MUSIC AND DANCE

Or, should we say DANCE AND MUSIC

Music and Dance or Dance and Music are intimately related to each other. They usually come together. It is difficult, thought possible, to imagine dance without music. Sometimes dance gives its own music, for example, in tap dance. We may even dance spontaneously when very happy. Music, however, can be quite often heard without dance. But the real enjoyment can only come when music and dance come together. It is as if words have taken visible forms.

In the history of the development of music and dance we see that many of the earlier schools of music and dance evolved together. Examples of such side-by-side evolution of dance and music can be cited as disco, salsa, tango, and waltz, etc. On the other hand, some musical genres also have a parallel dance form such as baroque music and baroque dance. Music and dance, however, also developed separately. For example, classical music and classical ballet.

Which came first dance or music? While dance is usually accompanied by music, it would not be right to say that music came first though sound might have come first. We have seen above that one can dance without music. Furthermore, even animals (for example, peacock) dance, apparently, without music. However, it is true that formal or developed form of dance certainly came after music.

So, it would be more correct to say music and dance rather than dance and music.

On these web pages we will go deeper into the study of music and dance.