MR. HERBERT SPENCER ON THE ORIGIN OF DANCING.
MR. HERBERT SPENCER publishes, in this month's number of the Contemporary Review, a serious con- sideration of the origin and development of dancing and dancers. It falls into its place in a series of papers on " Professional Institutions," of which the dancer is one ; and as the appearance of the article coincides with the return of Miss Lottie Collins, the most popular of all professional dancers, after a three years' absence from England, as well as
with whit may be called the dancing acme of the London season, its appearance is singularly well timed. Any one who Ekes dancing, or watching others dance, can turn to this judicial inquiry into the art, and find out "where he is," in regard not only to other persons of like tastes in other civilisations, but also to that unpleasant standard of reference, which we all so much desire to forget,—that of uncivilised or semi-civilised man. At the same time there is much that is discouraging in these researches of Mr. Spencer's. If he had treated his subject from a warmly cory- bantic, or even a coldly Calvinistic standpoint, the ordinary dancer's feelings would be warmed or chilled, according to rule, and he would summon his arguments in the natural order of controversy. But Mr. Spencer's treatment is so cruelly analytical, and goes back to " origins " with such unfailing fidelity, that the dancing reader is perforce taken outside himself, and set down to look on at the development of his tendencies as they grew from primitive beginnings ; he becomes a prehistoric " wall-flower," with the privilege of " sitting-out " through about twenty-five centuries, and noting the stages of development through which his species has passed in previous generations. That is rather a severe ordeal in self-examination, and the dancer, if he does not at once violently disagree with the matters set out, may find, in the words of a latter-day poet, that thereafter "the feet of his dancing are still." He will not be able to reconcile his taste with its primitive origins, and still feel rational and dignified. This will only apply to men, because ladies are more sensible, and when something is enjoyable, they enjoy it and do not bother.
Here is the origin of dancing as found by Mr. Spencer. " Muscular movements in general are originated by feelings in general." " The violent muscular motions of the limbs which cause bounds and gesticulations, as well as those strong con- tractions of the pectoral and vocal muscles which produce shouting and laughter, become the natural language of great pleasure." Consequently, children shout and jump when they are pleased. So when primitive kings are honoured by their subjects, they are honoured by "irregular jumping and gesticulations, with unrhythmical shouts and cries, at first rising without concert, but which gradually by repetition become regularised into the measured movements we know as dances, and the organised utterances constituting songs." It is probable that the bored gentlemen who so far overcome their disinclination to violent exertion in public as occa- sionally to oblige their hostesses by dancing, will receive such a shock from this horrid early affinity with "irregular jumping and gesticulations" as to forego it incontinently. Nevertheless, there is much to be said for Mr. Spencer's view. It was certainly that of Early England. A male dancer was a " hopper," and a lady dancer a " hoppster "; and as regards the emotional uses to which dancing was put, we have still preserved the historic lines depicting the rude joy of the too prosperous and encroaching Flemings in the Eastern counties :— " Hoppe Wilkin, hoppe Willikin Engelonde is mine and thine."
Hebraism, to which Mr. Spencer makes frequent references, also looked upon dancing as the " overplus of energy which -goes along with elated feeling," and not as an elegant accom- plishment at all. The women came out " dancing" to meet Saul ; and David " danced " when he brought the ark to Zion. This was "leaping and dancing," which in time became stereotyped as a kind of religious observance, though in time religious dances were dropped, and only the procession survived. Oddly enough, it is the solemn or religious dance which first became the occupation of the " professional," and was then separated from its religious function, and retained as a mere spectacle. The premiere danseuse and the corps de 'ballet have therefore a very definite and respectable historical origin. Though the memory of this is quite lost, there is, as every one may see, a curious earnestness and preoccupation— or absorption visible in all good ballet-dancing—the gaiety is affected—behind it lies an extreme concentration of effort to achieve the set figures correctly, which is almost ritual in its intensity.
Spontaneous dancing—not the "irregular jumpings and gesticulations" of ill-regulated and primitive emotion, but the outbreak of utter happiness, which takes the form of dancing in steps which have already been learnt—is surely the prettiest and most natural expression of young joy. It is because it is natural and spontaneous that modern emotion never shows itself in that form, except among young children, who, when taught to dance, will often show pleasure by a pas seul, or a deux, of an impromptu character. Otherwise, it would almost seem that spontaneous dancing disappeared after the days of the Greek poets. Then nymphs and maidens would on the slightest encouragement join hands and dance by springs and fountains, and every shepherd was familiar with the sight of " white feet glancing," as they skipped upon the mossy floor. The spontaneous period in dancing probably ceased when the use of shoes became general,—shoes and long dresses. But it has had a late modern revival in skirt-dancing, though, as this is now taught as an elegant accomplishment to young ladies in boarding-schools, it perhaps impinges on Mr- Herbert Spencer's category of laudatory or devotional and spectacular dances. Still, Mr. Hamo Thornycroft has chosen to represent the " Joy of Life " in this year's Academy by a beautiful lady dancing alone,—and in shoes, as well as skirts. Those who have forgotten, or who never knew, what the pleasure and the form of spontaneous dancing should be, should look at the statue and learn. There is such spring and elasticity in the foot, cased in its " satin " shoe, that it seems as if the figure could never keep its place, but must perforce leap lightly from the marble floor and alight again to assume the same ecstatic poise. Observe that all the spontane- ous dancing of the ancient world was done by girls. The men were probably, even then, too self-conscious, or only broke out into lumpish leapings. Compare for curiosity the " Dancing Fawn," with the hundred descriptions of the dances of Diana's train. Englishmen, who are as little likely to break out into spontaneous dancing as a form of joy, as they would be to shed tears as an expression of grief, seem to preserve this form of self-consciousness as a kind of national trait. They will dance in a crowd gladly enough. But they hate to dance unsupported by other couples, and are always shy of being what, in Ireland, is called the "first to take the flare." Cavalier seul is a perfect torture to them, and the quadrille is perhaps unpopular because it makes this demand on gentlemen. Turn to Thackeray's picture (in "Mrs. Perkins's Ball ") showing his friend Bob Hely performing cavalier seul in a quadrille. "Remark," he writes, " the good- humoured pleasure depicted in his countenance. Has he any secret grief ? Has he a pain anywhere? No, dear Miss Jones ; he is dancing like a true Briton, with all the charming gaiety and abandon of our race If he were advancing to a dentist his face would not be more cheer- ful. All the eyes of the room are upon him, he thinks ; and he thinks he looks like a fool." So much for male self- consciousness. But it is, in truth, the other sex who really like dancing, and were born to dance. The men are either too shy, or, like the magnificent Spanish country dancers, too anxious to " show off." Whence it may be concluded that the modern system by which men and women dance together is perhaps the best and most satisfactory compromise. Un- fortunately, Mr. Herbert Spencer omits all consideration of the origin of this modern or domestic dancing, probably because it is not yet a "professional institution," but only a social observance.
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