Through the Eras

DanceDrawing of Iba dance from the tomb of Qar, Giza. CREATED BY GGS INFORMATION SERVICES. GALE.iba- and heby-dances while eating on earth and also expectedto see them again after death. Nevertheless, thecultic connections between the dance and ritual are soclose it is unlikely that these dances are truly secular.DESCRIPTION. Women danced the iba and heby,usually for men or a couple in the Old and Middle Kingdomsand for a larger group of men and women in theNew Kingdom. The characteristic steps included armsraised above the head and joined to form a diamondshape. In a second step, the dancers raised the right handin greeting as the left hand and arm pointed straightdown. At the same time, both heels were raised from theground, so that the dancers were resting only on theirtoes. The next step included raising the left hand andarm until it was parallel with the ground and simultaneouslyraising the left foot above the ground with thesole of the foot parallel to the ground. In tombs outsidethe capital regions of Memphis and Thebes, the dancesincluded more lively and athletic steps that appear quiteacrobatic. The dancers formed a bridge by leaning backwarduntil the hands and head reached the ground. Inthe New Kingdom, the dancers sometimes played thelute as they danced in a more lively manner.COSTUME. The women performing this dance duringthe Old and Middle Kingdoms wore a short skirt thatended just above the knees. They sometimes wore a bandof cloth that encircled the neck and crossed between thebreasts and over the back. Sometimes the women wore aheaddress of lotus flowers. This costume was certainly lessmodest than the typical Old Kingdom dress for women.Women of all classes normally wore tight-fitting longdresses with straps over the shoulders and a V-neck; thesingers and clappers are distinguished from the dancersby their wearing of this more traditional clothing. Theshort skirt clearly allowed the dancers to move more freelythan they would while wearing the typical street clothes.Some scholars have suggested that this costume indicatesthe dancers were foreigners. Though foreigners could bemembers of the dance troupe, there is no evidence to supportthe belief that foreigners or foreign dress dominatedEgyptian dance.IN PROCESSION. In at least one case during the OldKingdom, a tomb displays dancers doing the iba dancein a funeral procession rather than during a meal. Thewomen dancing in the tomb of Akhethotep raise theirarms to form a diamond shape with the hands apart. Perhapsthis scene is a clue that the iba actually was a partof the tjeref funeral dance. The nature of the evidencemakes it difficult to know exactly how these dances fittogether.80 Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt (2675 B.C.E.–332 B.C.E.)