Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-08
DANCE IN ANCIENT GREECE.
Poetry of Motion as Compared With
Acrobatics in Terpsichorean Art.

From the Nineteenth Century.
A passage OF Herodotus tells us with
what contempt the Greeks treated mere
acrobatic dancing and how inferior II was
considered to, be to the higher art. A GER
tain Hippocleides. having been asked to
show of the many accomplishments
which entitled him to become the husband
of the daughter OF the tyrant of Sicyon.
proceeded to display himself in the dance:
and having commenced with a stately
measure he then wished to show his Won
derful agility and so well did he succeed
that Clisthenes the tyrant, angrily ex-
claimed: Son of Tisander. you have dane
ed away your marriage refusing to havo
a son-in-law who was little OF an artist
that he could make boast of his mere skill.
Socrates, too, had great dislike to the
wonderful tricks which dancers could
perform with their bodies and thought them
very ugly. What would have been his dis
gust could he have seen some of our mod
ern conference.-the high kicking, the skirt
dance. the split As in all great art the
Greeks in their dancing made use of me-
chanical means only in so far as they could
assist in carrying out the artists inspira-
ton. The true artist should not be ham,
pered by any technical difficulties: he must
be an absolute master of Technique" but
never should he allow that Technique to
be the end and aim of his art: by doing
he forfeits all claim to the title of artist
in the real and highest sense of that much
abused word.
Dancing, in the Greek sense, is the imi-
tation of words by gestures: the bodily
preston of feeling; IL comprises every
variety of action, quick and slow; 1t deals
with every subject, grave and gay. relig-
ious and profane. decorous and indecorous:
nothing in nature is too high or low to be
outside its scope; it embraces the whole
scale of human passions and leaves no
chord untouched of them.
BY the Greeks the dance was considered
of the greatest Importance educationaliy
as can be seen from. the writings of both
the poets and the philosophers: while the
historians tell us of the place Il occupied
in the mental and physical training of their
and women. What foot ball and
cricket are physically to the Englishmau
and what 'he duel is TO the German the
dance WAS to the Greek But as the games,
poetry and dancing were dedicated to the
gods-were, in fact, entirely religious-tha
dance even more part and parcel OF
their daily life, and dearer to the Greek
than the national sports Of England are
dear to the Engishman the duel to the
German youth, whose thirst for the amends
honorable is more the result of his instinct
for physical exercise than excessive love
of honor.
The countless fables from the rich stores
of Greek mythology and the episodes OF
Grecian history made admirable subjects for
mimetic display. The rape of Persephone,
the story of Demeter, whose legend, like
that of Dionysos, is symbolical of natural
phenomena; her wanderings on earth. the
meeting with the daughters of Cefeus at
the well, the whole sad tale of the mater
dolorosa of the. Greeks, simply and touch
ingly told In the Homeric hymn. must have
given signal opportunities to poet and dane
or. The rites of Eleuss, in which panto-
mimic ritual was predominant, were prob
ably OF the nature of mystery plays" and
these rites wherein gods and goddesses were
mpersonated had perhaps great influence
on the rise of Greek tragedy. Again the
pursuit of Daphne by Apollo. the anguish
of Niobe, the tale OF Hyakinthus. the stories
of Narcssus, Cupid and Psyche. Eurydice,
Ganymede and other legends too numerous
to mention were made to live again by the
Greek dancers.
The tragic dance of the Erinyes must
have been wonderfully realistic. We are
told that it struck terror into the hearts
of the spectators. many rushing away in
fear from the theater. The terrible sisters
appeared IN black and bloodStained gar
meuts with serpents ehtwined in their hair,
a whip of scorpions and a burning torch in
their hands, and performed q dance Initial
ing the actions and curses OF the Frries.
SO much was the dance method OF eX-
preston to the Greeks that measures welo
composed for nearly every event of import
anee that can happen in the course of a
mans life. Birth, marriage and death had
each It's special senJation-Joyful or
sorrowful, according to the occasion.