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introduction
Ancient Egyptian dance is a mysterious and fascinating art form that carries the rich history and culture of Egyptian civilization.
This ancient dance tradition has a long history, dating back thousands of years to the time of the Pharaonic dynasty.
Ancient Egyptian dance was not just a form of entertainment, but a way to communicate with the gods, express emotions, and celebrate special occasions.
In ancient Egyptian society, dance was seen as a form connected to divine power and was used in religious ceremonies, court celebrations, and social gatherings.
Graceful and powerful, the dancers show the mysterious Egyptian goddess Isis and other gods with graceful movements and rhythms.
The dancers are dressed in ornate costumes, wearing ornate headdresses and holding symbolic props such as lotus flowers and snakes.
The movements of ancient Egyptian dance are full of symbolism and ritual.
Through changes in gestures, body postures and steps, the dancers convey a variety of emotions and stories while demonstrating their skill and flexibility.
The dances also include elements of jumping, spinning and shaking to add drama and visual effects.
Although thousands of years have passed, the charm of ancient Egyptian dance still attracts attention.
Through archaeological discoveries and historical studies, we were able to reconstruct fragments of this dance tradition and feel the passion and artistic expression of the ancient Egyptian people.
As a precious cultural heritage, ancient Egyptian dance not only provides us with an understanding of the ancient world, but also allows us to appreciate the unique beauty of this ancient civilization.
Ancient Egyptian dance
The ancient Egyptians were a people who loved to dance.
Dancers are often depicted on murals, tomb murals and temple prints.
The ideograms show a man dancing to represent joy and happiness.
Drawings and written records dating back to 3000 BC testify to the long history of dance in the Kingdom of the Nile.
According to the International Encyclopedia of Dance, "Dance is part of the Egyptian spirit and features prominently in religious ceremonies and social occasions, as well as in Egyptian funerary customs regarding the afterlife." ”
The study of ancient Egyptian dance is mainly based on identifying dance scenes from monuments, temples and tombs, and translating and interpreting the inscriptions and texts that accompany them.
According to the International Encyclopedia of Dance, dance is "for magical purposes, through rituals, to induce state ecstasy or trance, as a tribute to respect entertainment, and even for erotic purposes." ”
Dances take place both indoors and outdoors; Paired by individuals on sacred and secular occasions, but mainly by groups.
The dance rhythm is provided by clapping hands, snapping fingers, tambourine, drumming, and flapping the body.
Musicians play flute, harp, lyre, and clarinet, and vocalizations include songs, cries, choruses, and rhythmic noises.
Dancers often wear bells on their fingers. They perform naked, wearing loincloths, flowing transparent robes and skirts of all shapes and sizes.
Dancers often wear makeup, wear jewelry, and wear odd hairstyles with beads, balls, or conical clusters, and accessories include boomerangs and mallet-headed sticks.
The oldest depictions of dance come from pottery from the pre-dynastic period, depicting female figures (possibly goddesses or priestesses) dancing with their arms raised.
Similar dancers waved clappers with men and were thought to represent mourners in the funeral procession.
Some scholars believe that ballet movements such as gyration and arabesque originated in ancient Egypt.
According to Egyptian images and textual sources, the dance was performed by animals, humans (dwarves, men, women and children appear in reliefs), deceased kings or individuals, living kings who played sacred roles, and gods and goddesses.
According to ancient Egyptian sources, the background in which dance occurs spontaneously or is performed according to traditional concepts includes sunrise, banquets, funerals, afterlives, joy, royal ceremonies, and religious festivals.
"Dance" is the most common noun and it has been used since the Old Kingdom period, it appears in pyramid texts, until the Ptolemaic period (304 BC) where we find it in temple inscriptions.
The qualifier of the verb and corresponding noun is a person standing on one leg with the other leg bent at the knee.
However, portrait sources show male and female dancers, as well as in a variety of contexts.
Dancers who appear in pairs or in groups are all of the same sex without exception.
From the Old Kingdom to the end of the New Kingdom, their images are rich in reliefs and frescoes in private tombs.
Dancers of non-Egyptian descent were a distinctive feature of the 18th Dynasty procession. Ramesid oysters with satirical dance illustrations.
The textual origin of dances in religious ceremonies predominates in Ptolemaic temples.
Types of dance in ancient Egypt
Types of dance with specific vocabulary include strides, acrobatics, jumps, and pas deux.
Dances are performed at births, marriages, funerals, royal events and deity ceremonies.
The reliefs and frescoes depict children, men, women, dwarves, dwarves, dwarfs, kings, queens, animals such as baboons and ostriches, as well as gods such as Toth, Horus, Isis and Isis dancing.
Hator is the mistress of the dance. The divine dwarves performed the "Dance of the Gods".
Professional dancers are priests or slaves who perform in temples or in the homes of wealthy people.
The priests privately performed a dance called the "Dance of the Stars," in which dancers passed through the symbols of the planets and stars from east to west.
There is evidence that girls and dancers were dance instructors and high-ranking officials of members of the king's harem.
Dancing dwarves
The sacred dance is directed against the goddess, namely Hattar, but also at Isis and Mutter and the gods, especially Amun, but also against Min (god of fertility) and Mautus (god of war).
These dances are featured in the Erection Festival and the month-long Movement Festival.
When the king received foreign dignitaries, people paid homage with dances, and dances were performed at initiation ceremonies after harvest and circumcision.
There are also fight dances and dances to entertain kings and queens.
The mirror dance from the Old Kingdom features four dancers organized in pairs to "grab Hathor's hand" when the clappers collide.
A boomerang dance features a young holding a boomerang, which are organized into two concentric circles that run in opposite directions.
There are also stick dances specially for people carrying boomerangs and dwarves.
The sacred "divine dance" performed by the dwarves is much loved.
If there are no dwarves, cripples with cartilage malnutrition are used.
Strange dwarf dolls and dolls have been discovered.
The dwarf gods Ahab and Bess played the roles of musicians and singers in reliefs of royalist ceremonies.
There is also some evidence that foreign "exotic" dancers – namely Libyans and Nubians – are popular.
There are images of scantily dressed, dark-skinned dancers celebrating the sacred bark of the Dakanak.
Libyan dancers are depicted as boomerang hunting dances with phallic shapes and ostrich feathers stuck in their hair.
Egyptian dances of different periods
In the Old Kingdom, dance tended to be formal and restrained.
In the Middle Kingdom, jumping and stamping were introduced. During the New Kingdom, dance became more elegant and fluid.
There are many depictions of dances from the Old Kingdom period, but the depictions do not differ much.
Dances are usually performed by women or young girls.
An early dance with images shows a group dance in which women raise their arms above their heads.
Accompaniment is provided by female applause and calling.
Some dancers perform naked and have distinctive spherical hairstyles.
The pas de deux in which men and women hold hands is most closely associated with funerals.
Female figures wearing belts and braids for deep backbends, high kicks, and other dangerous poses are considered acrobatic dancers, even erotic dancers.
Dances from the Middle Kingdom period include the acrobatic Hator dance, in which dancers lie on the ground until their heads touch their feet.
The erotic dance of the young girl quartet representing the union of the mistress of the sun god sky, a large group dance of many men and women held with the funeral procession.
Dances in reliefs and frescoes show men doing spinning movements while women imitate the effects of the wind with their hands.
An interesting scene shows a man doing a "Russian style" squat dance.
Snapping fingers are added to a series of rhythmic sounds.
During the New Kingdom, dance scenes often appeared in banquet scenes, depicting dance as a more joyous event.
Saleh wrote in the International Encyclopedia of Dance:
"These captivating scenes exude clarity, harmony, elegance, elegance and sophistication, especially in the figures with their smooth, sinuous curves and effortless flow. They wear long cinematic robes depicting dancer musicians who subtly influence head, arm, torso or leg posture when playing the lute, flute, double oboe, lyre, or tambourine. Many of the dancers are girls, very young and naked ... Some of them are black. The movements are mainly focused on the upper body. Occasionally clappers are used... One notable scene is interpreted as belly dancing, boosting fertility. ”
During the New Kingdom, acrobatic dancing featured rollovers and front flips.
Funeral dances feature women in robes and nudes beating tambourines in an excited way and thrusting their torso forward.
epilogue
Ancient Egyptian dance, as a unique and exquisite art form, is not just a memory of the past, it still shines in today's world.
This ancient dance tradition is not only part of Egyptian culture, but also serves as a bridge for global cultural exchange.
Today, ancient Egyptian dance has been revived and reinvented in various dance performances, cultural festivals and artistic performances.
Through the study of ancient documents, archaeological discoveries and modern reconstructions, the dancers strive to restore the essence of ancient Egyptian dance and integrate it into the contemporary stage.
This fusion brings a unique aesthetic experience that transports viewers to the wondrous world of ancient Egyptian civilization.
Ancient Egyptian dance is not only a visual feast, but also a continuation of cultural inheritance and historical tradition.
Through dance, we can feel the ancient Egyptian people's awe for life, religion and nature, as well as their pursuit of beauty and unique artistic expression.
The continuation of this tradition allows us to better understand and appreciate the wisdom and creativity of this ancient civilization.
In today's world, ancient Egyptian dance is a unique cultural heritage that needs to be preserved and passed on.
Through learning, research and extension, we can ensure that the tradition of this ancient dance tradition does not disappear, but continues to bring joy, inspiration and cultural identity to future generations.
The fascination of ancient Egyptian dance will continue to transcend time and space, move hearts, and connect us with past civilizations.
It is a beautiful story that allows us to immerse ourselves in the mystery and charm of ancient Egyptian dance, as well as the infinite art and expression of human emotions it brings.
bibliography
Jacobs Adrianus – Dance of Ancient Egypt, Brill Archives, 1980
Serenco, Theodore – Temples, Mausoleums and Hieroglyphics: A Popular History of Ancient Egypt, Thames and Hudson, 2007
Assman – Egyptian Thought: History and Significance in the Age of Pharaonics, Harvard University Press, 2002
Robbins, Women in Ancient Egypt, Harvard University Press, 1993
Richard S. H. Wilkinson, Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt, Thames and Hudson, 2000
Zivi Koch, Dancing for Hasso: Women in Ancient Egypt, Publishing Arts Press, 2003