Music, gymnastic and dance

In Ancient and Mediaeval Political Theory we have just completed a reading of most of Plato's Republic. Among other things we discussed books II and III, where the education of the guardians is treated at some length. Within this Platonic "school" the curriculum revolves around two "superdisciplines," namely, music and gymnastic. By music the ancients meant, not simply that art having to do with the arrangement of tones in an aesthetically pleasing fashion, but all of those disciplines having to do with the inspiration of the muses. This covers the arts and humanities in general, and possibly even the social sciences. Music aims at improving the soul.

Gymnastic, on the other hand, is what we today would call physical education. It aims at improving the body, but not for its own sake. It eschews extreme measures, e.g., antibiotics, dialysis and organ transplants, that would put too many resources into keeping the body alive. Needless to say, the sort of body building cultivated to produce an Arnold Schwarzenegger would definitely be out of bounds.

Now I myself have never been much of an athlete. The only sport at which I ever did reasonably well was billiards, which takes more hand-eye co-ordination than athletic prowess. But I will admit to having an affinity for dancing. No, not the ballroom dancing one sees in the movies. Nor even the ballet one sees in the concert hall. Rather I love the sort of line and circle dancing one sees amongst the various peoples of the Balkans, especially (surprise, surprise) the Greeks.

I have been an aficionado of Greek dancing since childhood. My favourite, and probably the best known, of the many Greek folk dances is the kalamatiano, a simple line dance to music with a time signature of 7/8. (Much of my own music is composed in the distinctive 7/8 metre.)

I have sometimes thought it would be enjoyable to teach my own students some Greek dances. Given the preponderance of Dutch-Canadians in my classes, and given the dearth of line dances among the peoples of the Low Countries and their North American descendants, this might be a valuable addition to their education.