Ambivalence. Dance in the United States developed largely in response to European dance culture, and Americans' ambivalence about dancing revealed not only their attitudes toward the movements of the body but also their feelings about European culture and art. Social dancing, for example, had many detractors and supporters. Some Methodists and Baptists believed dancing to be a sin and threatened to excommunicate church members who attended balls or dancing schools. Antidance books written by ministers and moralists criticized wealthy Americans for spending too much time and money trying to outdo one another by giving lavish and ostentatious balls. Dancing was criticized as being physically as well as morally unhealthy since dancers were thought to suffer from the exhaustion produced by dancing until late hours, the stale air of the ballroom, the dangers of cool night air after vigorous exercise, and the general mental and physical...