Dance and Folklore

« The dance is movement. [...] It is the sequence of poses, the movement, which creates the dance. For a harmonious rhythmic movement to be dance, it must have been done voluntarily. »

Germaine Prudhommeau

Folklore, according to a definition taken from the Petit Robert, is a "science of traditions, customs and folk art of a country, a region, a human group. Together these traditions. This term was coined by the British J. W. Thoms in 1846 and refers to a popular culture in its immaterial aspect. To consider these prehistoric "dances" as a folklore in their own right, several important elements must be taken into consideration, starting with the understanding of the use of these practices. However, theories must be based on sound scientific evidence that is recognized by the majority of the scientific community. In fact, footprints - taken from a certified archaeological site - that seem to follow a rhythm, much like what our own contemporary dance steps might leave, are not enough to consider them as such. However, while it is true that research in this field is currently quite poor, we cannot deny the possibility of such an activity, which seems to be innate in humans, or at least particularly primitive. It would not be surprising if it had existed since the earliest times, without us finding its traces. In addition, a great deal of research has been conducted on social behaviours as early as the domestication of fire. And we can easily imagine that dance is one of those nascent behaviours.

It is true that this notion of folklore can be ambiguous because we tend to link it to established populations, to a certain cultural modernity, because it is an occupation that has nothing to do with subsistence, it is a practice that we consider as ritual. This is what Lévi-Strauss, in 1952, described as activities without "utilitarian value". For the time, dance is most certainly linked to religion, but it is difficult to understand the place and importance of religion in their societies, since it is one of the few artistic domains that leaves no trace of its existence. The study is therefore highly compromised.

Concretely, in the Upper Palaeolithic, we have some footprints preserved, these are footprints of bare feet, children or adults, in Niaux for example, or in the cave of Pech-Merle, in the Lot. Although these remains are scientifically exploitable, they become complex when it comes to interpreting them. On the other hand, an inexhaustible source of information is that of parietal art, which, thanks to its very detailed representations, has already in the past enriched our knowledge of anatomy, for example. It is therefore towards this that one naturally turns to find a source of inspiration, a lead, a beginning of explanation.

It is useless to quote again in detail the representation of the Sorcerer of the Three Brothers' cave, except to point out a certain rotation movement on himself. According to some researchers, Man would use dance to increase his energy, thanks to the booster[Varagnac, 1970].

To fully understand this notion, two works are essential.

The first is the figure of Gabillou, in a cave near Mussidan in the Dordogne. It is dated approximately 14,000 years B. C., it has a 30 cm high male figure with a profile view. The head and body are covered with a corpse of buffalo. The human legs suggest a circular movement on the spot, like a twirl. The character is represented voluntarily with an ithyphallic sex, which is probably due to a state of trance. So it could be a dancing man, for example in a ritual ceremony. The second is the engraving of the Ronde d' Addaura. It is all the more unique as its composition is quite rare. It is said to be dated to 8,000 BC and is located in Sicily. The seven figures that compose it are standing in circles, gathered around two central figures.

Difficult to interpret the role of the latter, who seem to contort themselves quite violently, they could be destined for a sacrifice or even lead the dance to the centre as in some contemporary dances of ancient cultures that have survived. The direction of movement would be from right to left. In any case, it is an innovation because we see for the first time, not a dancing character alone, who could be interpreted as a shaman, but an entire group, whose number can be variable, and which inspires a real feeling of community, activity, etc.