Thursday, March 7, 2013

Honors Project: Medieval Dance


The Medieval period of history is the period in time referred to as the “Dark Ages”. The arts in this time period played an important roll in preserving the spirit of the culture. In the beginning, dance was strongly frowned upon by the church. Instead of a joyful outburst of emotions, it was seen as corrupt and wicked; however, once it became more popular, the church changed their viewpoint and even began to include dance in their masses.

Dance was a form of entertainment and celebration. It became a way to interact with neighbors, friends and family. Through dance, people celebrated weddings, the beginning of a season and the birth of a child. Dances often occurred in the streets of an entire village. However, nobles saw these dances as unrefined whereas the noble dances we formal and often gave people of higher status a chance to display their twists and swirls and fancy footwork.

Originally dances were performed by men only; however, as time passed, attitudes and values changed which provided women with the equal opportunity to participate in the same activities as men. Often these dances would tell a story full of joyful emotions. They would also be performed after dinner as a way to promote good digestion and bodily health.

In conclusion, I am ready for this project. I think this will be a fun experience. 

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