Question: What are some of the functions of dance in society? Select two or three examples from various eras and support your arguments with observations and readings from this course. Dance in troubled times. Dance has existed in our society for centuries. It is undeniable to say that dance has never crossed your path because it appears in our daily lives like in school, on television, in parks, clubs, places of worship, parades, etc. Dance was able to alleviate many of the problems society faced during the time. early years of the 20th century, which saw several evolutions of dance. In this article, we will focus on how dance functioned as a recreation in society during the pre-war period, the war period, and the post-war period of World War II. The article will examine how society turned to dance for recreational purposes, how society benefited from dance during these dreary and tedious times, and examples of dance that represented the zeitgeist of these periods. The pre-war period saw the end of the First World War and the rise of jazz. Age and the stock market crash of 1929 triggered the Great Depression worldwide. The change has been brutal because the lavish lifestyle of Roaring Twenties society has been razed. Unemployment rates skyrocketed and millions were left homeless. Nevertheless, this did not stop dancing from being a recreational activity, as it was inexpensive and society had more free time, probably due to unemployment. In pre-war times, dance was used as a form of escape and optimism. For example, quoting dance teacher Lilian Ray: “Most women love to dance with a response to rhythm and cheerfulness that is as natural as loving the sun. The music, the lights, ......middle of paper......l. American during World War II, "JITTER AND JIVE". Accessed February 14, 2014. http://www.americainwwii.com/articles/jitter-and-jive/.Grossberg, Lawrence. Popular music: a directory. Performers and Audiences, Volume 4. UK: Cambridge University Press, 1984.Driver, Ian. A century of dance. Great Britain: Octopus Publishing Group Limited, 2000. Young, William and Nancy Young. World War II and the Postwar Years in America: A Historical and Cultural Encyclopedia. United States: ABC-CLIO, 2010.Wood, Linda. "Family in the 1950s: Hope, Fear and Rock'n Roll." OAH History Magazine, 1997, (36-38). Kassing, Gayle. History of dance: an interactive artistic approach. United States: Human Kinetics, 2007. Sagolla, Lisa. Rock 'n' Roll Dances of the 1950s. United States: ABC-CLIO, 2011. Higgins, Jim. Tremor. United States: AuthorHouse, 2008.