THE DANCE AKD SOCIETY A Sociological Analysis of the Inter-relationship of the Social Dance and Society in England from the Age of ... Chaucer to the Present Day ... "by FRANCES MARGARET RUST Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of London February I968 Bedford College University of London ProQuest Number: 10098156 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest. ProQuest 10098156 Published by ProQuest LLC(2016). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are a great many people who have helped me, directly or indirectly, in the preparation of this thesis. Firstly, I would like to acknowledge my indebtedness to my supervisor, Ronald Fletcher, for his guidance and encouragement throughout. Secondly, without the research allowance of that valuable commodity 'time' granted by C.L. Wheble this thesis most certainly could never have been written. To my friend, Marjorie Asquith, I am indebted for many delightful historical sidelines on the social dance and also for the book on 19th century etiquette. The Survey would have been a much longer task without the expert technical advice of Gillian Charman, and the routine operations much more wearisome without the lively help of many Woolwich Polytechnic students, particularly Frank Sealey, John Kay and John Stanmore Smith. ABSTRACT The purpose of this thesis is, firstly, to enquire into the functional aspect of the social dance in society, and, secondly, ■within this general framework, to explore the particular hypothesis that variations in the social dance are never fortuitous or random, but are always intimately related to the social structure of society. The study falls into two parts. Part I opens with a brief mention of what might be called the 'structural/functionalist' framework within which the enquiry is couched. This is followed by a background chapter on the nature and origin of dance, and its significance in primitive society. The major part of the study comprises a detailed historical analysis of the social dance in England from the 13th century to the present day, drawing, wherever possible, on contemporary literary and historical material. For each century, or in certain cases subdivisions thereof, the nature of social dancing has been looked at in the light of the dominant sociological and social features of society at that time. In this way it has been possible to show, firstly, that although dancing in peasant and modern society is of much less significance than in primitive society, it does nevertheless have a functional aspect over the period in question. Secondly, it has been possible to correlate changes in the nature of social dancing with changes, inter alia, in social stratification, in relationships between the sexes, in industrialisation and technology, in social attitudes, and with various kinds of culture diffusion. The major hypothesis on which the study is based has thus.been validated, theoretically, and a case made out that the 'social dance' should be regarded as a significant part of the total culture pattern of society. Part II consists of a sociological survey of young peoples' attitudes and habits with relation to dancing, in which particular emphasis is given to contemporary fteenage' solo dancing to 'beat' music. The data thrown up by this piece of empirical research are used to substantiate where appropriate the theories and hypotheses set out in Part I, Specifically, some weight is lent to the theory that there is a basic similarity between 'modern beat' dancing and primitive dance. Generally, in so far as the explanation of the teenage dance phenomenon is to be found along the lines of a 'youth cult' rebelling against adult values and attitudes, it can be said that the findings of the survey tend to corroborate the idea that the social dance is functional, and closely related to the other institutions of society. Appendix A contains a Table of Dates where clear inter-relationships c#n be seen between important dates in the history of the social dance, on the one hand, and social and political history on the other. Appendices B to H provide background material of historical and general interest. Appendices I to J illustrate two very different aspects of contemporary social dancing. Appendices K to M contain the Survey results and Questionnaires relating to Part II. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGl ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ABSTRACT TABLE OP CONTENTS PART I CHAPTER Introduction (a) Background and theoretical framework 6 (h) Major hypothesis 10 (c) Some consideration of methodological problems 11 CHAPTER II (a) Nature and Origin of Dancing 15 (h) Primitive Dance 18 CHAPTER III Medieval England: 13th to l^th century 30 CHAPTER IV Sixteenth century England: (a) I5OO - 1550 50 (h) 1550 - 1600 58 CHAPTER V Seventeenth century England 75 CHAPTER VI Eighteenth century England 86 CHAPTER VII Nineteenth century England:(a) I8OO - 1837 98 (h) 1837 - i860 109 (c) i860 - 1900 117 CHAPTER VIII Twentieth century England:((a ) 1900 - 1910 125 (h ) 1910 - 1920 127 (c) 1920 - 1930 137 (d ) 1930 - 1940 153 (®) 1940 - 1950 159 (f) 1950 - i960 164 (g) i960 - 1966 169 CHAPTER IX (a) Socio-historical Summary 187 (h) Testing of Hypothesis in relation to: (i) Relations between the sexes and the social dance 191 (ii) Social stratification and the social dance 193 (ill) Social prestige and the social dance 197 (iv) Movement, gesture and the social dance 198 (v) Social and political history, culture diffusion and the social dance 199 (c) Conclusions 200 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Contd.) PAGE PART II CHAPTER X Preface to Survey 205 SURVEY - TABLE OP CONTENTS 208 CHAPTER XI Survey: Young People - Enquiry into present- day dancing habits and attitudes 209 APPENDICES: PART I APPENDIX A TABLE OP DATES 278 APPENDIX B COPELAND'S 'Manner of dancynge of hace dances* Extracts 282 APPENDIX C ARBEAU'S *Orchesographie* Extracts 284 APPENDIX D CELLARIUS' * Fashionable Dancing* 288 APPENDIX E 19th CENTURY POPULAR ASSEMBLY ROOMS Programmes and advertisements 290 APPENDIX P STANDARDISATION OP BALLROOM DANCING 293 APPENDIX G THE TANGO: Historical Background 296 APPENDIX H THE SAMBA: Historical Background 302 APPENDIX I 'OLD TIME' DANCE PROGRAMME 304 APPENDIX J JAMAICAN *SKA* OR 'BLUE BEAT* 305 APPENDICES: PART II APPENDIX K SURVEY RESULTS (Tables 2 - 32) 307 APPENDIX L QUESTIONNAIRE 375 APPENDIX M EYSENCK PERSONALITY INVENTORY 379 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION (a) Background and theoretical framework Anthropological studies never fail to highlight the significance of dance^but, up to the present, there has been no systematic sociological investigation of the activity of dancing. The dearth of sociological data compared with the wealth of anthropological has led the writer to undertake the following sociological analysis of the social dance. The present study has been conceived within the broad framework, or conceptual scheme, provided by a 'structural/functionalist* analysis of society. The functionalist ’school', if it may be so 2 termed, has never lacked critics and detractors but, in spite of opposition, it continues (in the view of the writer) to offer the most useful approach to a systematic analysis of social structure, or any element of social structure. This is not to commit oneself to any doctrinaire notion of function, but merely to suggest the utility of the concept for analysis, particularly for the present study. This point of view is succinctly expressed by R, Fletcher; 1. See Chapter II (b) 2, See principally R. Dahrendorf; Towards a theory of social conflict in 'Social Ciiange' by A & E Etzioni. R.P, Pore: Function and Cause. A.S.R, Dec. 1961 G.C. Homans; Bringing Men Back In. A.S.R, Dec,1964 D, Lockwood; Social Integration and System Integration in 'Explorations in Social Change' Ed, Zollschan & Hirsch. 'Functionalism is not, in the strict sense of the word, a social theory; hut rather a systematic mode of analysis, which makes possible the clear enunciation of, the pursuit of, and the elaboration of social theories ' 3 It is in this sense that the 'functional' framework is used here - for the analysis of social theories, rather than as a social theory. The structural/functionalist approach consists, basically, of the assumption that every social system must solve certain functional problems (for if it did not, the system would disintegrate). Following 4 the usage of recent theorists these problems might be termed; I (a) Pattern Maintenance and (b) Tension management. (a) refers to 'socialisation' - the process by which cultural patterns come to be incorporated in the personalities of members of the society, (b) refers to 'management' of emotional disturbances and distractions which otherwise might disrupt the individual 'units' of the system, II Adaptation - to social and non-social environment, including division of labour and role differentiation. Ill Societal goals 3, R, Fletcher 'Functionalism as a Social Theory* - Soc, Rev, July 1956 N,B, The view that although functionalism is not, strictly speaking, a theory it is nevertheless exceedingly useful as a conceptual scheme would presumably be conceded even by many of its critics. For example, Homans (op, cit,} is against the use of the word 'theory' rather than the usefulness of the approach; '..... Analysis is not explanation, and a conceptual scheme is not a theory.... The trouble with their /the functionalists^/ theory was not that it was wrong but that it was not a theory,...' 4, For example; Parsons and Smelser Economy and Society pp 46 - 51 Hare, Borgatta and Bales Small groups; studies ipû social interaction.