Friday, January 23, 2015

[abiwders] Dance as a measure of social class

Most forms of social dance percolate up social class structures.  (Historically, waltz and its outrageously radical notion of a couple dancing together for an entire song. But waltz or its precursor partnered dance was originally done by peasants perhaps since time immemorial.)  Use this effect to delineate and order social classes.

The dance form perhaps gets modified as it percolates up.

Exactly what social and mental processes cause someone of one social class to decide whether a certain dance form is acceptable or unacceptable for their social class?  It's probably not a conscious calculation: a person feels "comfortable" or "uncomfortable".  How do those processes change as a dance gains acceptance in upper social classes?  Why do they change?

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