The Power and Cultural Context of Dance

Impulse to Move: Humans possess a raw impulse to move, which cultures shape into evocative sequences termed "dance."
Dance Anthropology: The study of dance within its specific social and cultural contexts.
Cultural Encoding: Form, technique, and structure in dance encode the core meanings and values of a society.
National Identity: Dance often serves as a rallying point for national consciousness and cultural identity.

Khmer Empire ( $9^{\text{th}}$ - ${15^{\text{th}}}$ Century): Court dancers were central to fertility rites and ancestor worship.
Invasion and Preservation: When Siamese armies invaded in the mid- ${15^{\text{th}}}$ century, they seized dancers as national treasures.
Khmer Rouge ( $1975$ ): The regime attempted to eradicate the "feudal past" by hunting and killing royal dancers and musicians.
Restoration ( $1979$ ): Following the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge, the new government used dance to establish political legitimacy and restore national pride.

Judeo-Christian Context: Maintains a sharp distinction between sacred (religious) and secular (social) dance.
Wedding Traditions: Often involve culturally specific rituals to unite families; a recent trend includes modern choreography alongside the traditional waltz.
The Horah: An Israeli circle dance performed to folk songs like Hava Nagila; a staple at weddings and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs where honorees are raised on chairs.

European Contact ( $1767$ ): Captain Samuel Wallis and the crew of the HMS Dolphin were shocked by the open sexuality and hip-shaking movements of Tahitian dance.
Social Function: Dance celebrated communal work, praised chiefs, and honored gods; the nuclear family was less important than group orientation.
Arioi: A troupe of actor-dancers who traveled via canoes to perform mime shows and dances.
Suppression: Missionaries banned traditional dancing as immoral in the ${1820s}$ . It remained a secret practice until the French took control in $1842$ .
Tamure: A modern nightclub dance fusing Western couple dancing with traditional Tahitian body movements.

Origins: Rooted in the court entertainments of Renaissance Italy and France.
Louis XIV: Codified ballet as a wordless dance drama; used it to reflect social hierarchy, where the highest-ranking individuals danced first.
Professionalization ( $18^{\text{th}}$ Century): Transitioned into a theatrical spectacle for paying audiences, requiring trained professionals and standardized French terminology.
American Ballet: Founded by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein, who established the School of American Ballet ( $SAB$ ) in $1934$ and later the New York City Ballet.

Communication: Movement is used to communicate with an invisible audience of spirits, ancestors, and deities.
Hopi Snake Dance: A ceremony involving the carrying of snakes (considered "brothers to spirits") to petition for rain.
The Ghost Dance: Prophesied by Wovoka ( $1856$ - ${1932}$ ), it promised the restoration of buffalo and the return of ancestors. This led to the Wounded Knee massacre in $1890$ .
Powwows: Revived after the $1934$ ban lift, these competitions preserve heritage and foster socialization between tribes through forms like the "fancy dance."

Altered States: Approximately ${437}$ out of ${488}$ surveyed societies utilize institutionalized forms of trance or possession.
Vimbuza (Malawi): A healing dance of the Tumbuka people used to treat mental illness, allowing patients to "dance their disease."
Sarpam Thullal (India): A serpent ritual in Kerala performed by the Pullavas (an outcaste group). It involves creating a Mandala and using trance to appease snake deities and prevent misfortune like infertility or skin disease.
Mbende/Jerusarema: A Zezuru fertility dance from South Africa. It was renamed "Jerusarema" to bypass missionary bans that labeled it indecent.