Functions of Dance in Society

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Recommended: Essays on the history of dance

Question: What are some of the functions of dance in society? Select two or three examples from diverse periods and support your arguments through observations and readings from this course. Dance in the Troubled times. Dance has been functioning in our society for centuries. It is undeniable to claim that dance has never crossed your path because it appears in our daily lives such as in school, television, parks, clubs, places of worship, parades etc. Dance was able to alleviate the numerous problems society faced in during the early years of the 20th Century, which saw through several evolutions of dance. In this paper, we will be focusing on dance functioning as a recreation in the society during the Pre-War period, War period and Post War period of World War II. The paper will examine how society turned to dance recreationally, how society benefitted from dance during those dreary tedious times and examples of dance which represented the zeitgeist of the periods. The pre-war period saw the end of World War I, the rise of Jazz Age and the stock market crash in 1929 bringing in the Great Depression to the world. The change was abrupt because the society’s lavish lifestyle during the roaring 20s was razed to its grounds. Unemployment rate skyrocketed and millions were left homeless. Nonetheless, this did not halt dancing as a recreational activity because it was inexpensive and the society had more leisure time possibly due to unemployment. Dancing in the pre-war periods was used as a form of escapism and a form of optimism. For instance, quoting from Dance Instructor Lilian Ray, “Most women adore dancing with a response to rhythm and gaiety that is as natural as liking sunshine. The music, the lights, ... ... middle of paper ... ...l. American in WWII , "JITTER AND JIVE." Accessed February 14, 2014. http://www.americainwwii.com/articles/jitter-and-jive/. Grossberg, Lawrence. Popular Music: A Yearbook. Performers and audiences, Volume 4. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 1984. Driver, Ian. A Century of Dance. Great Britain : Octopus Publishing Group Limited, 2000. Young, William, and Nancy Young. World War II and the Postwar Years in America: A Historical and Cultural Encyclopedia. United States : ABC-CLIO, 2010. Wood, Linda. "The Family in the Fifties: Hope, Fear, and Rock 'n Roll." OAH Magazine of History, 1997, (36-38). Kassing, Gayle. History of Dance: An Interactive Arts Approach . United States: Human Kinetics, 2007. Sagolla, Lisa. Rock 'n' Roll Dances of the 1950s. United States : ABC-CLIO, 2011. Higgins, Jim. Shaking. United States : AuthorHouse, 2008.

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