In Greek mythology, Terpsichore (IPA pronunciation: [ˌtərpˈsɪkəri]) ("delight of dancing") was one of the nine Muses, ruling over dance and the dramatic chorus. She lends her name to the word "terpsichorean" which means "of or relating to dance". She is usually depicted sitting down, holding a lyre, accompanying with her music to the dancers' choirs. She is sometimes said to be the mother of the Sirens by Achelous. Her name comes from the Greek words τέρπω ("delight") and χoρός ("dance").

References

Historical references

Terpsichore figures among her sisters in Hesiod's Theogony.

"Terpsichore" is the title of a large collection of dance tunes collected by Michael Praetorius, some originating with Pierre-Francisque Caroubel.

Also in Couperin's "Second Ordre" from the "Pieces de clavecin".

References in popular culture

Terpsichore is the name of a street in uptown New Orleans.

Terpsichore is mentioned in the lyrics to the song Come Dance With Me written by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen for Frank Sinatra.

Terpsichore is the name of a work of music for Wind Ensemble by Bob Margolis

Terpsichore was portrayed by Rita Hayworth in the 1947 film Down to Earth and Olivia Newton-John in Xanadu (1980)

Her name is also used as one of the weapons in Soul Calibur III. The dancer class's third weapon is called the terpsichore.

The John Cleese character in Monty Python's Cheese Shop sketch claims "I am one who delights in all manifestations of the Terpsichorean muse."

The Jellicle Cats in T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" and in Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Cats" musical are said to have "terpsichorean powers" which they reserve "to dance by the light of the Jellicle Moon".

Tony Award winner LaChanze provided the voice for the muse Terpsichore in Walt Disney Pictures film Hercules (1997 film).

In Daniel Quinn's My Ishmael, the fictional planet Terpischore is a land ravished by dancing, with dancing paralleling the rise of agriculture on Earth. Dancing (in an unspecified manner) speeds up the growth of the natives' "favorite foods."

Kurt Vonnegut's character Rabo Karabekian briefly makes reference to Terpsichore in Bluebeard (novel) (1987).

In the anime series Cowboy Bebop two characters' names are taken from the muse; Valeria Terpsichore and her unseen, but alluded to, husband Ural Terpsichore.

Terpsichorean was a popular adjective in Victorian music hall hyperbole. The long-running BBC TV series "The Good Old Days" recreated this style, with Leonard Sachs as a compère with a notable fondness for the word.