A discourse on dancing

the long version

This book is typical of mid-nineteenth century antidance works. While many writers noted that the Bible contains numerous references to dance, Rice (1807-1877) points out that, in a biblical context, dance was utilized as a part of worship, performed exclusively by women dancing with each other. (The dangers of contact between the sexes while dancing were a common theme in antidance literature.) The second point, also common in antidance books, centered on the notion that dancing was bad for the health, especially in women.