Alexis CasagrandaMiss RamahHistory May 11, 2014Dance Through HistoryIf you were to take yourself back in time to the Neolithic Age, you would see many paintings on cave walls that resembled today's dance and some that you wouldn't recognize much because they haven't been passed down over time. Many of today's dances were built in the Stone Age and have evolved over time into what we have today and along the way many steps have been modified or added to spice up the dances. It is evident that over time the ever-changing social norm has caused a change in folk dance fashions. Whether it is Western dance, classical dance, Roman dance, etc., they have all changed over time. Dance and social class also go hand in hand. For example, if you took off your corset and shortened your skirt, you weren't classy. So you didn't even dance elegantly, you were more risky. Ancient dances, unlike today's dances, were used for events other than those for which we use dance. The description of where you were from also played a role in the type of dances you performed. Many ancient dances focused on honoring the gods and spirits of the earth. Some focused more on festivals or to give reality to the drama, they used dance to emphasize what they were portraying. Dance is one of the many arts that has been passed down over time and is still used today for the same reasons. Originally from the Renaissance period, Spanish and French cave paintings have shown scholars that dancing was very common within cave walls (1). From what the cave walls show, it is clear that sympathetic magic was the main encouragement to dance movements in ancient times(1). For example, ancient Egypt used dance... middle of paper... Christian tribes used dance for rituals, weapons, and to ward off evil and nourish good spirits. Many people opposed dancing because it was seen as lust and ecstasy. While some priests considered the dances pagan and venerated the Christian faith. Throughout your years of dancing your social status was based on your dance style and how you performed. Until the 12th century, dance was used to express oneself through religious beliefs. Then the dance evolved to show off your social class. There were three classes in the 12th century; Nobility, peasants and clergy. These classes participated in the social dances you performed. Your style of dress and the way you carried yourself also depended on your social class. Knights of the time had couples singing poetry and dancing while peasants were executed by rows of people.