Wobbling around while trying to walk or get up and walk isn't
considered dancing, at least in the context of my question.
Closing one eye and hobbling around isn't either. Either is
putting your legs into a burlap sack and hopping around in some
sack race.

Therion Ware <autodelete@city-of-dis.com> wrote in message news:<4j6akvc6jdr1ofudt15l9u9c458u6ev19c@4ax.com>...

On Thu, 21 Aug 2003 18:07:51 GMT in alt.atheism, Elroy Willis (Elroy
Willis <elo@airmail.net>) said, directing the reply to alt.atheism

Is dancing innate in humans? Anybody here have babies or children who
started dancing one day without ever seeing anyone else dance?

Babies have a walk reflex very early. IIRC they loose it after a
while, before it comes back again and they start, erm, walking.

I suspect this might look like dancing, rather like me when I have a
few too many.

They lose it because their legs are too fat and their muscles too
weak. If you suspend them in water, the disapearing walk reflex comes
back. Try googling for Esther Thelen for more information. She did
studies of this sort of thing. I don't have the cite for the actual
article though.

Diederik

Elroy Willis Willis said, directing the reply to alt.atheism

Therion Ware wrote in alt.atheism

Elroy Willis said, directing the reply to alt.atheism

Is dancing innate in humans? Anybody here have babies or children who
started dancing one day without ever seeing anyone else dance?

Babies have a walk reflex very early. IIRC they loose it after a
while, before it comes back again and they start, erm, walking.
I suspect this might look like dancing, rather like me when I have a
few too many.

Wobbling around while trying to walk or get up and walk isn't
considered dancing, at least in the context of my question.
Closing one eye and hobbling around isn't either. Either is
putting your legs into a burlap sack and hopping around in some
sack race.

I wish you'd told me that 20 years ago....

On Thu, 21 Aug 2003 20:12:01 GMT in alt.atheism, Elroy Willis (Elroy
Willis <elo@airmail.net>) said, directing the reply to alt.atheism

Therion Ware wrote in alt.atheism

Elroy Willis said, directing the reply to alt.atheism

Is dancing innate in humans? Anybody here have babies or children who
started dancing one day without ever seeing anyone else dance?

Babies have a walk reflex very early. IIRC they loose it after a
while, before it comes back again and they start, erm, walking.

I suspect this might look like dancing, rather like me when I have a
few too many.

Wobbling around while trying to walk or get up and walk isn't
considered dancing, at least in the context of my question.
Closing one eye and hobbling around isn't either. Either is
putting your legs into a burlap sack and hopping around in some
sack race.

I wish you'd told me that 20 years ago....

--
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- Attrib: Pauline Reage.
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Gregory Gadow <techbear@serv.net> wrote in alt.atheism

Elroy Willis wrote:

Is dancing innate in humans? Anybody here have babies or children who
started dancing one day without ever seeing anyone else dance?

Define "dance."

Hmm...

Moving around, bobbing up and down in some sort of rhythmic repetitive
manner. Trying to get up on your legs and wobbling doesn't count.

I was trying to separate actual dancing without involving any kind of
music or prior exposure to any kind of ritualistic dancing.

It has been shown that in all other primates, there is a pronounced
physical reaction to rhythmic sounds. Presumably, human dancing is
related to this innate reaction. The different forms of dance are undoubtedly
cultural.

Without the music, or some rhythmic beat or sound, it probably
wouldn't occur at all? What about the rhythm coming from light
instead of sound?

One of the reasons I asked the question is because of an email
discussion I'm having with a person who claims that all humans are
innate dancers, and that they will naturally start dancing at certain
times without any prior exposure to dancing. Currently, I'm claiming
that I don't believe it's all that natural, without previous exposure
to dancing. I don't have my mind made up one way or another, but I
found the topic interesting and started doing some thinking about it,
and wanted to get some other opinions.

Personally, I've never been much of a dancer. When I watch musicals
and people burst out dancing, I have to laugh, really, and sometimes
think that it's gotta be some kind of weird satire. Who has ever
known someone who suddenly burst out dancing and singing at some
time when it was unexpected? Anyone?

Gregory Gadow <techbear@serv.net> wrote in alt.atheism

Elroy Willis wrote:

Is dancing innate in humans? Anybody here have babies or children who
started dancing one day without ever seeing anyone else dance?

Define "dance."

Hmm...

Moving around, bobbing up and down in some sort of rhythmic repetitive
manner. Trying to get up on your legs and wobbling doesn't count.

I was trying to separate actual dancing without involving any kind of
music or prior exposure to any kind of ritualistic dancing.

It has been shown that in all other primates, there is a pronounced
physical reaction to rhythmic sounds. Presumably, human dancing is
related to this innate reaction. The different forms of dance are undoubtedly
cultural.

Without the music, or some rhythmic beat or sound, it probably
wouldn't occur at all?

What about the rhythm coming from light
instead of sound?

One of the reasons I asked the question is because of an email
discussion I'm having with a person who claims that all humans are
innate dancers, and that they will naturally start dancing at certain
times without any prior exposure to dancing. Currently, I'm claiming
that I don't believe it's all that natural, without previous exposure
to dancing. I don't have my mind made up one way or another, but I
found the topic interesting and started doing some thinking about it,
and wanted to get some other opinions.

On Thu, 21 Aug 2003 21:52:33 GMT, "MarkA" <manthony@stopspam.net>
wrote:

On Thu, 21 Aug 2003 18:07:51 +0000, Elroy Willis wrote:

Is dancing innate in humans? Anybody here have babies or children who
started dancing one day without ever seeing anyone else dance?

Certainly, the desire to create music is innate, as virtually every
culture has some form of music. I would think that dancing is an
extension of music making, part of a continuum of making lots of noise
with little movement vs making only a little noise with lots of movement.

I am sure that music and dancing are closely linked.
I have noticed that musicians often play better if people are
dancing along to the music - and usually enjoy it as well. I once
did a one day drumming workshop and noticed soon after that the
experience of drumming along with other musicians feels very
similar to the experience of drumming along to people dancing.