I am not sure who posted the first dance on Agora but the trend has caught on, and now it is a common way to celebrate any event. (It is believed that either Elysion or harvel, probably the former, posted the first dance.)
What is a dance? Well, it is still an evolving art-form, but it can be described in general terms as a kind of free-form poety with emphasis on repetition and rhythm. There is more to it than that, but further insight is best obtained by reading the dances themselves.
'An Unpretentious Welcome' by hooloovoo? after solublefish? registered
I dance the Dance of Welcome
'Heebeejeebees' by Steve? after hooloovoo? registered
I play a jaunty jig upon the octraventral heebeephone, a pleasantly futile task since I have the wrong number of mouths.
'Free' by lee? after realizing e could correct certain Official mistakes
lee dances the ecstatic dance of the freed. lee happily dances as guilt lifts as she corrects the errors to Harvel and Wes's Stem accounts
'Foul Parody' by Wes after clearing up a minor Bank snafu
If the Bank has paid this, we try to match the various dances and other physical activities being bandied about, but instead end up twitching about in a foul parody of inhuman movement resulting in severe bodily harm to various of us.
'That's What It's All About' by Elysion after making Harlequin? quiet (Elysion later bought the resulting Zombie)
I put my left foot in.
I put my left foot out.
I put my left foot in.
I initiate changes in the relative spatial location of my sinister ped
in a manner consistent with an individual having uncontrolled
involuntary muscular contractions due to persistent chronic abnormal
physiological conditions.
'Alliteration' by Oerjan after Elysion conceded defeat in an unofficial dance contest (due to harvel's 'Curses' dance)
I try to dance the jagged jig of juggernauts, allitteratively ending in a heap of broken bones, since sadly I lack knowledge of the rules and rythm.
'Curses' by harvel after Sherlock cursed em
Aack! I am cursed!
I dance a melancholy dance,
a tortured,
yet strangely hexasyllabic,
neo-ultra-post-structuralistic,
quasi-Elysionic,
jig.
I dance the
dance of those who cannot write but doggerel
and make up for it with lines
that start and
stop at the strangest places.
I am cursed,
but I dance.
Abstract impresso-expressionalistically.
'Jig Redux' by Elysion after Sherlock's registration
I dance an abstract retroneoimpressionistic interpretation of a happy jig.
'Impressions' by Elysion after making several Currency transfers
I dance a post-modernistic quasi-impressionistic interpretation of harvel dancing a quasi-modernistic post-impressionistic interpretation of a happy jig
'Gooey dance' by Blob in response to Oerjan's Alliteration
I dance the slow and lugubrious dance of a blob too gooey to jig.
'Revelry' by harvel upon joining a Rebellion
I dance the dance as a dance dance dances, of a Gertrude "Oerjan" Steinian
Steiny stein stein, as rebellious as a rebellious stein can be a rebellious
stein can be a rebellious stein can stein can be a dance a dance dance.
'Off with their heads!' by Oerjan upon joining a Rebellion
I refuse to dance, as dance is a sign of the decadence and gluttony of the
oppressive capitalist Oligarchy. I will instead march to the tune of La
Marseillaise.
'Papyrus transfer' by harvel on transferring a Papyrus to Steve?
I dance the dance of transferring-one-Papyrus-to-Steve-on-24-November-2000.
This dance, it is my hope, is unique. Collect all four!
'Time to DANCE' by Elysion proving you can dance without the rules expressly permitting it
The Rules also do not make it possible to dance a jig, but we have seen
that done in Agora many a time.
I feel an involuntary twitching in my limbs. It can only mean one thing: It's time to DANCE. I dance the dance I dance, this impossible dance I dance, this unpermitted dance I dance. I feel the rules breaking as I move the way I move, the rules shuddering as my feet hit the floor they hit.
Er, I mean, I hereby submit the following proposal* entitled "It's time to DANCE" reading as follows:
Elysion feels an involuntary twitching in eir limbs. It can only mean one thing: It's time to DANCE. E dances the dances e dances, this impossible dance e dances, this unpermitted dance e dances. E feels the rules breaking as e moves the way e moves, the rules shuddering as eir feet hit the floor they hit.
(*) This is not an actual proposal, it is a parody intended to make a point
'Welcome dance' by Blob on the arrival of Goethe
I dance a dance of welcome. A welcomy kind of dance. Come dance with me well.
Well, come dance. Welcome dance!
'Just kidding' by harvel in response to a post by Elysion
How dare you be so lenient, Elysion! You've made a new enemy today, name of harvel.
I dance the dance of just-kidding-don't-shoot-me.
'Objecting' by Michael in objection to a proposal by Steve?
I dance the dance of the objectionable; no, that's not right...
I dance the mysteriously frowning dance of the objecting.
'Unclarity' by harvel in epilogue to a rather unclear post
I dance the dance of unclarity. Am I dancing, or am I just waving my arms?