France, Sept. 7 -- Dance is a universal phenomenon, and one we share with many animal species. But humans have expanded its function and made its codes more complex, with these varying according to era and culture, even acting as markers of gender or social class.

"Anthropologically speaking, I don't believe there are any cultures where people don't dance," says art sociologist Laura Cappelle, editor of "A New History of Dance in the West: From Prehistory to the Present Day".

The first figurative representations of humanRFI danceappeared around 40,000 years ago. But, in the absence of archaeological evidence prior to that, anthropologists have sketched out the contours and timeline of a practice that is undoubtedly much older.

Archaeol...