The surviving monuments of art and literature prove that dance was important in Ancient Egypt. In the family circle, in a public place, in a temple – dance is always and everywhere. Any celebration, any solemn religious ceremony could hardly do without dancing.
Dance ruled in Egypt as an expression of ecstasy and joy. Exaltation and dance were synonyms in the Egyptians’ poetry. Most Ancient Egypt sacral cults were surrounded by dance rites.
Egyptians’ patron gods of joy, music and dancing were Hathor, Nehemaut and the beardy, dwarf-looking Hathiy. Hathiy was always depicted either hailing the god of the Sun or dancing and playing musical instruments in front of him or the goddess Hathor.
The myths related to the Osiris cult were reflected in numerous mysteries held in Ancient Egypt, during which the major events of the myth were reproduced dramatically. Priestesses performed a dance depicting search of the god, lamentation and entombment. The play ended with erecting the Jed pillar symbolizing resurrection of the god and, along with him, all nature. The dance rite was part of the most sacral Egyptian cults. There was a special school at the temple of Amon which prepared dancing priestesses whose whole life was dancing. They were first professional dancers.
Temple dancers performed somersaults; one can see in the bas-reliefs a woman doing the splits, or a woman being thrown in the air and then caught by two partners, and a man standing on one leg and going to perform a pirouette.
Funeral and ceremonial dances were distinguished by their chasteness and simplicity but, as time went by, other, more decorative dances started appearing. Slaves were taught to dance for home entertainment.
Dancers from other countries were brought to Egypt. There were strolling companies of professional actors who acted out pantomimes, performed somersaults to tambourines and castanets. Dances of pigmies enjoyed popularity for some time.
About 1500 B.C., bayaderes, temple dancers who came to Egypt from Southern India, considerably changed the chaste angularity and certain rigidity of the Egyptian dance introducing into it soft and flowing lines.
The astronomical dance of priests representing harmony of the celestial sphere and rhythmical motion of celestial bodies in the Universe is also well-known. The dance was performed in a temple near an altar placed in the center and representing the Sun. Plutarch has a description of this dance. He explains that priests were first moving from east to west symbolizing the celestial motion, and then from west to east which corresponded to the planetary motion. Using gestures and different types of movements, priests gave an idea of harmony of the planetary system.