.
3

5. In modern times, Chinese martial arts have spawned the genre of
cinema known as the martial arts film, with martial artists and actors
such as Jet Li and Jackie Chan.
http://www.everythingaction.com/2009/12/11/action-adventure-classic-who-am-i/
5

6. The historical origin of
Japanese martial arts
can be found in the warrior
traditions of the samurai.
Japanese martial art forms
include gendai budō
and koryū types like jujutsu,
as well as sumo, judo, kendo,
aikido, kyudō, and karate.
6

7. taekwando | karate
7

8. Chinese Ribbon Dance
photo: worldartswest.org

9. "Spirit of the Peacock"
Chinese Dance

10. modern dance company
Cloud Gate
Dance Theatre
of Taiwan
Photo by Lois Greenfield

11. Kalari payattu, an Indian martial art, originated in South India
and is one of the oldest fighting systems in existence.
http://jugalbandi.info/2010/01/martial-arts-vedic-style-kalaripayattu/
11

12. Some of the choreographed sparring
in kalari payat
can be applied to dance.
Kathakali dancers
who knew martial arts
were believed to be markedly better
than the other performers.
12

13. Some traditional Indian dance schools
still incorporate kalari payat
as part of their exercise regimen.
13

14. India
Bharatanatyam
Bharata Natyam or
Chadhir Attam,
a classical dance form
from the South Indian state
of Tamil Nadu, is practiced in
modern times predominantly
by women.

15. bharata natyam
Mudras
are symbolic or ritual gestures
in Hinduism and Buddhism.
While some mudrās
involve the entire body,
most are performed
with the hands and fingers.

16. ...refers mainly
to the dances of
Sub-Saharan Africa.

17. African dances teach social patterns and
values and help people work, mature, praise
or criticize members of the community while
celebrating festivals and funerals,
competing, reciting history, proverbs and
poetry; and to encounter gods.
17

18. Adowa, a funeral dance, from Ghana,
...graces the funeral with dignified walking movements and today is performed at festivals
and other special social events.

19. Throughout Africa, the sound
and the rhythm of the drum
express the mood of the people.
19

20. 20

21. African
Ostrich Dance
Male Dancer
from Karamu House
by Gjon Mili (1949)
Taken from LIFE magazine
http://www.body-pixel.com/2009/07/30/e-learning-african-dance-for-beginners-part-2/

22. The drum is the sign of life; its beat is the
heartbeat of the community.
22

23. 23

24. Such is the power of the drum
to evoke emotions, and to touch the souls
of those who hear its rhythms.
24

25. However, nomadic groups such as the Maasai
do not traditionally use drums, but rather
use their human voice as musical accompaniment. 25

26. Middle Eastern dance (Arabic dance) or Belly Dance,
originated in Egypt and N. Africa,
and as a style is also quite popular in India, where it has deep cultural roots.
26

27. Raqs baladi, (literally "dance of country", or "folk" dance)
is the folkloric style, danced socially by men and women of all ages
in some Middle Eastern countries, usually at festive occasions such as weddings.
from: afterwork.myfinejob.com
Nath Keo a Cambodian-Canadian, male belly dancer

28. Raqs sharqi (literally "Dance of the Near East") is the style
more familiar to Westerners, performed in restaurants and cabarets
around the world. It is more commonly performed by female dancers
but is also sometimes danced by men.
Sadie
American
belly dancer

29. Flamenco
Photo: Copyright 2006
lois greenfield

30. Rock Apes of Gibraltar, Andalusian Gypsy dance

31. Furia Flamenca's style is unique
in that it combines the traditional gypsy
with the more modern flamenco
http://www.joyofmotion.org/Resident%20companies/furiaflamenca.htm 31

32. Traditional Folk Dancing Ibiza, Spain
photo from SuperStock 1954-2097

33. The term "folk dance" is sometimes
applied to dances of historical
importance in European culture and
history; typically originated before the
20th century. For other cultures the
terms "ethnic dance" or "traditional
dance" are sometimes used, although
the latter terms may encompass
ceremonial dances.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_dance
33

34. UKRAINIAN FOLK DANCE HOPAK
http://www.barynya.com/mp3/barynya_trio.stm

35. The term "folk dance"
is reserved for dances
which are to a significant degree
bound by tradition and originated
in the times when the distinction
existed between the dances of
"common folk" and the dances
of the "high society".
35
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_dance

36. Italian folk dancing revolves around the Tarantella, a quick dance
with dancers moving around, which is ofttimes finished at weddings.
It originated in southern Italia.
36

37. Catalan French celebrating the French national holiday
with the traditional folk dance Sardana
in Laroque des Alberes, Pyrenees_Orientales, Languedoc_Roussillon, South France.
photo: SuperStock 1848-33075 37

38. Traditional English Morris Folk Dancing 38
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2098196/Traditional-English-Morris-dancing-faces-extinction.html

39. Most of the true Scottish Highland dances are connected with ancient folk customs.
The present form evolved through the centuries as refinement in the general form of dance
occurred, but the original basic steps and the themes were passed on through the years.
http://www.strathdonpipeband.com/LearningCenter/Dancing/HighlandDancing/tabid/65/Default.aspx 39

40. A number of modern ballroom dances
originated from folk dances.
Some dance forms are
Waltz, Polka, Mazurka, Marche, Scottish,
Rondeau and the Bourree.
Bourree is a French folk dance
with many varieties, characteristically
danced with quick, skipping steps.
Carols and Baroque dances
are other popular traditional dances found
in France and throughout Europe. 39

41. The Waltz, the oldest of the ballroom dances, is
considered by some as the “mother of present day dances”
and the “backbone dance” of the ballroom.
The Waltz is a truly romantic dance
and is comprised of soft, round, flowing movements.
http://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/where-and-how-to-go-dancing-with-the-stars/2 41

42. The polka is a gay, fast-traveling dance
that is easy to learn, but requires lots of energy.
The polka was originally a Czech peasant dance.
http://www.nerdylorrin.net/jerry/WebLogs/Geoff/Krakow-DanceShow-Polka.jpg 42

43. The Mazurka is a sultry seductive couple dance
found in much of western, central and northern Europe.
The form most often danced in France is a variation
combining the basic mazurka step and the waltz step.
http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/50/10050-004-C68DBE5C.jpg 43

44. English Country Dance
is based on the Baroque Contredanses
from the French Court of Louis XIV.
In 1710, a French book,
Feuillet's Recuil de Contredanse first recorded
information about Country Dance footwork.
English Country dancing went to
North America with the colonists.
In New England especially, country dance was
extremely popular through the early 1800s.
44

45. Traditional English Country Dance
http://www.strangegirl.com/emma/3music.php
45

46. Ballet,
a formal dance form with roots
in the 15th century courts
of the Italian Renaissance,
began as a danced version of
the sport, fencing, and featured
very little choreography,
and absolutely no ballerinas.
46
http://dance.lovetoknow.com/Who_Invented_Ballet

47. French Court of King Louis XIV
http://www.dancer.com/hist.php http://www.seahorse-design.com/wordpress/?p=173

48. After the death of King Louis XIV,
ballet continued to develop and evolve
over the remaining years of the
eighteenth century. The art form went
on to be developed in Russia and
France, and all variations found in
classical style are rooted in the original
French technique of King Louis XIV’s
royal court.
48

49. Until 1681, ballets were danced
entirely by men!
Women weren’t introduced
to the opera-ballet stage
until the Paris Opera production
of Le Triomphe de l’Amour.
Featured in this production was
Mademoiselle de Lafontaine – who
is attributed as being the first
professional female ballet dancer.
http://californiaballet.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/triomphe.jpg
49

50. Legendary French
ballerina Marie Anne
de Camargo was born
in Brussels in 1710.
Marie became the
darling of French ballet
audiences when she
debuted at the Paris
Opera ballet in 1726.
50

51. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s first ballet, Swan Lake, is considered
by most people to be one of the greatest classical ballets
of all time and was performed
for the first time in 1877 at the Grand Theatre in Moscow.
http://www.kievglam.com/culture/tchaikovskys-first-swan-lake-ballet-the-most-beloved-ballet-of-all-time 51

52. With more freedom of expression,
dancers and choreographers of the
Romantic Era strove to create a
marriage of the dynamic technique
of the previous era with the
dramatic storytelling that was
prevalent during the mid-1800’s.
http://californiaballet.wordpress.com/2010/06/04/ballet-in-the-romantic-era/
52

53. One of the first Romantic Ballets, La Sylphide,
was first performed in Paris in 1832. The original choreographer
of the ballet was Philippe Taglioni, whose daughter, Marie Taglioni,
was considered the quintessential Romantic ballerina.
http://californiaballet.wordpress.com/2010/06/04/ballet-in-the-romantic-era/

54. Ballet technique would adopt the rounded arms, softer
movements, and ethereal look that was seen in La Sylphide.
The costume worn by Marie would become the standard for the
era, becoming known as the Romantic tutu.
http://www.newsrt.co.uk/news/review-la-sylphide-aalto-ballet-theater-essen-germany-1506.html 54

55. Neoclassical ballet
is the 20th century
style of classical ballet
exemplified by
the works of George Balanchine.
55

56. New York City Ballet

57. Neoclassical ballet
draws on the advanced technique
of 19th century Russian Imperial dance,
but strips it of its detailed narrative
and heavy theatrical setting.
What is left is the dance itself,
sophisticated but sleekly modern,
retaining the pointe shoe aesthetic,
but eschewing the well upholstered
drama and mime of the full length story ballet.
57

58. George Balanchine's Apollo in 1928 is considered to
be the first neoclassical ballet.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoclassical_ballet 58

59. Traditionally, European and American
theatrical dance centered on ballet.
However, in the early twentieth century,
it became fashionable in dance circles to
rebel against the strictures of tradition.
The first two well-known American dancers
to break away from classical ballet were
Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. Denis.
59

60. Isadora Duncan
mother of modern dance

61. Although their styles differed,
Duncan and St. Denis's
unconventional approaches
opened the door to a new era
in dance history:
the American modern dance movement
of the 1920s.
61

62. Ruth St. Denis

63. Doris
Humphrey
was one of the second
generation of
American
modern dance
pioneers

64. Humphrey followed her forerunners –
including Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. Denis
and Ted Shawn – in exploring the use of
breath and techniques and choreography
that developed the nuances of the
human body's responses to gravity
which she embodied in her
principle of fall and recovery. 64

65. José Limon acquired his bases for dance
technique from Doris Humphrey.

66. According to the Limón Institute, his
technique "emphasizes the natural
rhythms of fall and recovery
and the interplay between
weight and weightlessness to provide
dancers with an organic approach to
movement that easily adapts to
a range of choreographic styles."
He used the technique to display his own
expressive interests. 66

67. Katharine Dunham

68. Katharine Dunham
introduced audiences in the
1930s and 1940s to a
variety of African American
dances from primitive
rituals to jazz.
68

69. Barrelhouse Blues
jazz 1938
Photo of Katherine Dunham
by Gjon Mili

70. Irene and Vernon Castle:
Pioneers of
Modern Ballroom Dance
led the craze for
ragtime and Broadway
routines adopted as
social dances in the
years
before World War I
(1914–18).

71. The
Ziegfeld Follies
were a series
of elaborate
theatrical productions
on Broadway in
New York City
from 1907 through 1931.
Lucille Ball featured in this photo

72. Martha Graham
gave modern dance
new depth as
a vehicle for
the intense and
forceful expression
of primal emotions.

73. The Martha Graham Dance Company has
been a leader in the development of
contemporary dance since its founding in 1926.
Graham and her Company have expanded
contemporary dance’s vocabulary of movement
and forever altered the scope of the art form by
rooting works in contemporary social, political,
psychological, and sexual contexts.
73

74. Martha Graham
“Lamentation”

75. Martha Graham
“Night Journey”

76. American dancer and choreographer,
Agnes De Mille, further developed
the
narrative aspect of dance
and made innovative use of
American themes, folk dances, and
physical idioms in her choreography
of musical plays and ballets.
76

77. Agnes de Mille
“Rodeo” -
1942
From people.tribe.net

78. Rodeo (1942),
one of Agnes De Mille’s most
important ballets,
was the first ballet
to include tap dancing;
it also used distinctively American
gestures—bronco-riding
and steer-roping movements.
78

79. In the 1950s, Anna Halprin
established the
San Francisco Dancers’ Workshop
to give artists like herself
a place to practice their art.
Being able to freely explore the
capabilities of her own body,
she created a systematic way of
moving using kinesthetic awareness.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Halprin 79

80. Anna Halprin
Parades
&
Changes

81. To distinguish his choreography,
Paul Taylor incorporates everyday
gestures rather than dance moves.
Through his body language,
he is able to convey his
emotions and imagination.
Taylor's masterpieces are known for their
wit, warmth, musicality, and excitement.
http://dance.about.com/od/famousdancers/p/Paul_Taylor.htm 81

82. Paul Taylor
Dance Company
1954 - present
“Cloven Kingdom”
Photo from www.loisgreenfield.com

83. The Alvin Ailey American Dance
Theater, founded in 1958,
was a hugely popular,
multi-racial modern dance
ensemble.
The company popularized
modern dance around the world.
83

84. Alvin Ailey

85. Alvin Ailey’s most famous dance,
Revelations,
is based on Ailey's own experience
of growing up African American
in the rural South and
is a celebratory study of religious spirit.
85

86. Judith Jamison
In “Cry”
1971
past director,
Alvin Ailey
Dance Theater
1989 - 2011

87. “CRY”
by
Alvin Ailey

89. While modern dance had historically aspired to
high seriousness and spirituality,
Twyla Tharp's work was humorous and edgy.
She worked less often with
contemporary avant-garde music than with
classical music, pop songs, a clicking
metronome, or silence. Always, the choreography
was dynamic,
unpredictable and underpinned by an unusually
thorough musical intelligence.
89

90. Twyla Tharp
1965 -present

91. In the cultural ferment of the 1960s, young artists
felt challenged to test the boundaries of their media.
Twyla Tharp's work fused classical discipline and
rigor with avant-garde iconoclasm, combining ballet
technique with natural movements like running,
walking and skipping. By combining different forms of
movement – such as jazz, ballet, boxing and
inventions of her own – Ms. Tharp’s work
expands the boundaries of American ballet and
modern dance.
91

92. Twyla Tharp's "In the Upper Room," - 1986
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/11/arts/dance/11kour.html 92

93. Disco Dance 1960s-1970s

94. Pilobolus Dance Theatre 1970s - present
imaginative and athletic creative collaboration
The Fat Gnome

95. Pilobolus, a hyper-creative dance group
has spent four decades conjuring some
of the most unique dance spectacles
known to audiences.
Here they’ll mimic sinuous, insect-like
creatures courting one another; there
they’ll act as shadow puppets, using
tricks of light to become huge and then
minuscule.
Though best known for their innovative
use of props, costumes, visual illusions
and gymnastics, Pilobolus’s creative
masterminds also indulge in an eclectic
use of music.
http://www.houstonpress.com/2011-04-07/calendar/pilobolus-dance-company/ 95

96. David Parsons Dance Company 1985 - present
“Awesome dancing and a backbeat to knock it all home. Eye-popping digital effects. Excellent showbiz-savvy performers. Perpetually
smoldering. Lusty, sensual movement.” – Deborah Jowitt, The Village Voice

97. There are a number of modern dances,
such as hip hop, breaking, and krump
that evolve spontaneously, but the term
"folk dance" is generally not applied to
them, and the terms "street dance" or
"vernacular dance" are used instead.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_dance
97

98. Electric Boogaloo
1970s
Suga Pop
Poppin Pete

99. Hip Hop
1970s - present
photo by
dance photographer
loisgreenfield.com

100. aseid contemporary
dance company
hip hop
photo by dance photographer
loisgreenfield.com

101. ASEID contemporary dance
photo by dance photographer
loisgreenfield.com
http://www.loisgreenfield.com/galleries/dance/featured/953/aseid_1.html

102. a
based in Brooksville, ME

103. Introduction
to Dance
Aji Hall & Vika Grindle
with Alison Chase
Performance dancers,
Jade and Shane, in
Brooksville, Maine

104. Bay School
b’boy
8th grade project
Sam Stenkhe