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Dance generally refers to human movement either used as a form of expression or presented in a social, spiritual or performance setting.
Dance is also used to describe methods of non-verbal communication between humans or animals ( bee dance, mating dance), motion in inanimate objects (the leaves danced in the wind), and certain musical forms or genres. People who dance are called dancers and the act of dance is known as dancing. An event where dancing takes place may be called a dance. ChoreographyChoreography (also known as dance composition) is the art of making structures in which movement occurs, the term composition may also refer to the navigation or connection of these movement structures. The resulting movement structure may also be referre is the art of making dances.
Definitions of what constitutes dance are dependent on socialA society is a group of people that form a semi-closed (or semi-open) system, in which most interactions are with other individuals belonging to the group. More abstractly, a society is a network of relationships between entities. A society is an interdep, culturalThe word culture comes from the Latin root colere (to inhabit, to cultivate, or to honor). In general it refers to human activity; different definitions of culture reflect different theories for understanding, or criteria for valuing, human activity., aesthetic artistic and moral constraints and range from functional movement (such as Folk danceThe following dance categories are closely related to each other: Folk dance Folk dance is a term used to encompass a large number of dances that tend to share the following attributes: They were originally danced in about the 19th century or earlier (or) to codified, virtuosoA virtuoso is a musician who has attained the highest level of skill in a fine art, especially at playing a specific instrument or singing. Many Baroque composers were also virtuosi on their instrument, most commonly the violin ( Pietro Locatelli and Anto techniques such as ballet. In sports, gymnastics, figure skating and synchronized swimming contain dance disciplines while Martial arts ' Kata' are often compared to dances.
Main article: History of dance
Throughout history, dance has been a part of ceremony, rituals, celebrations and entertainment. It is traceable through archeological evidence from prehistoric times to the first examples of written and pictorial documentation in 200 BC. Many contemporary dance forms can be traced back to historical, traditional, ceremonial and ethnic dances.