Editing Dance (section)

=== Asia ===
{{See also|History of dance#Asia}}
[[File:Nandini Ghosal.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.75|An Indian classical dancer]]
[[File:Mintha Theater 2.webm|thumb|In the Mintha Theater ([[Mandalay]]) a master teacher of the Inwa School of Performing Arts demonstrates traditional hand movements.]]
All [[Classical Indian dance|Indian classical dances]] are to varying degrees rooted in the ''[[Natyashastra]]'' and therefore share common features: for example, the ''mudra''s (hand positions), some body positions, leg movement and the inclusion of dramatic or expressive acting or [[abhinaya]]. Indian classical music provides accompaniment and dancers of nearly all the styles wear bells around their ankles to counterpoint and complement the percussion.

There are now many regional varieties of [[Indian classical dance]]. Dances like ''"Odra Magadhi"'', which after decades-long debate, has been traced to present day Mithila, [[Odisha]] region's dance form of [[Odissi]] (Orissi), indicate influence of dances in cultural interactions between different regions.<ref>[http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/dance Exoticindiaart.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060514235542/http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/dance/ |date=2006-05-14 }}, Dance: The Living Spirit of Indian Arts, by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet.</ref>

The [[Punjab region|Punjab]] area overlapping India and [[Pakistan]] is the place of origin of [[Bhangra (dance)|Bhangra]]. It is widely known both as a style of music and a dance. It is mostly related to ancient harvest celebrations, love, patriotism or social issues. Its music is coordinated by a [[musical instrument]] called the 'Dhol'. Bhangra is not just music but a dance, a celebration of the harvest where people beat the dhol (drum), sing Boliyaan (lyrics) and dance. It developed further with the Vaisakhi festival of the [[Sikh]]s.

The [[dances of Sri Lanka]] include the devil dances (''yakun natima''), a carefully crafted ritual reaching far back into Sri Lanka's pre-Buddhist past that combines ancient "[[Ayurvedic]]" concepts of disease causation with [[psychological manipulation]] and combines many aspects including Sinhalese cosmology. Their influence can be seen on the [[classical dances of Sri Lanka]].<ref>[http://www.lankalibrary.com/rit/yakun%20natuma.htm Lankalibrary.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070309222614/http://www.lankalibrary.com/rit/yakun%20natuma.htm |date=2007-03-09 }}, "The yakun natima&nbsp;— devil dance ritual of Sri Lanka"</ref>

[[File:Bali-Danse 0729a.jpg|thumb|upright|An [[Indonesia]]n [[Balinese dance]]r]]
[[Dances in Indonesia|Indonesian dances]] reflect the richness and diversity of Indonesian ethnic groups and [[Culture of Indonesia|cultures]]. There are more than 1,300 [[ethnic groups in Indonesia]], it can be seen from the cultural roots of the [[Austronesian people|Austronesian]] and [[Melanesian peoples]], and various cultural influences from [[Asia]] and the west. Dances in [[Indonesia]] originate from ritual movements and religious ceremonies, this kind of dance usually begins with rituals, such as war dances, shaman dances to cure or ward off disease, dances to call rain and other types of dances. With the acceptance of dharma religion in the 1st century in Indonesia, [[Hinduism]] and [[Buddhist]] rituals were celebrated in various artistic performances. Hindu epics such as the [[Ramayana]], [[Mahabharata]] and also the [[Panji tales|Panji]] became the inspiration to be shown in a dance-drama called "Sendratari" resembling "[[Ramayana Ballet|ballet]]" in the western tradition. An elaborate and highly stylized dance method was invented and has survived to this day, especially on the islands of [[Java]] and [[Bali]]. The Javanese [[Wayang wong]] dance takes footage from the Ramayana or Mahabharata episodes, but this dance is very different from the Indian version, indonesian dances do not pay as much attention to the "[[mudra]]s" as Indian dances: even more to show local forms. The sacred [[Javanese people|Javanese]] ritual dance [[Bedhaya]] is believed to date back to the [[Majapahit]] period in the 14th century or even earlier, this dance originated from ritual dances performed by virgin girls to worship Hindu Gods such as [[Shiva]], [[Brahma]], and [[Vishnu]]. In Bali, dance has become an integral part of the sacred Hindu Dharma rituals. Some experts believe that [[Balinese dance]] comes from an older dance tradition from Java. Reliefs from temples in [[East Java]] from the 14th century feature crowns and headdresses similar to the headdresses used in Balinese dance today. [[Islam]] began to spread to the [[Indonesian archipelago]] when indigenous dances and dharma dances were still popular. Artists and dancers still use styles from the previous era, replacing stories with more Islamic interpretations and clothing that is more closed according to Islamic teachings.<ref name="Folk Dances Indonesia">{{cite web |url=http://www.indonesia-tourism.com/general/theatre.html |work=Indonesia Tourism |title=The Indonesian Folk Dances |access-date=30 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124083455/http://indonesia-tourism.com/general/theatre.html |archive-date=24 November 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[Middle Eastern dance|dances of the Middle East]] are usually the traditional forms of [[circle dance|circle dancing]] which are modernized to an extent. They would include [[dabke]], [[tamzara]], [[Assyrian folk dance]], [[Kurdish dance]], [[Armenian dance]] and [[Turkish dance]], among others.<ref name="Badley 2000. pp 391-395">Badley, Bill and Zein al Jundi. "Europe Meets Asia". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, pp. 391–395. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books.</ref><ref>Recep Albayrak Hacaloğlu. Azeri Türkçesi dil kilavuzu. Hacaloğlu, 1992; p. 272.</ref> All these forms of dances would usually involve participants engaging each other by holding hands or arms (depending on the style of the dance). They would make rhythmic moves with their legs and shoulders as they curve around the dance floor. The head of the dance would generally hold a [[Walking stick|cane]] or [[handkerchief]].<ref name="Badley 2000. pp 391-395"/><ref>Subhi Anwar Rashid, Mesopotamien, Abb 137</ref>