Ritual dance was a way of communicating and expressing the feelings of a society and was seen as a way of marking a significant moment in someone's life. For example, Ancient Egyptian women used dance to display grief at burials, and in ancient Greece the Olympic games were opened by ritualistic dances performed by virgins. The art form became much more performance oriented, starting as early as 1400 B.C., when cave drawings depicted women dancing in front of musicians, purely for aesthetic reasons.
Dance began as a means of expression and communication, but over time the value of movement for movement's sake has emerged as a valid reason to make and perform art. From ritual dance to ballet, the viewer has relied on the performers to tell a story or perform movement that represents some kind of meaning. Choreographers like Merce Cunningham have countered that process and taken the meaning out of the movement, even going so far as to let computers and coin tosses determine the sequence of the steps.
During the Renaissance, social dances were an opportunity for couples to demonstrate their mastery of social graces and were usually taught in private homes by dance masters. As the 19th Century progressed, ballroom dancing became more popular, but as the 20th Century neared people began to do away with rule books and lessons. Social dances became more uninhibited with dances like the Two Step and Turkey Trot. Soon social dance in America began to borrow from other cultures and that momentum can still be seen today.
Ballet became popular during the 1400s and 1500s in the courts of Louis the 14th in France, but the technique was not codified or written down. During the 1700s, ballet technique began to be recorded and taught using a universal standard, and dancers began to emerge as stars based on their technical ability. Today ballet has stretched the limits of technique to include higher jumps, faster spins and an overall sleeker appearance. Dancers like Mikhail Baryshnikov have been compared to athletes for their onstage physicality.