The history of dance is very important to the modern dancers of today.  Dance is basically just people expressing themselves through movements.  Dancers started by showing their emotions with gestures rather then using words with their feelings.

There has always been dancing of some kind.  Whether it was for entertainment or enjoyment, people have danced.  For example dance rituals were performed in Greece as a way to worship their gods.  The word ballet came from the Italian word "ballare" meaning "to dance".  Ballet first started in the 15th century with court dancing in Italy.  In 1661, King Louis XIV started a Royal Academy of Dance in France.  That started the choreographed ballet that are perform in modern days.  

Jazz was founded more in the southern cities like New Orleans, Kansas City, Memphis, and St. Louis.  It was inspired by all sorts of people including the French, Spanish, German, Italian, and several people from Africa.   It started simply with a good beat and people gettin up to dance that enjoy moving. The band that people danced to usually included string bass, drums, guitar, a trombone, a clarinet, and sometimes a violin.

 

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