Dancing is something that has been around for thousands of years. Originally, it was used in rituals to summon rain, a bountiful yield, and even when welcoming a traveler into the village. Now it is used for entertainment, skill, and exercise.
Joseph Jordania is an ethnomusicologist who believes that dance as well as dance makeup originated due to war. Dance and makeup was made to get soldiers into a trance before war. Much of the makeup used before battle was also used to intimidate opposing soldiers.
Dance was not only used to rile armies and scaring enemies, though. Before written language was invented, dance, myths, and story telling was the main way of transferring information. Dance stage makeup was used during these performances. Most Greek plays were performed with makeup and large elaborate masks in order to convey emotion and Chinese theatre used Kabuki makeup to portray characters and their parts in the play (hero, villain, etc.).
Now dance makeup ideas are usually based on the imagery and the theme of the dance. In the media music is seen on television and on the Internet as a performance to a specific song. In music videos and stage performances basic stage makeup is usually all that is used unless there is a theme the dance is trying to convey. More dynamic artists such as Lady Gaga or Nicki Minaj have used dramatic makeup on themselves as well as their dancers. By doing so they are able to link the music to the dancing.
This tactic is also used with dance competition makeup. Since there is often more than one dancer on stage, performers have matching costumes and makeup to keep consistency while the moves change.
As with dance, learning how to do stage makeup is just as difficult to learn as dancing. There are specific schools that teach how to apply stage makeup. While you can learn the basics rather quickly, using paint, latex, and other materials for stage makeup can help you achieve a dramatic and memorable.
Dancing and makeup has often gone hand-in-hand over the years and both evolve as music and technology change. The fields are both always changing and moving toward more complex moves, looks, and ideas. By keeping the traditions of formal dancing and makeup, society can move further in these fields quickly and with great art and performance along the way.
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