Introduction.
Benue State is state of the historic Benue river, a State renowned for the valiancy of its progenitors, a State of notable political gladiators and hardworking people who rightly brand themselves as ‘the food basket of the nation’.
Benue is also a State of rich cultures and traditions, as exemplified in the world acclaimed SWANGE DANCE which has brought fame to both the State and the nation.
Meaning of Dance
Dance is a type of art that generally involves movement of the body, often rhythmic and to music. It is performed in many cultures as a form of emotional expression, social interaction, or exercise, in a spiritual or performance setting, and is sometimes used to express ideas or tell a story. Dance may also be regarded as a form of nonverbal communication between humans or other animals, as in bee dances and behaviour patterns such as a mating dances.
Definitions of what constitutes dance can depend on social and cultural norms and aesthetic, artistic and moral sensibilities. Definitions may range from functional movement (such as folk dance) to virtuoso techniques such as ballet. Martial arts kata are often compared to dances, and sports such as gymnastics, figure skating and synchronized swimming are generally thought to incorporate dance. In some cases, the motion of ordinarily inanimate objects may be described as dance (the leaves danced in the wind).
History
Dance does not leave behind clearly identifiable physical artifacts such as stone tools, hunting implements or cave paintings. It is not possible to say when dance became part of human culture.
Joseph Jordania recently suggested that dance, together with rhythmic music and body painting, was designed by the forces of natural selection at the early stage of hominid evolution as a potent tool to put groups of human ancestors in a battle trance, a specific altered state of consciousness.
The same could be said of the Swange dance which originated from middle
References: www.nairaland.com/12749/swange-music-how-see-it http://www.goodlife.com.ng/gltourism.php?gltourism=read&id=164 Joseph Jordania, 2011, Why do People Sing? Music in Human Evolution, Logos, pg.98-102