How did social dancing begin?

Dancing has practically existed since the beginning of man. Primitive people were involved in religious dances or, they just imitated animals. But social dancing is a different thing as it is done for the sheer pleasure of it.

The ancient Greeks were very fond of dancing as a social amusement. Aristotle considered dance important as it reflected manners and actions of the people. Homer thought very highly of social dancing. Socrates and Plato both approved it. Among the Greeks, dancing was a common feature at all the banquets and festivities.

In Egypt, dancing was known as a social art more than 40 centuries ago. It was the custom to entertain dinner guests with dancing at ancient Egyptian banquets. In India also, dancing has been considered as a form of entertainment since the earliest times, though many of these dances had a religious significance. Social dancing has been practiced for a long time in Spain, many of whose dance steps may have been Arabian in origin.

The real development of social dancing occurred in France. The dances originated in other countries, were brought to perfection in France. It was Catherine de Medici who was chiefly responsible for this at first. She loved social dancing, and the taste for it spread from the Court to private homes.

At Versailles, under Louis XIV, social dancing reached great heights. Magnificent ballets were organized and the best composers created music just for the dance at the Court.