It is difficult to detect the first evidence of interest in ancient Greek dance in early scholarship. Whether it was more or less embedded in Byzantine dance styles or perceived as a testimony of paganism by the Church Fathers[1], the first modern publication that delved into music and dance in Antiquity was “Orchestra” by Joannes Meursius, in the 17th century.[2] Although there was an earlier attempt by Julius Caesar Scaliger in the 16th century “On Comedy and tragedy”, it was the Dutch scholar – Meursius – who compiled a catalogue in alphabetical order of more than 200 dances and figures. [3]
The publication of Winckelmann’s works and the fever for collecting antiquities favoured the interest in the archaeological material, with special efforts in tying newly found representations with ancient texts, propelling an interpretation of the images. The ultimate goal, nonetheless, was to identify the many types of ancient Greek dance: to name them, classify them, assign an image, and create an encyclopaedic compendium of these performances. It was thought to be a scientific and objective approach that, unfortunately, left out the sensorial element of dancing.
Despite the antiquarian interest in ancient Greek dance, the first compendium of images related to the topic was not published until 1926.[4] While historians focused on ancient Greek politics and religions – neglecting dancing as a mere ritual or entertainment – researchers from the fields of Anthropology and Ethnology in the 20th century paid attention to the performative element of dancing. Dance studies – or “the new dance anthropology”- included the philosophy of dance and movement, it included ethnomusicology, folkore studies, communication studies, non-verbal and non-vocal communication, and theatre studies.[5]
Semiotics – the study of signs – also permeated the study of dance and contributed to new perspectives in ancient Greek performance. By introducing the concept of performance as a symbol it becomes a carrier of meaning and, at the same time, an instrument to disseminate it – the message. By dancing, messages are acted out. Bodily attitudes towards movements and gestures – how the human body is modified by moving, but also by clothing, make up, tattoos, etc. described certain patterns that could also fit into the theoretical framework of dancing[6].
All these theoretical approaches heavily influenced the conception of the discipline’s object as “a dance event”, the analysis of dancing as a societal phenomenon whose meaning and function can be studied without worrying about its exact shape.[7] This meant the realisation of not needing the exact sequence of dancing steps to study ancient Greek dance, but the available sources conveying its importance, its social role, its ritualistic function, its educational facet, etc.
[1] Naerebout 1995:25.
[2] Reprinted in 2003 by the Nederlandse dansstudies.
[3] Lawler 1947:348.
[4] Weege 1926.
[5] Evans Pritchard 1928; Kurath 1960; Hanna 1979.
[6] Turner 1995.
[8] Naerebout 2003: 145.