This is a reproduction of a library book that was digitized by Google as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the information in books and make it universally accessible. https://books.google.com - * * * - * - - - - * - - - A. & . - - - - . - THE A R T D A N C IN G. ! * . * * THE * ART OF DANCING. PO E. M. PRECEDED BY A HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT OF NATI ONAL DANCES, AND FOLLOWED BY DIRECTIONS * * FoR THE ACQUIsITION OF A GRACEFUL AIR AND DEPORTMENT; AND FOR THE REMEDY OF NATURAL AND OF AcQUIRED DEFECTs. BY MR. J.ENKINS, \. - : - LONDON : \ J. J. STOCKDALE, 90, STRAND. 1822. J. J. Stockdale, Printer, Office of “The True Briton Newspaper, 89, Straud. * * R AN HistoRICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT , * - OF NATIONAL DANCEs. * WE will not enquire into the Dancing of bar barous nations or of fabulous times. It is not, however, irrelevant to observe, that the ancient INDIANs adored the sun, by turning towards the east, and dancing in a profound silence, as if they thereby meant, to imitate in their move ments, the apparent march of that luminary; * * * and that it was from t - nations, that what is called * spread itself into Greece. - *- - Even at the present day, the dancing of £, . the EASTERN NATIONs partakes of the same slow and expressive character. Marsden says, * * * * * * B. " * * # # * - * - - * * - s "> * * 4. * * * *. * 6 ART OF DANC ING. that among the softer amusements of the Sum atrans, their dances are the principal. These are performed either singly, or by two women, two men, or with both mixed. Their motions and attitudes are usually slow, approaching often to the lascivious, and not unfrequently to the ludicrous. This is, I believe, the general . opinion formed of them by Europeans; but it may be the effect of prejudice. Our usual dances are, in their judgment, to the full as . ridiculous. The minuets they compare to the fighting of two game-cocks, alternately approach ing and receding ! Our country dances they esteem too violent and confused, without shew ing grace or agility. ** From India, the GREEKs probably derived some portion of the character of their dances. Certain it is, that the art was highly honoured by the Greeks of the earliest ages. Homer celebrates Moriones for having been a good dancer; and in another place he says, - * • "Axxy asyyx, 48wxe Seos roxsania eryx, ** 'AXX4 d'ârynsvv, *tegw assagiu xx &oiâyv. * #. Hom. II. XIII.730, 31. To some the powers of bloody war belong, - * To some the dance, the lyre, the charms of song." - - Pope, c. XIII. 915, “ . ** * * * NATIONAL DANCES. 7 Plato, Aristotle, Xenophon, Plutarch, Lu cian, Athenaeus, and most of the Greek authors, treat of dancing with approbation, and even with encomiums. The dance of the Greeks, however, in its most general acceptance, not only expressed actions, but inclinations and habits. It formed the body to strength, to agility, to grace. It awakened and preserved in the soul, the senti ment of harmony and proportion. In the time of Plato, it had become a considerable part of the religious ceremonies, and military exercises; and the government itself made it an object of its attention and concern. It obtained also a place among the institutes of Lycurgus, where different parts of the military dance were assign ed to the old, the middle ages, and the young. In consequence of this, the Greeks not only established academies for this exercise, but in stituted games at which the prize was contend. ed for, by excellence in the art; and to give more encouragement and celebrity to the prize, the conqueror was to receive it from the public. The masters, or composers, of the genuine * dances, were the poets themselves; they taught * - B 2 .. - ** **. - * * * : * * * * * *. - f * 8.- : AART of DANCING. * * * * the figure and motions to those who were to execute them: and we read that Thespis, Pra tinas, ;Cratinus, and Phrynicus, danced then selves in the representation of their own dramas. The dance, indeed, constituted a part of the music of the ancients; for this music included both poetry and dancing. The arts of intona tion and of dancing were very frequently con nected with lyric poems: at least with such * kind of poems as consist of strophe, antistrophe, and epode. Among the odes of Pindar, we find some, the strophe and antistrophe, of which each consist of seventeen verses, and the epode - of thirteen. By this union of poetry, music * . and dancing, and only by this, was the ear of *the auditor, who was likewise a spectator, eil abled to conceive the existing harmony between ... the strophe and the antistrophe, and the con nection of both with the epods, and to enjoy . them; but not without the said of the eye." * The dance, which was accompanied by the ź song of the dancer, did not consist in springs & and bounds; but measured steps, regulated by ** the music, and accompanied by gesticulation of the arms. During the song of the strophe, the - * dancers turned from the east to. the west, re- : * * - se * • * * - - - …' * * * *: * * *#. & * *. * * * , & * * * * * | < * * .* > * * #, * , * - * -: * * * * ' ' ' '. ' *: ". % #. * *.. * * : * ' '... * *~~~~~~~~-------- NATIONAL DANCEs: * * 9 : r *. & turned with the antistrophe from the west to the east, and stood still while the epode was sung. It may easily be conceived that, anima ted as the Greek rhythums is, its harmonic connection, during the vast circuit, if I may so say of the rhythmic period, would have escaped the ear, had not union and expression been com municated by music and dancing; of which we perhaps can only form a very inadequate idea.' - *The Saltation or pantomime, according to Plutarch, was composed of three parts: : * . "… '*- * * **** ** . * The first was the motion, whether by the step, or by leaping, it . * - * --> * * 1, * , *. The second was the figure." * . - - - - - ** - #. " * * , - * The third was the demonstration of representation of " the subject. , * * * * The dance was distinguished into simple and composite. The simple dance was that which was only formed of the motions of the limbs; as of leaping, of the change, the cross ing, the striking of the feet, the running forward or backward, > the bending or extension of the hams, the raising or falling of the arms, with the differeut figures which comprehended * not only the motions, but the pauses or rests, as when the 's * points were to imitate one sleeping, or thinking, or admiring, or terrified, or observing, or weeping, or laughing, &c. " * * * *** * -> -- - * -: --- # *- ; : , , * * .* * *- *...*. * **y - * . * - - * * * : *. * * * - - t - * - - e .. - * * * * :- * - ..e. ' ‘. - * 3. 10 - ART OF DANCING. In Plato's time, dancing admitted of three divisions; first, military dances; second, do mestic, or joyous dances; third, dances in ex piations and solemn sacrifices, or festivals. I. Of MILITARY DANCEs, there were two sorts; the gymnopedic dance, or the dance of children; and the enoplian, or the armed dance. The Spartans had invented the first for an early excitation of the courage of their children, and to lead them insensibly to the exercise of the armed dance. This gymnopedic dance used to be executed in the public place. It was composed of two choirs, the one of grown men, the other of children; whence, being chiefly de signed for these, it took its name. They were both of them in a state of nudity. The choir of the children regulated their motions by those * * The composite dance. was so called from the dancer's adding to the motions of his limbs, various feats of acti vity, with baskets, quoits, wheels, ivy-wrapped spears, i. e. swords, &c. * - NATIONAL DANCEs. 1] of the men, and all danced at the same time, singing the poems of Thales, Alcman, and Dionysodotus. The enoplian, or pyrrhic, was danced by young men armed cap-a-pee; who executed to the sound of the flute, all the proper movements, either for attack or for defence. It was com posed of four parts. - The ifirst was the podism, or footing; which consisted in a quick shifting motion of the feet, such as was necessary for overtaking a flying enemy, or for getting away from him, when an overmatch. The second part was the xiphism: this was a kind of mock fight, in which the dancers imi. tated all the motions of a combatant : aiming a stroke, darting a javelin, or dextrously dodg ing, parrying, or avoiding a blow, or thrust. The third part, called the komos, consisted in very high leaps or vaultings, which the dan cers frequently repeated, "for the better using themselves, occasionally, to leap a ditch, or spring over a wall. * - * : * t 12 ART OF DANCING. * s* * The tetracomos - was the fourth and last part: this was a square figure, executed by slow and majestic movements.—Some pretend, that it was particular to the Athenians, Pollux (in his Ono masticon) affirms, that it was in use among other nations; * but it would be difficult to ascertain whether it was every where executed in the same manner. * 6. Of all the Greeks, the Spartans were those who the most cultivated the pyrrhic dance. Athenaeus relates that they had a law, by which they were obliged to exercise their children at it, from the age of five years. This warlike s" people constantly retained the custom of ac * * companying - their • * dances * * with * hymns aud <!". songs. Every one knows that which they sung for the -dance, called trichoria,' from its being com posed of three choirs, the one of children, ano ther of young men, and the third of old. * - 4 * * * - - ** The old men opened the dance, saying, “ in time past we were valiant.” - ** - * , * T - - 4. ". * - * This dance, according to Plutarch, was instituted by Ly-' curgus himself. It was not, 'however, materially different from the gymnopedia, or children's dance, before mentioned. s *. * - * * - - * * * ----- - - * - .. * * NAMoNAL DANCES. 13. * * - “We are so at present,” was the response of the young. # * * “We shall still be more so when our time comes,” replied the chorus of the children.