C
1
• B
1
B
Laban
Comparison of the Laban and Benesh systems. (A) Stand with the feet together. (B) Step forward on the right foot (count 1). (C) Spring into the air. (D) Land to the left, feet together, knees bent (count 2).
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dance of death or danse macabre VdaVma-'ka-brA or skel¬ eton dance Medieval allegorical concept of the all-conquering and equalizing power of death, expressed in the drama, poetry, music, and visual arts of western Europe, mainly in the late Middle Ages. It is a lit¬ erary or pictorial representation of a procession or dance of both living and dead figures, the living arranged in order of their rank, from pope and emperor to child, clerk, and hermit, and the dead leading them to the grave. It was given impetus by the Black Death and the Hundred Years' War. Though depictions declined after the 16th century, the theme was revived in literature and music of the 19th-20th centuries.
damselfly Any of numerous predaceous insects of the suborder Zygoptera (order Odonata) having eyes that project to each side. When at rest, the damselfly holds its nar¬ row, membranous, net-veined wings vertically rather than horizontally, unlike dragonflies. Damselflies are more delicate and weak-flying than dragonflies but are similar in having male copulatory organs at the front part of the abdomen. They com¬ monly fly in tandem during mating.
Da mu Vda-.miA In Mesopotamian religion, a Sumerian vegetation god and city god of Girsu on the Euph¬ rates River. He was especially asso¬ ciated with the flowing of sap in the spring. His name means “the child,” and his cult centred on the lamenta¬ tion and search for him. Damu’s cult influenced and later blended with that of Dumuzi the Shepherd, a Sum¬ erian deity of the grassland people. Damu was also the name of a god¬ dess of healing.
Male jewelwing damselfly [Calopteryx splendens).
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510 I dandelion ► Dante
dandelion Any of the weedy perennial herbaceous plants that make up the genus Taraxacum, in the composite family, native to Eurasia but wide¬ spread in much of temperate North America. The most familiar species, T. officinale , has a rosette of leaves at the base of the plant; a deep tap¬ root; a smooth, hollow stem; and a solitary yellow flower head composed only of ray flowers (no disk flowers). The fruit is a ball-shaped cluster of many small, tufted, one-seeded fruits. The young leaves are edible; the roots can be used as a coffee substitute.
Dandie Dinmont terrier Breed of terrier developed in the border country of England and Scotland. First noted as a distinct breed c. 1700, it was later named after a character in Sir Walter Scon’s Guy Mannering (1815). It has a long, softly curved body, short legs, and a large, domed head crowned by a silky topknot. Its crisp-textured coat, a combination of hard and soft hairs, may be pepper- or mustard-coloured. It stands 8-11 in. (20-28 cm) high and weighs 18-24 lb (8-11 kg).
Dandolo Vdan-do-lo\, Enrico (b. 1107?, Venice—d. 1205, Constanti¬ nople) Doge of the Republic of Venice (1192-1205). After a career as a Venetian diplomat, he was elected doge at age 85. He swore the “ducal promise,” spelling out the duties of his office, and instituted reforms, revising the penal code and publishing the first Venetian civil code. He also revised the coinage and sought to promote trade with the East. In 1199 he fought a victorious war against the Pisans. He was prominent in the Fourth Crusade, offering ships and supplies in return for payment (see Treaty of Venice). When the Crusaders were unable to pay, they agreed to help recover Zara for Venice and helped place Alexius IV on the Byzan¬ tine throne, an action that led to the conquest of Constantinople. As a leader of the expedition, Dandolo took the title “Lord of the Fourth Part and a Half of the Empire of Romania,” which equaled the territory of the Byzantine Empire given to the Venetians.
dandruff Skin disorder of the scalp, a mild form of dermatitis. It affects most people at some time, when the scalp, which normally sheds its dead outer skin cells continuously, starts to shed them intermittently, causing a scaly buildup before shedding and noticeable flakes of skin when shed¬ ding occurs. Dandruff is not contagious and often goes away spontane¬ ously; special shampoos can control it.
Danegeld Vdan-,geld\ Tax levied in Anglo-Saxon England to buy off Danish invaders during the reign of Ethelred II (978-1016). The term con¬ tinued to be used to refer to taxes collected by the Anglo-Norman kings in the 11th and 12th century.
Danelaw Vdan-,16\ NE region of Anglo-Saxon England. Colonized by invading Danish armies in the late 9th century ad, it was so named because the form of customary law practiced in the local courts was of Danish origin. Danish place-names still mark the region.
Daniel One of the Prophets of the Hebrew scriptures, the central figure in the book of Daniel. The book is a composite work, written partly in Hebrew and partly in Aramaic. The first six chapters tell of Daniel and his adventures in Babylon, including the stories of Daniel’s delivery from the lion’s den, the Jews in the fiery furnace, and the writing on the wall at Belshazzar’s feast. The rest of the book offers apocalyptic visions of the end of history and the last judgment. Though it contains references to rul¬ ers of the 6th century bc, the book is thought to have been written in the 2nd century bc during the persecutions of the Jews under Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Daniel’s upright character made him a model for a persecuted community.
Daniel Romanovich \r3-'man-3- I vich\ known as Daniel of Gali¬ cia (b. 1201—d. 1264) Ruler of Galicia and Volhynia, one of the most powerful princes in east central Europe. He inherited the two principali¬ ties at age 4, but pretenders to the succession kept him from ruling. He finally gained control over Volhynia in 1221 and Galicia in 1238. Daniel enriched his realm, but Mongol invasions (1240-41) forced him to acknowledge the rule of the khan. He led a rebellion against the Mongols (1256) and succeeded briefly in driving them out of Volhynia, but another Mongol force subdued the principality in 1260.
Daniels, Josephus (b. May 18,1862, Washington, N.C., U.S.—d. Jan. 15, 1948, Raleigh, N.C.) U.S. editor, administrator, and diplomat. He published a newspaper in Raleigh, N.C. (1885-1933), and became influ¬ ential in the Democratic Party. In the 1912 presidential election he worked for the nomination of Woodrow Wilson; he later served as U.S. secretary of the navy (1913-21). As ambassador to Mexico (1933-44), Daniels
improved relations between Mexico and the U.S. and became Pres. Frank¬ lin D. Roosevelt’s most trusted adviser on Mexican issues.
Danilevsky \do-nyi-'lyef-ske\, Nikolay (Yakovlevich) (b. Dec. 10, 1822, Obertse, Russia—d. Nov. 19, 1865, Tiflis, Russian Georgia) Russian naturalist and historical philosopher. He was the first to propound the philosophy of history as a series of distinct civilizations. In his Rus¬ sia and Europe (1869), he contended that Russia and the Slavs should be indifferent to the West and concentrate on the development of political absolutism, their own special cultural heritage.
Danilova \d9-'ne-b-v9\, Alexandra (Dionisyevna) (b. Nov. 20, 1903, Peterhof, Russia—d. July 13,
1997, New York, N.Y., U.S.)
Russian-bom U.S. ballet dancer and teacher. She attended the Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg and became a soloist at the Mariinsky The¬ atre. In 1924 she joined the Ballets Russes. From 1938 to 1952 she danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, touring worldwide as its prima ballerina. She created leading roles in The Triumph of Neptune,