I think it not a little important, for every serious reader of the Bible, to have proper ideas of the Scripture meaning of dancing, and therefore it would have been wrong, in a work of this kind, to have passed it by.
It is very evident, that dancing formed, sometimes, a part in the religious duties of the Hebrews. Hence we read, (Ps. cxlix. 3.) "Let them praise his name in the dance." And David is said, (2 Sam. vi. 14.) to have danced before the Lord. Yea, the Lord himself is represented, (Jer. xxxi. 4.) as comforting his people with this assurance, "that they should again go forth in the dances of them that make merry." All which very evidently proves, that the dancing spoken of in Scripture totally differed from that vain, frivolous, and idle, notto say sinful, custom of dancing practised in modern times. It should seem to have been used among the people of God in a solemn manner, though, no doubt, accompanied with bursts of holy joy and praise. Hence, when Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went after her with timbrels and with dances, " at the triumph over the enemies of God and the church at the Red sea, we are told, that she answered them in holy song - - "Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphedgloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea." (Exod. xv. 20, 21.)
Some have thought, that the holy dances of the Scripture were by way of resembling the motions of the heavenly bodies, as if in the joy of the heart, in any renewed instances of God’s grace and mercy manifested to the people, they looked up to heaven, and endeavoured by action of the body, as well as the going forth of the soul in praise, to testify their sense of the divine goodness. And certain it is, that when the heart is under very strong impressions of the Lord’s special favour, there will be an involuntary motion of thewhole frame. Even in modern times we have heard of whole congregations, such as the Jumpers in Wales, and the Shakers (so called) in America, whose devotions have been marked with action as well as voice. Yea, the Holy Ghost hath testified of certain instances where smiting the thigh, and stamping the foot, " have been observed as solemn tokens towards the Lord. (See Jer. xxxi. 19. Ezek. vi. 11.) But all these are so foreign to what is now known by the term dancing, that they differ in every point but the name.
I cannot dismiss this article without adding, that it were devoutly to be wished every parent of the rising generation would seriously consider to what danger of seduction they are preparing their little ones, when sending them forth to the dance. Who shall calculate the numberless instances of the kind, which dancing, by inflaming the passions, hath given birth to in modern life! (See a solemn account of such parents, and such children, with the issue of both, Job, xxi. 11 - 13.)
It is still the custom in the east to testify their respect for persons of distinction by music and dancing. When Baron Du Tott, who was sent by the French government to respect their factories in the Levant, approached an encampment of Turcomans, between Aleppo and Alexandretta, the musicians of the different hordes turned out, playing and dancing before him all the time he and his escort were passing by their camp. Thus, it will be recollected, “the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music,” when he returned in triumph from the slaughter of the Philistines. In the oriental dances, in which the women engage by themselves, the lady of highest rank in the company takes the lead, and is followed by her companions, who imitate her steps, and if she sings, make up the chorus. The tunes are extremely gay and lively, yet with something in them wonderfully soft. The steps are varied according to the pleasure of her who leads the dance, but always in exact time. This statement may enable us to form a correct idea of the dance, which the women of Israel performed under the direction of Miriam, on the banks of the Red Sea. The prophetess, we are told, “took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her, with timbrels and dances.” She led the dance, while they imitated her steps, which were not conducted according to a set, well- known form, as in this country, but extemporaneous. The conjecture of Mr. Harmer is extremely probable, that David did not dance alone before the Lord, when he brought up the ark, but as being the highest in rank, and more skilful than any of the people, he led the religious dance of the males.
The Hebrew word signified "to leap for joy," Psa 30:11 ; and the action of the lame man healed by Peter and John, Mal 3:8, more nearly resembled the Hebrew dancing than the measured artificial steps of modern times do. The Jewish dances were expressive of religious joy and gratitude. Sometimes they were in honor of a conqueror, as in the case of David, 1Sa 18:6,7 ; when he had slain the Philistine giant, "the women came out all the cities of Israel singing and dancing." It was practiced on occasions of domestic joy. See the case of the prodigal son’s return. In the religious dance, the timbrel was used to direct the ceremony, and some one led, whom the rest followed with measured step and devotional songs; thus Miriam led the women of Israel, Exo 15:20,21, and king David the men, 2Sa 6:14 Psa 150:4 .\par Several important conclusions have been drawn from a careful comparison of the portions of Scripture in which there is allusions to dancing. It was religious in its character; practiced exclusively on joyous occasions; only by one of the sexes; usually in the daytime, and in the open air: no instances are on record in which the two sexes united in the exercise; and it was not practiced for amusement. The exceptions to this latter assertion are "vain fellows," alluded to by Michal, 2Sa 6:20, the ungodly rich families referred to by Job, Job 21:11, and the daughter of Herodias, Mat 14:6 .\par Among the Greeks and Romans dancing was a common pastime, resorted to in order to enliven feasts, and also on occasions of domestic joy. Still Cicero says, "No one dances, unless he is either drunk or mad;" and these words express the prevailing sense as to the impropriety of respectable individuals taking part in the amusement. Hence the gay circles of Rome, as is the case in the East at the present time, derived their entertainment from the performances of professional dancers. These were women of abandoned character; and their dances, like those in heathen temples, were often grossly indecent, Isa 23:16 .\par
A form of religious dancing sometimes made part of the public worship of the early Christians. The custom was borrowed from the Jews, in whose solemn processions choirs of young men and maidens, moving in time with solemn music, always bore a part. It must not be supposed that the “religious dances” had any similarity to modern amusements; they were rather processions in which all who took part marched in time with the hymns which they sung. The custom was very early laid aside, probably because it might have led to the adoption of such objectionable dances as were employed in honor of the pagan deities. Prohibitions of dancing, as an amusement, abound in the Church fathers and in the decrees of the councils. See Bingham, Orig. Eccl. bk. xvi, ch. xi, § 15. On dancing as an amusement, see Crane, On Dancing, N. Y. 12mo.
DANCING
1. Manner.—The Oriental dance was performed either by an individual man or woman, or by crescent lines of men dancing together and holding each other’s hands, or of women by themselves performing similar movements. The one at the end of the line waved a scarf and acted as chorçgos, or dance-leader. At times also a line of men and women, with hands joined, confronted another similar line, and the dance consisted in their alternate advance and retreat, accompanied by the hand-clapping of the onlookers beating time to the music, by the scarf-waving and occasional shout, and, at regulated intervals, the resounding tread of the dancers. In the case of the individual, the abrupt muscular actions were artistically relieved, as in the contrasting lines of male and female attire in the Western dance, by the soft and swaying undulations of the dancer’s figure. The accompaniment of song, hand-clapping, and musical instruments served to control the energy and secure unity of movement.
2. Place.—On the occasion of a wedding in a peasant’s house a space was kept clear near the door, and into it one after another stepped forward and danced, and retired among the shadows; the dancing of the bride receiving especial attention and applause. For dancing in companies, the flat roof, or any level space beside the house, was resorted to. In the cities and in the houses of the rich, the large reception room, or the open paved court, into which all the apartments opened, was available for the purpose. In festive processions the male or female performers, singly or in couples, stepped to the front and danced with sword and shield, and then gave place to others.
3. Occasions.—In the East, dancing has never been regarded as an end in itself and promoted as an entertainment chiefly for those actively taking part in it, but rather as a demonstration of feeling due to some special incident or situation. In family life this was principally the event of marriage (Mat 11:17, Luk 7:32); and a similar expression of feeling often attended the birth of a son, recovery from sickness, return from a journey, or the reception of a guest whose presence called for such a manifestation of grateful rejoicing. Birthdays did not usually receive such notice, as they lacked the element of relief from danger, recompense and rest after hardship, or the introduction of something new into the family conditions. Herod’s birthday feast (when Salome danced before the guests, Mat 14:6, Mar 6:22) was an imitation of Gentile customs. More general occasions were the founding of a building, the ingathering of harvest, and the religious festivals of the year.
The prevalence of such a custom, embracing old and young, and including all classes, indicated a simple life, in which the feeling of the moment found hearty and uncritical expression. The view of life was one that recognized the easy and rapid interchange of joy and grief (Psa 30:5; Psa 30:11, Lam 5:15, Ecc 3:4). Further, it implied a very close connexion between mental and physical states. As there was a union of mirth and dancing, so there was an equally natural correspondence between sorrow and sighing (Isa 35:10). Even in places dedicated to relaxation and delight, by the rivers of Babylon, it was impossible for captive exiles to sing the songs of the Lord’s deliverance (Psa 137:1-4). The elder brother could take no part in mirth and dancing of which the occasion was so affronting and offensive to himself (Luk 15:25-28). Hence among a people marked by mobility of temperament and prone to extremes of feeling, the children in the market-place might well reproach their companions who heard the wedding music without rising to the dance, and the wail of bereavement without being moved to pity (Mat 11:17, Luk 7:32).
Literature.—Hasting’s Dictionary of the Bible , art. ‘Dancing’; Delitzsch, Iris, 189 ff.; Thomson, Land and Book, 555 f.
G. M. Mackie.
By: Emil G. Hirsch, Solomon Schechter, H. G. Enelow
—Biblical Data:
Rhythmical and measured stepping to the accompaniment of music, singing, or the beating of drums. This exercise, generally expressive of joy, is found among all primitive peoples. It was originally incident to religious worship, or to the martial demonstrations of a tribe. It may be inferred, therefore, that dancing of this character obtained also among the ancient Hebrews. Their cognates, the Bedouin Arabs, at the present time indulge in wild dances of this kind (Doughty, "Arabia Deserta," i. 31), and in the rites of the hadj old religious dances have been preserved (Wellhausen, "Reste Arabischen Heidentums," 1st ed., pp. 106, 165).
Terminology.
That dancing among the Hebrews was chiefly connected with demonstrations of joy is indicated by the use of the word 
, usually connoting "playing," "sporting," or "jesting" (I Sam. xviii. 7; II Sam. vi. 5, 21; I Chron. xiii. 8, xv. 29; Jer. xxx. 19, xxxi. 4: 
). That violent motions of the feet, not a graceful gliding, characterized the dance appears from the verb 
, meaning originally "to leap like lambs," used with the meaning of "to dance."
, in II Sam. vi. 14, 16, seems to indicate a round dance (compare I Chron. xv. 29), most likely the turning round and round upon the heels on one spot, as practised by the dervishes. The choric dance is denoted by 
, a derivative of 
= "to writhe," "to turn" (Lam. v. 15; Ps. xxx. 11, 12; Cant. vii. 1; Ex. xv. 20, xxxii.19; I Sam. xviii. 6 [Septuagint, "dancing women"], xxi. 2, xxix. 5; Judges xi. 34, xxi. 21; Ps. lxxxvii. 7). That the religious dance constituted the principal feature of every festival is shown by the history of the word 
("Z. D. M. G." xli. 719; Driver's "Notes on the Books of Samuel," p. 173; Wellhausen, "Israelitische und Jüdische Geschichte," p. 101, Berlin, 1897; idem, "Reste Arabischen Heidentums," l.c.). In the course of time it came to mean merely a festival, or one of the three pilgrim festivals, though its primitive connotation was a procession around the altar or shrine executed in a certain halting rhythm, whence the pilgrimage to Mecca, the hadj, has taken its name. The term "pesaḥ" recalls the same facts. It indicates this "limping" dance (see Toy in "Journal of Biblical Literature and Exegesis," xvi. 178 et seq.); whence, also, the jibe in I Kings xviii. 26: "How long will you dance at two 'thresholds'" (Jastrow's emendation). These religious processional dances may have represented some mythological event, a swaying to and fro of contending parties (see Jacob's experience in Gen. xxxii. 29: "he limps").
Religious Dances.
The Biblical books have undoubtedly preserved the memory of religious dances in connection with the making of the golden calf, and at the Red Sea (Ex. xv. 20, xxxii. 19). The story of Jephthah's daughter (Judges xi. 34) illustrates this custom, and suggests that it was a part of a very ancient sacrificial cult. In I Sam. xviii. 6, xxi. 11 women dance in honor of Saul and David. It seems that women were prominent in these choragic ceremonies. The "ḳedeshot" attached to every sanctuary may even have been professional dancers. Ps. cxviii. 27 probably alludes to a procession of this kind in the puzzling phrase 
. Post-exilic psalms evidence that processions of dancers to the sound of various musical instruments (flutes, trumpets, timbrels, cymbals, drums) had a prominent share in religious celebrations (Ps. xxvi. 6, cxlix. 3, cl. 4 [lxviii. 25: S. B. O. T.]). The request which was addressed to Pharaoh by Moses (Ex. x. 9) indicates that such processions were an old-established custom.
As do the dervishes even at the present day (Tristram, "Eastern Customs," pp. 207-210), so did the Prophets resort to dancing as a means of working themselves up to the proper nervous pitch (I Sam. x. 10, 11; xix. 20-24). Their resulting exaltation proved contagious, as do, according to Lane, the mad contortions of the dancing dervishes today.
Tribal and Family Dances.
Dancing marked also tribal and family festivals. At Shiloh an annual feast was celebrated at which the maidens indulged in dancing (Judges xxi. 21), and it is more than probable that Abel-meholah ("the dancing meadow") owes its name to a similar usage (I Kings xix. 16). For the times of the Talmud a kind of "marriage dance," such as is found in many modern children's plays, is remembered (Ta'an. iv. 8) as occurring on the Day of Atonement and on the fifteenth day of Ab; and the theory that these "dances" are survivals of marriage by capture is not without reasonableness. The "torchlight procession" which took place at the Festival of the Water-Drawing (
) was particpated in by the most distinguished notables (Suk. v. 1-4).
In the days when Greek immoralities menaced the very existence of Judaism, dancing—especially by professional and probably lewd women—was looked upon with disfavor (Ecclus. [Sirach] ix. 4). The daughter of Herodias undoubtedly imitated and took the place of a professional dancer at the banquet (Matt. xiv. 6). From other Biblical passages it is clear that dancing was demanded on similar occasions (Jer. xxxi. 4, 13). Lam. v. 15; Eccl. iii. 4; and Ps. xxx. 11 indicate that the dance was considered an expression of joy. Some have urged Cant. vii. 1 in support of the theory that a sort of square dance ("kimeḥolat ha-maḥanayim") was known to the Jews. Wetzstein identifies it with the sword-dance that still takes place at Eastern wedding-feasts.
E. G. H.—In Talmudic Times:
In post-Biblical times dancing continued to be a favorite exercise on both religious and secular occasions. "The woman of sixty runs to the sound of music like the girl of six" (M. Ḳ. 9b). A feast was made complete by dancing, and noted scholars were in the habit of providing such entertainment for their guests (Ned. 51a). Dancing in honor of the bride at a wedding was deemed an act of piety, and sedate rabbis often vied with one another in its exercise. Thus, R. Judah b. 'Illai used to dance at weddings waving a myrtle branch (Ket. 17a). Moreover, the festive procession which in Biblical times made the periodical pilgrimages to Jerusalem such a source of popular joy, forming the main feature in the observance of the great holidays, continued to fill with glee the highways of Palestine in Talmudic days. Franz Delitzsch properly uses a description of these jubilant ceremonies as an argument against these theorists who hold that the Law had rendered the life of the post-exilic Jews sad and gloomy, depriving their religious practises of spontaneity and joyfulness. The Mishnah, for instance, relates in how truly popular a manner and with what accompaniment of genuine joy the men from the provinces were wont to bring the first-fruits to the Temple at Jerusalem. They did not come singly, as men bearing burdens, but in festive processions, with light, joyous, grateful hearts.
(Bik. iii. 2; Yer. ad loc.)
"All the villages of a district send their dwellers to the chief city of the district; the pilgrims pass the night in the streets of the town, refraining from entering the houses, and at dawn the leader cries out: 'Arise, and let us go up to Zion, to the house of our God!' while on the march they sing choral psalms, 'I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go unto the house of the Lord,' being the favorite refrain. When they reach Jerusalem they chant: 'Our feet are standing within thy gates, O Jerusalem!' (Ps. cxxii.). At the Temple mount they strike up: 'Praise ye the Lord, praise God in his sanctuary!' (Ps. cl.), and having reached the hall, they finish with 'Praise ye the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!' (Ps. cxlvi.). The men fromthe neighborhood bring fresh figs and grapes, and those from afar dried figs and grapes. And the ox of sacrifice goes before them, its horns embossed with gold and a crown of olive on its head. The flute is played all the while they are marching, until they come close upon Jerusalem. Then they send delegates to the city to offer their first-fruits. The foremost priests come out to meet them: according to the number of pilgrims is the priestly deputation. In Jerusalem all workmen in the streets pause in their work to greet the comers: 'Be welcome, our brethren, men of such-and-such a town!' And the flute still plays on before them until they reach the mount of the sanctuary".
Festival of Water-Drawing.
The Talmud also contains traditions concerning the joyful manner in which the two national holidays, the 15th of Ab (the Feast of Wood-Offering, or "Xylophoriæ," as Josephus calls it) and the Day of Atonement, were celebrated. Various causes, it appears, were held to have given birth to these two feasts; at any rate, they were generally observed. On those days the maidens of Israel were in the habit of going forth to the vineyards, each clad in well-washed white, and joining in the choral dances. They all appeared in borrowed gowns, so as not to shame the poor. The young men came and looked on, while the dancers sang appropriate songs. It would seem that brides were oftentimes chosen at these gatherings (Ta'an. 30b). Similarly, there is a Talmudic tradition that "whoever has not witnessed the joy of the Festival of Water-Drawing has seen no joy in his life." On those occasions, on the night of the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, huge assemblies of people gathered in the women's court of the Temple, bearing lamps of gold and vessels for water, while every house in Jerusalem was brightly illuminated. "Pious men and men of affairs," adds the tradition, "danced with torches in their hands, singing songs of joy and of praise, and the Levites made music with lyre and harp and cymbals and trumpets and countless other instruments" (Suk. 51a; Maimonides, "Yad," Lulab, viii. 12, 13). Two galleries were built for the spectators, one for men and one for women. The celebration lasted all night and ended at dawn, announced by blasts of trumpets, with the pouring of water upon the altar.
The fondness of the ancient Jew for dancing is suggested in the hope naively expressed by R. Eleazar: "Some day the Holy One, blessed be He! will give a dance for the righteous, and He will sit among them in the Garden of Eden, and each one will point his finger at Him, saying, as it is written (Isa. xxv. 9), 'Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation'" (Ta'an. end).
It will be seen that dancing among the Jews preserved its primitive character: a spontaneous expression of joy rather than an esthetic pleasure. In both ancient and medieval times, therefore, it consisted of "gesticulations, violent leaps and bounds, hopping in a circle, rather than graceful pose, and soft, rhythmic movements." The popularity of the amusement in the Middle Ages is attested by the spread of the dancing-hall, or "Tanzhaus," which, for the use of both weddings and ordinary dances, was established in almost every ghetto of France and Germany. At first these halls, frequented especially on Sabbaths and feast-days, witnessed little mixed dancing. But when the latter habit came into vogue, the Rabbis opposed it strenuously on account of the license and the marital quarrels to which it led, citing in support the verse in Proverbs: "Hand to hand shall not go unpunished" (xi. 21, Hebr.). The nearest relations alone, such as husband and wife, father and daughter, brother and sister, were exempted from the inhibition. Needless to say, the rabbinic rule was often infringed by the bolder young men and women. That mixed dancing was not without its moral dangers was witnessed by the license which its prevalence engendered among the enthusiastic followers of Shabbethai ḃebi. Occasionally, professional Jewish dancers occur; for instance in the seventeenth century, when the sultan engaged Jewish fiddlers and dancers to perform at a banquet; and they are not infrequent in the modern Orient, more especially in Tunis. In these latter forms, of course, dancing has become a purely social diversion without any religious import; but the original significance of dancing as an expression of religious joy and fervor may yet be observed in the synagogues of Orthodox Jews on the Feast of Simḥat Torah ("Rejoicing of the Law"), where the primitive religious dance may be said to have survived.
Bibliography:
Tristram, Eastern Customs, pp. 207 et seq.;
Wetzstein, Zeitschrift für Ethnologie, 1873, pp. 285 et seq.;
Benzinger, Arch. Index;
Nowack, Lehrbuch der Hebräischen Archäologie, i. 279;
Wellhausen, Psalms, in S. B. O. T. Appendix;
Schudt, Merckwürdigkeiten, ii. 5;
Berliner, Aus dem Innern Leben, p. 8;
Güdemann, Gesch. des Erziehungswesens, iii. 138 et seq.;
Abrahams, Jewish Life in the Middle Ages, pp. 75, 254, 380 et seq.;
Hamburger, R. B. T. i. 977;
Franz Delitszch, Iris, pp. 189 et seq. (English trans.).
DANCING.—See Games.
(Old High German: dinsan, to draw out, as in forming a chain)
Expression of feeling by rhythmical movement of the body, mentioned in Scripture as expressing joy on the part of the women of Israel, led by Mary, the sister of Moses (Exodus 15), and of David before the Ark (2 Kings). It has been employed often in religious functions, as in places in Spain today, to add splendor to the ceremonial. It may be a means of relaxation and of physical culture if indulged in with moderation and with the proper company, but often an occasion of vulgarity and even of sinfulness when the rhythm and movements are obviously improper, or when, howsoever correct the movement, the partner is not modest.
The origin of dancing is to be sought in the natural tendency to employ gesture either to supplement or to replace speech. Strong emotions, in particular, key up the organs to a pitch of exaltation which spontaneously manifests itself through more or less rhythmical movements that constitute what may be considered as elementary and natural dances. But in the same manner as speech soon developed into poetry and song, so also did these bodily movements gradually develop into the art of dancing. Both spontaneous and artistic dancing may be described as "an expression of the feelings by movements of the body more or less controlled by a sense of rhythm"(J. Millar), and are to some degree practised by all peoples. The Hebrews were no exception; their language contains no less than eight verbs to express the idea of dancing. However, many of the allusions found in the Bible point to mere spontaneous expressions of merriment by leaping, circling, or otherwise. Of this description were very likely the dances of Mary and the women of Israel after the crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 15:20), of the people around the golden calf (Exodus 22:19), of Jephte’s daughter coming to meet her father after the latter’s victory (Judges 11:34), of the inhabitants of the cities on the way of the army commanded by Holophernes (Judith 3:10), even of David before the Ark (2 Samuel 6:14). From these various places it might be inferred that dancing was a manifestation of joy ordinarily exhibited by women, and we know how David, in the occurrence above referred to, excited Michol’s wonder. In later times dancing was positively looked upon as unbecoming men; such also was the opinion in Rome, where the saying ran that a man, to indulge in dancing, must be either intoxicated or mad.Dancing as an art was made subservient to various purposes. Its use as an aid to heighten the splendour of religious celebrations should be first considered. Religious dances consisted mostly of slow and stately processions through the streets of the city or around the altar. Usually they were performed by colleges of priests; but occasionally citizens of both sexes and all ranks, without any disparagement to the gravity of their characters or dignity of position, took a part in these exhibitions (Liv., I, xx; Quintil., I, ii, 18; Macrob., Sat. ii, 10). All religious dances, however, were not performed with the gravity above referred to. In Rome, the salii, carrying the sacred shields through the streets, leapt and jumped clumsily "like stamping fullers" (Senec. Ep. xv). The Bible describes likewise the priests of Baal limping (so Heb.; D.V.: "leaping") around the altar (1 Kings 18:26). Throughout the East sacred dances were a prominent feature in religious worship. In Egypt even colleges of female singers and dancers were annexed to certain shrines. That dancing was also an accompaniment of the Jahweh worship is probable from Judges, xxi, 21, for early times, and clearly evidenced by Pss. cxlix, 3, and cl, 4, for the epoch following the captivity. The texts seem further to indicate that, in the second Temple, persons engaged in dancing and singing in God’s honour formed choirs similar to those of the pagan rites (Cic., Phil., v, 6; Virg., Aen., VIII, 718; Hor., Od., I, i, 31).War dances, so common among many peoples, and which were frequently introduced to enhance the pageants of public festivities among the Greeks and Romans, have left no trace among the Hebrews and their neighbours, although they are not unknown to modern inhabitants of Palestine and Arabia. Mimetic dances were as little known in the East as those of a military character. They consisted of expressive movements of the features, body, arms, and hands, executed to a musical accompaniment and meant vividly to represent historical or fabulous events and the actions and passions of well-known characters. How much such performances were relished by the Romans, we learn from many passages of Latin writers, such, e.g., as Macrob., Sat. ii, 7; Suet., "Calig.", 57, "Nero", 54, "Tit.", 7; Ovid, "Ars Am.", I, 595, etc. Still more was scenic dancing in favour in Rome and Greece. It consisted of harmonious movements principally of the arms, body, and feet, intended to show forth all the flexibility, agility, and grace of the human body. Such exhibitions were usually given for the pleasure of the guests, at great banquets, and performed by professional dancers hired for the occasion. Female dancers --there were also male dancers -- were preferred. They were generally persons of considerable beauty and indifferent morals, and their performances were calculated to set forth, even at the cost of modesty for which they cared little, all the charms and attractiveness of their graceful figures. This class of persons, common in ancient Greece and Italy, were not altogether unknown in Palestine, at least in later times, if we believe the indication of Ecclus., ix, 4. The author Eccles, impersonating Solomon, relates he had procured for his own enjoyment "singing men and singing women" (ii, 8), that is to say, very likely, dancers, for singing and dancing were scarcely distinct. At any rate, the performance of Herodias’ daughter, recorded in Matt., xiv, 6, and the pleasure it afforded to Herod and his guests, show how Greek and Roman corruption had, about the time of Christ, made headway among the higher classes of Palestine.Although perhaps less common, and certainly less elaborate than with us, social dancing appears nevertheless to have been a pleasurable diversion in ancient times, at least among the Jews. For, understood in the light of Judges, xxi, 21, such statements as those of Is., xvi, 10, and Jer., xxv, 30, indicate that the vintage season was one of public merriment exhibited in dances. Dancing was likewise indulged in, even by most grave persons (Bab. Talm., Ketuboth, 16b), at weddings and the Feast of Tabernacles. Men and women danced apart, as is still the custom in the East. Social dancing has undergone considerable development in the last few centuries, both as to prevalence and elaborateness. The introduction into modern fashion of the so-called round dances has quickened the interest of the old question anent the morality of dancing. As an exercise of physical culture, aside from the generally unhealthful conditions of dancing-halls, dancing may have advantages; we should not wonder, therefore, that from this viewpoint Plato would recommend it. From the moral standpoint, religious and military dancing has never met with any criticism. Mimetic shows, on the contrary, mostly representing love-stories and mythological subjects, were at times so offensive to modesty that even the pagan emperors deemed it their duty to banish them repeatedly from Italy. In no wise better, as has been shown above, were scenic dances; and male and female dancers were in Rome considered, as are nowadays in Egypt, India, and Japan, the almehs, the bayaderes, and the geishas, as a lower and degraded class. According to Roman law, such persons were infames. Against their performances the Fathers of the Church raised a strong voice. The Decretals went farther, forbidding clerics to attend any mimic or histrionic exhibitions and enacting that any cleric taking active part in them should forfeit all his privileges, and that all persons engaged in professional dancing, mimic or histrionic performances, should incur irregularity and be thereby forever debarred from the clerical state and rendered incapable of receiving orders. As to social dancing, now so much in vogue, whilst in itself it is an indifferent act, moralists are inclined to place it under the ban, on account of the various dancers associated with it. Undoubtedly old national dances in which the performers stand apart, hardly, if at all, holding the partner’s hand, fall under ethical censure scarcely more than any other kind of social intercourse. But, aside from the concomitants -- place, late hours, décolleté, escorting, etc. -- common to all such entertainments, round dances, although they may possibly be carried on with decorum and modesty, are regarded by moralists as fraught, by their very nature, with the greatest danger to morals. To them perhaps, but unquestionably still more obviously to masked balls, should be applied the warning of the Second Council of Baltimore, against "those fashionable dances, which, as at present carried on, are revolting to every feeling of delicacy and propriety". Needless to add that decency as well as the oft-repeated decrees of particular and general councils forbid clerics to appear, in any capacity whatever, on public dancing floors.----------------------------------- READ, Characteristic National Dances (London, 1853); TRISTRAM, Eastern customs; RICH, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (London, 1884), s. v. Saltatio, etc.; DARENBERG AND SAGLIO, Dictionnaire des antiquites grecques et romaines (Paris); MASPERO, Histoire ancienne des peuples de l’Orient (Paris, 1895), I, 126; II, 220; DALMAN, Palaestinischer Diwan (Leipzig, 1901); FERRARIS, Bibliotheca canonica (Rome, 1886), s. v. Choreae, Clericus, Irregularitas; Acta et Decreta Conc. Baltimor. II, Pastoral Letter; Decr. n. 472. CHARLES L. SOUVAY Transcribed by Marcy Milota The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IVCopyright © 1908 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat. Remy Lafort, CensorImprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York
For the Israelites, dancing was a form of public rejoicing. Usually the women were the ones who danced, though men also danced on occasions (Exo 15:20; Jdg 21:21; Jer 31:4; Jer 31:13). People danced to celebrate great national occasions such as victories over enemies (1Sa 18:6-7), or private occasions such as the return of a long-separated member of the family (Luk 15:23-25). There were, however, indecent kinds of dancing, such as those associated with idolatry and certain forms of entertainment (Exo 32:19; Mar 6:21-22).
Children liked to dance in some of the games they played (Job 21:11; Mat 11:17), and people in general liked to dance at some of Israel’s more joyous religious festivals (Jdg 21:19-21). Dancing was part of Israel’s public expression of praise to God after the crossing of the Red Sea (Exo 15:20-21) and during the bringing of the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem (2Sa 6:14-15). In time, it became a regular part of Israel’s public worship (Psa 149:3; Psa 150:4). (See also MUSIC; SINGING.)