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When dance is mentioned in the Old Testament it is distinguished by its joyousness. Words such as leaping and whirling describe the energy and vitality of ancient Hebrew dances. As in other early societies, dancing is most often connected with ritualistic activity. Ring dances may have been performed in the worship of the golden calf; the prohibition against making graven images that resulted from this worship explains the lack of evidence of Jewish dances in the visual arts. Hebrew dances were performed by both men and women, though usually the sexes were separated. Victory dances were performed by groups of ...(100 of 11874 words)