Overview

In private and in public life, the ancient Greeks danced to express divine adoration and human festivity. They danced at feasts and choral competitions, at weddings and funerals, in observance of the cycles of both nature and human existence. Formal and informal dances marked the rhythms of life and death. In this work, Steven Lonsdale looks at how the Greeks themselves regarded the act of dance, and how dance and related forms of ritual play in Greek religious festivals served a wide variety of functions in Greek society. The act of worship, he explains, often implied engaging in collective rites regulated by playful behaviour, the most common forms of which were group hymns and choral dances.

Full Product Details

9780801867590

Table of Contents

Reviews

<p> This book offers a thorough and detailed review of the evidence for the function of dance to 'express divine adoration and human festivity in Greek culture.'. -- New England Classical Newsletter and Journal

This book offers a thorough and detailed review of the evidence for the function of dance to 'express divine adoration and human festivity in Greek culture.'. * New England Classical Newsletter and Journal *

Author Information

Stephen H. Lonsdale was educated at Harvard University and Cambridge Universities. He is the author of Animals and the Origins of Dance and Creatures of Speech: Lion, Herding, and Hunting Similies in the ""Iliad"".

Tab Content 6

Countries Available