Lucian of Samosata · c. AD 125-after 180
On the Dance
Περὶ ὀρχήσεωςOn the Dance, called Of Pantomime by the Fowlers, is a dialogue between the satirist Lycinus and the Cynic Crato, in which Lycinus defends the pantomime dance, the mimed telling of myth on the stage of Lucian's day. Much of the work is an account of the myths a dancer must know. It has 85 sections in the Greek.
Contents · 5 passages
- 1–16Crato attacks, Lycinus replies; the dance in Greek tradition2010 words
- 17–34The dance among the Indians, Egyptians and Greeks; tragedy and comedy1717 words
- 35–61The dancer's material: the myths of Greece1760 words
- 62–76Imitation, clarity and the dancer's range1623 words
- 77–85The good dancer and the bad; Lycinus makes his peace with Crato1250 words
More by Lucian of Samosata
English translation by H. W. Fowler and F. G. Fowler (1905). Original text: A. M. Harmon (ed.), Lucian, vol. V, Loeb Classical Library, London: William Heinemann; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1936 (Greek text as digitised by Perseus).
Greek text and translation from the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Perseus Digital Library, Greek text); translation public domain. Introductions, summaries and notes © GreekMythology.com.
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