There are so many fun facts about dancing, we almost don’t know where to begin! From the Country Two Step to Salsa to Swing dancing, discover some surprising details about dance below. Once you do, you may be that much more intrigued to begin learning to social dance yourself. That’s where we at Dance FX Studios in Mesa, Arizona come into play! Join us for the fun of social dancing and the numerous benefits too! Yes, from stress relief to weight loss, exciting dances like the Argentine Tango can enrich your life in so many ways. Until then, enjoy these cool tidbits about dancing…

The first archeological proof of dance comes from nine-thousand year old cave paintings in India.

One of the earliest uses of dancing was for use religious ceremonies. Dance routines were used for storytelling as much of the culture’s history was passed to younger generations through oral tradition. Adding dancing made it much easier to remember.

Egyptians are an example of a culture who used this kind of visuals in their rituals, using dance both for entertainment and religious purposes.

Dancing was also an important part of many Greek and Roman religious ceremonies. Ancient Greeks and Romans annually celebrated their God’s Dionysus (Greek) and Bacchus (Roman) with several day’s long festivities. Since both oversaw aspects of fertility and agriculture, ie: plants that created wine, the celebrations were filled with alcohol, song and lots of wild dancing.

Much of Europe is filled with folk music and dancing that has been passed down from generation to generation.  It is commonly believed that simple folk dances were practiced amongst both poor and wealthy classes. During the Renaissance period in Europe many new dances evolved or were created.

The Waltz can be traced back to the 16th century and was performed with arm’s length between male and female dances. The shocking transition to a “voluptuous intertwining of the limbs and close compressure of the bodies” happened in England when Queen Victoria fell in love and performed the dance close up with Prince Albert.

Ragtime music is very similar to classical and has been cited as the American equivalent of Minuets by Mozart. The dance began in the red-light districts of cities like New Orleans and enjoyed its peak during Prohibition.

Jazz replaced Ragtime and Pre-WW2 brought many new waves of dance styles. During the war dance played a very important role in keeping morale up and it seemed every town and village that had a hall was filled with dancing. There were popular dances like the Lindy Hop, Balboa, St. Louis Shag, Jitterbug, Lindy, West Coast Swing, East Coast Swing, and Murray being used everywhere.

Even people in wheelchairs can dance! Wheelchair dancing is growing in popularity around the globe and is recognized as an official international paralympic sport.  In more than 40 countries, people of all ages and physical abilities participate in dance activities with their manual or power mobility chairs. Popular wheelchair dances include: Square Dancing, Line Dancing, Ballet, Jazz, Latin Dancing, and traditional Ballroom Dancing.

The Lion Dance was often mistakenly referred to as the Dragon Dance and is one of the most popular religious and ceremonial dance in China as well as the surrounding countries of Taiwan, Korea and Japan. This dance is usually performed during the Chinese New Year or business openings to bring in good fortune and ward of evil spirits. The fundamental movements of the Chinese Lion dance can be found in Chinese martial arts.

It may surprise you to learn 11,240 people currently hold jobs as professional dancers.

Today professional dance is regarded as one of the most demanding physical abilities or sport.

In 2014,Americans spent 3 billion hours a week sitting on their backsides playing video games. Why not become a part of the statistic of the people who are moving their bodies dancing each week? Call Dance FX Studios and take advantage of our New Student Offer and be the fun that you may be seeking!