The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-12
THE DANCE IN ANCIENT oEEECG.
From he Ntnaeenih Century.

From he Nineteenth Century.
A passage in Herodotus tells us with what
, contempt the Greeks treated more aero
batio dancing and how inferior 1t was on
sidered to be to the higher art. A certain
Hippocleides, having been asked TO sho"
one Of the many accomplishments Which
entitled him to become the husband OF the
daughter of the tyrant Of Sicyon, proceedeo
to display himself in the dance; and having
commenced with q stately measure ne tneh
wished to show his wonderful agility ana
SO well did he succeed that Clisthenes, the
tyrant, angrily exclaimed; -Son OF Tisander,
you have danced away your marriage"
refusing to nave a son-in-law who was 80
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 disgust could he have seen
some OF our modern contortions the high
kicking, the skirt dance, the "split"! AS IN
all great art, the Greeks in their dancing
made use of mechanical means My IN so
far as they could assist In carrying outline
artists inspiration. The true artist should
not be hampered by any technical diificul-
ties; he must be al absolute master OF
technique" but never should he allow
that technique" to be the end and aim OF
his art; by so 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 mil
tation of words by gestures; the bodily
expression Of a feeling; 1t comprises every
variety of action, quick and slow; IL deals
with every subject, grave and gay, religious
and ~profane, decorous and indecorous; moth
ing in nature is too high or low to be outside
its SCOPE, it embraces the whole scale OF
human passions and leaves 10 chord UNI
touched of them.
By the Greeks the dance was considered
of the greatest Importance educationally,
as can be seen from the writings OF both
the poets and the philosophers; while the
historians tell US of the place it occupied
in the mental and physical training OF
their men and women. What football and
cricket are physically to the Englshman
and what the duel is to the German the
dance was to the Greek. But as games.
poetry and dancing were dedicated to the
gods-were, In fact, entirely religious-the
dance was even more part and parcel OF
their daily life and dearer to the Greek
than the national sports Of England are
dear to the Englishman or the duel to the
German youth, whose thirst for the smende
honorable is more the result Of his instinct
for physical exercise than an excessive
love of honor.
The countless fables from the rich
stores OF Greek mythology and he cpl
sodes Of Grecian history made admirable
subjects for mimetic display. The rape OF
Persephone, the story of Demeter, whose
legend, like that of Dionysos, Is symbo!ical
of natural phenomenal; her wanderings
on earth, the meeting with the daughters Of
Celeus at the we'll, the whole sad tale OF the
mater dolorosa of the Greeks, so simply
and touchingly told in the Homeric hymn,
must have given signal opportunities to
poet and dancer. The rites of Eleusis, in
which pantomimic ritual vas predominant,
were probably of the nature Of mystery
plays," and these rites wherein gods and
goddesses were im~personated had perhaps
a great influence on the rise OF Greek trag-
edy. Again the pursuit of Daphne by
Apollo. the anguish Of Niobe, the tale Of
Hyakinthus, the stories of Narcissus,
Cupid and Psyche, Eurydice, Ganymede
and other legends too numerous to mention
we're made to live again by the Greek
dancers.
The tragic dance of the Erinyee must have
been wonderfully realistic. We are told
that it struck terror into the hearts Of the
spec tators, many rushing away in fear
from the theatre. The terrible sisters ap-
peared in black and bloodstained garments
with serpents entwined in their hair. a whip
of scorpions and a burning torch in their
hands, and performed a dance initiating
the actions and curses Of the Furies.
So much was the dance a method OF ex-
preston to the Greeks that measures were
composed for nearly every event Of i'm
portance that can happen in the course Of
a mans life. Birth, marriage and death
had each its special representation joyful
or sorrowful, according to the occasion.