I wish dancing were easier to animate. The poses dancers take are hilarious.
Actually, they were always funny.
Even dances designed to fit with stately court music (above) were funny. Something about moving to rhythm makes people want to imitate roosters and ducks.
Not only that, but dandies seem to have had a big influence on high society dancing.
Manly men did their best to look virile while dancing (above), but they were swimming upstream. The dandies got there first, when the dances were created.
In order to suck in with high society, men had no choice but to immitate the dandies. The rule was: brawl in the street if you must, but be dainty on the dance floor.
Manly Renaissance men (above) had the additional humiliation of having to wear tights and pantaloons and little capes while dancing.
I do like some of these old dances, though. Here's (above) one from the 1968 version of Romeo and Juliet. The person who posted it on YouTube cut out some of the steps, but there's enough here so that you get the idea.
