The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1874-09-03
81 90 PER YEAR
HEEL AND TOE.
80 'EEHHING ABOUT DANCES.
OLD AND NEW.
HE $Oci0IS OF the AncIenIs, and
fhe Graceful PasIiEnes az All
Nations.

The SOciAIs 81 the AncIenGs, an,
rhe Graceful PasIiEnes az All
Nations.
A writer for the San Francisco Chron
iele has been investigating the subject
and saws:
However much people may differ re
garding the proprety of dancing. Their
can be no dispute as to It's antiquity. Il
fact, II is a matter of history that tn
earliest people of whom we have any rec
ord are known to have resorted 10 dane
ing as means of pleasure, and, in som,
instances, devoutly tripped the ligh
I fantastic in their religious worship Tn,
most popular dances of the present. in
many instances, had origin years age
with some halfcivilized or barbarous PEG.
pie. A communication in a Boston con
temporary presents some interesting
historical facts about dancing and dances.
Originally, he says, dancing was hardly
more than saltatory of waving motion
"A sort of cadence promenade,
which was introduced into every religious
rite.
AMONG THE HEBREWS.
The Levites were divided into two
bands or companies-one of singers and
the other of dancers-and, when reioic-
ings were held in honor of any important
event, the priests performed solemn
dances in token of their JOY and graft
tude. Frequent illusions are made in
David's Psalms to this mode of thanks
giving.
In Egypt the priests of the god Osiris
performed astronomical dances, SYMBOL
cal of the motions of the heavenly bodies
and which were quite similar to those
instituted by the Chinese and Hindoos in
honor Of their gods.
The ancient Greeks almost invariably
combined dancing with music in the wor-
ship of their numerous divinities. One
of the most celebrated of these dances
was the Guossian, said to have been i'm.
ported from the island Of Crete by The
seus. 1t was circular dance, like most
of those performed around the sacrifcal
affairs. With the exception of the dance
of Bacchus, nearly all the sacred dances
were rather simple. The Phrygian dance
or the Corybantes was, however, some
what ferocious and Wild in its character,
the dancers being all armed with lanceI
and shields, and displaying a warrior-like
spirit in the principal figures. Gradual
~, and almost imperceptibly, the nature
Of all these dances was modified and be-
came more theatrical.
THE ROMANS
performed only sacred dances at first
and regarded all others as degrading.
Remulus is said to have invented the first
war-dance, and Numa instituted the or
Ter Of the Salii, whose occupation it was
20 dance around the affairs of the god |
Mars. A time came, however, when the |
Romans departed from their primitive
'igorousness, and, running into the ex-
RENE, they honored dancing rs one Of
he most ennobling arts. They even
reated favorite public dancers in a man
Ter BETTING great men or sovereigns
,nly. Two mimic dancers, Pylades and
created so great an enthusi-
ISM that the people went so far rs to Sc
ect them for arbiters in public matters
This temporary excitement-aberra-
ion, we were going to say-soon died
way.
The first converts to Christianity, be-
ng still imbued with their Pagan Gus
oms, introduced dancing into their new
orms of worship Large companies of
nen and women were in the habit Of
DING out into the desert to participate in
he religious ceremonies, which mainly
onsisted in mild fantastic dances. These
aving in time become rather too licen-
ious, were prohibited by the ecclesiasti-
al authorities, and dancing once more
ell into disrepute. The exact date of its
evival is not known, but it seemed to
ave come into favor at the time Of the
marriage of Isabel of Arragon to Galeaz-
o, the Duke Of Milan Catharine dc
iedici was the first to
RING BALLETs AND BALLS INTO FASH
nd henceforth their popularity steadily
lcreased, and dancing became a refined
astime In 1861 Louis XIV founded
II academy of dancing, the members Of
'hich, thirteen in number, were selected
rom the best dancers in the kingdom.
Intil 1872 ballet-dancers never appeared
n the stage without being masked. AT
r leave had been given them once or
vice to appear, on special occasions,
thout their masks, they were finally al
,wed to discard them entirely. In con-
cction with this it may not be amiss to
ate that women were, for long while,
xcluded from the ballet, and the first !
no ventured upon the stage in the ca
lcity of dancers were regarded with con- !
mpt. The dancers Of the various nations
the civilized world are generally typi-
i Of the predomnating trait Of charac-
r and emotional disposition Of the ma
YES. More particularly is this Eoticea-
e in Southern countries, where pantO-
inc is so frequently the eloquent Ian {
Iage Of the passions. In Spain the dances .
g both
SPIRITED AND vOLUPTUoUs.
hey are seldom su bjected to the rules 4
the art, and are more impulsive than /
udied. Each province might al e
ost say each towh-has its local and +
vorite dance. In Catalonia and Ar +
gon it is the jota in Andalusia live j
and sprightly dance called the Anda- 2
sian at COrdova, it is a sort of Moorish i
lnce, than which nothing can be more d
-aceful, performed as 1t l. in the midst
luxuriant groves Of laurel and orange I
ees. The national dance Of Spain is, :
owever, the fandango, which il, in a
easure, combination Of all the others. G
t one time a cOnsistOry of the Church
I Rome had assembled with the intcn-
on of prohibiting and censuring this
ance, but the clerical gentleman APP
ointed as judges and arbitrators were =
fascinated and electrified by the various :