Tribal dance

A tribal society is essentially a self-contained system. While it may possess sophisticated cultural and social structures, its technological and economic structures are often traditional. Consequently, by the late 20th century such societies had become increasingly rare, and many tribal dances had either died or become transformed.

Some tribal dances have been preserved, however, even in cases where tribes have been absorbed into other social structures, as a means of preserving cultural identity and a sense of historical continuity. This is quite common in many African states. A frequently cited case is that of King Sobhuza II, the Ngwenyama (“Lion”) of Swaziland, who in 1966 joined his people in a six-day Incwala, or ritual ceremony. Dressed in animal skins and elaborate plumage, Sobhuza performed dances that would ensure the renewal of the land, the king, and the people.

In extant tribal societies, such as the Hopi Indians of northeastern Arizona, dance retains most of its traditional form and significance. The Hopi still dance as a form of worship, with specific dances for different ceremonies. Such dances, however, as in any other tradition, have undergone inevitable change and development throughout history. Generalizing about tribal dance is made difficult not only by the lack of evidence concerning its origins and the rapid dying of extant forms but also by the fact that the term tribal covers so many different kinds of dance. Tribal dances not only vary from one tribe to another but also fall into many different categories, such as weapon dances, fertility dances, Sun- and Moon-worshipping dances, initiation dances, war dances, and hunting dances.

The following are two examples of tribal dance that survived into the 20th century. The musicologist Curt Sachs quoted a description of the fertility dance of the Cobéua Indians of Brazil:

The dancers have large [artificial] phalli…which they hold close to their bodies with both hands. Stamping with the right foot and singing, they dance…with the upper parts of their bodies bent forwards. Suddenly they jump wildly along with violent coitus motions and loud groans.…Thus they carry the fertility into every corner of the houses…; they jump among the women, young and old, who disperse shrieking and laughing; they knock the phalli one against another.

Joan Lawson described the tree-worship dance performed both in Australia and up the Amazon River:

A solemn circling of the tree is followed by an ecstatic raising of the head and hands to the branches, leaves, and fruit. Hands are then gradually run down the trunk and finally the men kneel or lie grovelling at the roots. They hope that by so doing the strength of the tree will enter into them.

World dance

In describing many dances, reference is often made to their ethnic, rather than their tribal, origins. A world dance is simply a dance that is characteristic of a particular cultural group. Under this definition the polka, which is almost always considered a social dance, may be called a world dance, as it began in a culturally distinct region of Europe. Flamenco, which began as an improvised dance among Andalusian Roma, combines toe and heel clicking with body movements similar to Indian dance. Indian dances may be regarded as a general world dance, but there are numerous forms and traditions within the type: some are classical (see above Indian classical dance), while others are popular, being danced by nonspecialists for communal festivities and for recreation. In this discussion of the art of dance, it is most useful to reserve the designation world dance for those genres that, while perhaps in a state of transition, are still practiced by a unique cultural group and still retain some of their original communal or ritual functions.

The many Afro-Caribbean dance forms are usually considered to constitute a distinct form because they share certain characteristic movements. As in Indian dance, the legs are frequently bent, with the feet stamping out rhythms against the ground. The torso and back are also very mobile, executing sinuous rippling actions or more jerky, rhythmic movements. The body is frequently bent slightly forward, and there is greater use of the hips, which sway and circle in syncopated rhythms. Gestures and facial expressions are used in some narrative dances, but they tend to be much less strictly codified than in Indian dance.

In performance today, most Afro-Caribbean dance companies are made up of both dancers and drummers, the percussion marking out the rhythm and helping to intensify the emotion. Frequently the dancers take turns performing, and there is usually a great deal of informal communication among members of the company on stage. Participation by the audience is often encouraged at the end of the performance, reflecting the communal, rather than theatrical, origins of the form.