それコミュニケーション（意志伝達）なの？（２）

　Sometimes dance serves to help teach social rules to young members of a community. A kind of dance called the minuet is a good example. The minuet originated in France and by the 18th century had become popular among the European elite. In Britain, debutantes, or upper-class women about to make their entrance into adult society by attending their first dance, were strictly trained for their first minuet. They usually danced it before a crowd of people who would critically observe their movements and behavior. This dance taught them how to behave like a member of high society. One writer, in fact, called the minuet one of the best schools of manners ever invented.

　Dance has also been used to make sure that adults follow the rules of their community. An example comes from research conducted in the mid-1990s on dances performed after hunts by the Mbuti Pygmies, an ethnic group living in parts of Central Africa. Suppose something had gone wrong in the hunt. For example, an opportunity to catch an animal was missed because someone neglected to perform their role of hitting the ground to drive the animal towards the hunters. Later, a dancer would act out the event to show the wrong action and perhaps embarrass that person. It is easy to imagine that this would discourage behavior that could ruin a future hunt.

　In some cultures, dance can be a way of displaying power. For instance, there is another report from the mid-1990s describing how the Maring people of New Guinea would hold dances to show their military strength and recruit allies for possible battles. Although battles often occurred after these dances, it is also said that these dances could contribute to peaceful solutions among enemy groups. Through the dances, a group's size and strength would become obvious to potential opponents, and this could help avoid a fight.

　Through dance, groups can also exhibit their traditions and, thus, increase their prestige. An example of this is the world-famous Trinidad Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago, a Caribbean island country that was once a European colony. The roots of this event can be traced to the late 1700s, when the European colonists held a carnival, dancing in elaborate costumes. People of African origin, many of whom came to the island as slaves, were mostly excluded. After slavery ended in 1838, they started to participate fully and changed the character of the carnival. In their dances, they acted out scenes from the slavery period and displayed their own traditions. Their performances were a way for them to show past injustices and to earn recognition for their customs.