.
Ancient Greeks also were known for dancing during elaborate ceremonies and religious rites; to them, dancing brought the mind and body into perfect harmony. Greeks also danced in festivals to honor their gods. They too had a patron of dance, goddess Muse Tersichore. She was known to be one of nine sisters who were all offspring of the powerful Zeus. .
During the Middle Ages, which took place in Europe during A.D. 500-1300, the Catholic Church considered dance to be the work of the devil since it was associated with most pagan rituals. Therefore, the only time Catholics would leap into a dance was at weddings, village festivals or at other occasions for celebratory or communal dancing. The Renaissance was when all of this began to change. Starting in A.D. 1300 and lasting for over 300 years, culture and the arts began to spread throughout Europe. For entertainment reasons of commoners, singers and dancers would travel to each town in decorated carts and floats. However, only court dances and theatrical entertainments were observed. .
The nobility was often entertained between the courses of a banquet. These interludes were called entrées and consisted of singing, dancing, roll playing, and poetry. Some people considered the dancing performed at these banquets to be a form of "ballet."" Male dancers wore full wings and bloomers, and women wore heavy long gowns with incredibly hard shoes. Such entrées were based upon the cuisine served during each course. Roast lamb was introduced by the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece and dancers outfitted as sea gods preformed the fish course. .
Before long, dancing became a consequential part of the social life of the courts and noble houses of Europe. There were two types of dances done by courtiers such as basse danse and haute danse. Basse danse, low dance, used gliding and hip-swaying steps and was relatively slow. Haute danse, high dance, was the complete opposite.