PLES U MEDICINSKOJ TRADICIJI

Abstract

Dance has always been one of the most practiced human activities, used in different social and religious contexts. Moreover, it played an important role in the evolution of the medical art. The main goal of this article is to show how dance was used in medical practice of different cultures at different times, and to investigate its role in many pathological processes, focusing on Croatian dancing tradition. The healing power of dance has been used in many different ways; for centuries it was offered as a tribute to gods; in other cultures it improved mental and physical state by influencing the flow of vital corporeal energy. On the other hand, many diseases have been associated with dance through the history such as chorea, ergot poisoning, epilepsy, and sunstroke. Legends, facts and curiosities referred to in this article reveal the enchanting world of dance history and the role that it played in the forming of modern medicine, which now seems to rediscover its benefits for human health.