Dancers, Maidens of the Battlefield

From PlayOnline.com:



The Wings of the Goddess expansion slated for release this November marks the return of the dancer to the world of Vana'diel. The following is an introduction to this intriguing new job.

It was at the time of the Crystal War that dancers became truly sought after as battleworthy allies. Word soon spread of their inspiring ability to allay the troubled hearts of soldiers made uneasy by the trials and tribulations of the frontline, and of their prowess as heroines in their own right, staking their lives on the field of battle alongside the bravest of warriors. In this manner they came to garner immense favor and respect from all ranks in the great armies of Altana.

Read on for more on the beginnings of the esoteric steps known as the Kriegstanz.

Maiden of the Battlefield

'Tis the beatin' of the heart what lays the foundation. Ye embrace it with yer whole body, and then e'er so gently start tappin' out the steps. Yer blood gets t'bubblin' an' ye can hear it percolatin' about in there. An' then ye might stick a twirlin' turn and send it rushin' t'all yer extremities. Shimmies straight up the spine and sends a shudder clean through ye, it does. After that, then she's mine an' no mistakin'. Haven't the faintest where I be or how I got there, I just am. An' everyone around fuels me, each of 'em offerin' up their own music--a symphony o' souls. An' that's yer rhythm. Ye cannot help but dance.

[Dancer Laila Brilioth, following a seminal performance on Jeuno's Artisan Bridge in the year 884]

And so it was that in former times that dancers became truly sought after as battleworthy allies. Word soon spread of their inspiring ability to allay the troubled hearts of soldiers made uneasy by the trials and tribulations of the frontline, and of their prowess as heroines in their own right, staking their lives on the field of battle alongside the bravest of warriors. In this manner they came to garner immense favor and respect from all ranks in the great armies of Altana--such was the station of the dancer.

Their supple frames adorned in magnificent garments, dancing in plain view on the battlefield, boldly defying downpour after downpour of beastman arrow, the dancers bestowed countless of Altana's legions with both courage and resolve, earning them the title "maidens of the battlefield." Juxtaposed to this was their infamy among their enemies as "maidens of death," feared for their mastery of an unknown and foreign art.
The origins of the esoteric tradition known as the Kriegstanz are revealed below.

Revelry in Totentanz

Come now, and dance with these bones!
Spin and turn, in life and in death!
Pauper, sage, even the nobleman knows,
They are all, in the end, of life bereft!
Savor now, doomed fool, and make merry this night!
Come now, and dance with these bones!
Sing and croon, in life and in death!
Old hag, young beauty, even the sweet child knows,
In time, a bleached skull, is all will be left!
Savor now, doomed fool, and make merry this night!


[a verse from the ancient "Bastokan Song of the Damned"]

This verse rose to prominence in dark days as the republic was ravaged by the Bastokan Blight.
On top of the already horrific and growing number of victims, unsubstantiated rumors and utter despair spread rampant through all quarters of the city. It was in this climate of social turmoil that the Bastokan Song of the Damned was taken up by the masses. Using magic to animate the remains of the deceased, throngs of the hopeless and grieving would choke the streets in processions of living and dead, booming in chorus as they danced the Totentanz in a form of morbid catharsis.

Despite the government's initial efforts to quarantine those infected by the blight, the frenzied nightly gatherings were at first reluctantly tolerated. This changed however, as the growing popularity of the Totentanz carried it to the frontlines of battle, where the crazed enthusiasm generated by the now ritualistic dancing led no small number of soldiers to neglect their posts. This being an unacceptable state of affairs in wartime, a series of prohibitions was promptly issued with unforeseen results...

An air of insurgency and rebellion swept the people, as dancing crowds began to take to the streets even with the sun still high in the sky. President Wilhelm was left with no recourse but to declare a state of emergency and mobilize the republic's main garrison of Galkan troops against the citizenry to suppress the escalating chaos. It is indeed a sad page in Bastokan history.

It so happened that in those days, mountainfolk from the hinterlands of the Gustaberg region would sometimes travel to Bastok to peddle medicinal herbs. The quelling of the near-maniacal outbreaks of saturnalia would find its form in the native dancers of these tribes. With no hesitation despite the apparent dangers of contagion to themselves, they would roam the city streets and visit barracks, displaying the aggressive yet graceful steps of their people's traditional dance, the Kriegstanz, with a timeless elegance. The majestic rhythms pounded out by these confident women and their motions, full of life, captivated observers instantaneously. And it was not long before the morose Totentanz rituals faded away as quickly as they had come. Some years later, the significant role the dancers played in the defeat of the deadly epidemic which claimed so many Bastokan lives was commemorated by the president in a now famous speech: "Though none can deny the scientific strides made by our great alchemists in curing this foul plague, praise is due also to those fearless masters of dance who came to us in our most dire hour. For it was their impassioned artistry that delivered us from the tyranny of this most lethal of epidemics, and the terror which had fast gripped our very hearts." And so it was that the dancers came to be credited with ending the Bastokan Blight.

In wake of its success and popularity during the blight, the Kriegstanz became a well-established school of dance, the study of which was such a grueling task that finding successors to carry on the tradition became quite a chore in its own right. It is not without some hint of irony that the second coming of the dancers would require a tragedy on the scale of the Crystal War--with the very fate of Bastok in the balance--to bring it about.

Knowing Kriegstanz

One would be remiss to relegate the arts of
dance and combat to separate fields. A
masterful dance can be the most lethal of
weapons; a skillful fight, the most elegant
of dances. Alas, there does exist one point
of departure between the two. Whereas
martial beauty is a byproduct of precise
execution, the techniques of dance are a
thing of beauty in and of themselves. The
whole corpus of the Kriegstanz, though no
doubt applicable to combat,primarily, and
perpetually, seeks beauty.


[an excerpt from the dogmatic "Kriegstanzian Musings," composed by Annika Brilioth]

From that point on the Kriegstanz continued to evolve even further, incorporating unique steps developed in varying regions into new types of dance, yielding the Schwerttanz and Gauklertanz, among others. Dancing was found to not only encourage and instill morale in the practitioner's companions, but the most instinctual of dancers were found to be able to achieve an almost trancelike state, imbuing themselves with transcendental powers that could weaken their enemies with the sublime suggestiveness of their movements.

Held in high regard as both first-class entertainers and as accomplished martial artists, the dancers are driven by an insatiable passion for their art. Entirely devoid of timidity on both the stage and the battlefield, dance requires the most absolute resolve. Only one who has honed these traits and devoted their very life to the beauty and perfection of the art itself is worthy of being deemed "Dancer."

Illustrations by Mitsuhiro Arita

*Keep an eye out for more Topics in the future, including comments from the development team and more historical background on the new expansion pack, Wings of the Goddess.

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haha
# Nov 09 2007 at 1:36 AM Rating: Decent
sorry but after reading all of this.. don't you guys feel stupid for all the complaining and ******** you did about it being female only.. wow.. its so amazing. guess you guys should just shut up and wait for the full details to come out next time. (o.o),V,, O-(o.oQ)
My personal Opinion
# Oct 24 2007 at 8:30 PM Rating: Decent
You guys seem to be stuck on the fact that this class is a female. Have you seen any screenshots or clips in the trailer that shows anything but HUME females as dancers and in the shot with the "male dancers" were they not themselves HUME? Perhaps its not so much sex specific as it is race specific. Thats just my personal opinion on the whole matter.




P.S. They also talked alot about bastok which the humes are from. So maybe it will be Nation Specific Jobs, and then you can switch alliangce if it really means thats much to you and not have to start a whole new character to play the class.

Edited, Oct 25th 2007 2:02am by EliseDee
Here's and Idea
# Oct 24 2007 at 4:22 PM Rating: Decent
give this a ponder and let me know what you think:

Instead of arguing has anyone thought that maybe just maybe that the job itself isnt sex oriented but the abilities of that job are........both male and female dancers however only sex specific abilities like........battle dancers with a touch of necromancer. this would not be so bad it would just be another job that you would pic if you wish to play it

and for those criticizing it......get over it, if you dont like it dont play the job it is just that simple just because it is new does not mean that you have to do it.......opinions are welcome but keep the ******** at home!!!
Geomancer? PLZ
# Oct 24 2007 at 4:05 PM Rating: Good
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98 posts
Right around the last Expansion release date, I started all kind of threads on Geomancer and joined many more in the hopes they would make one of the jobs Geomancer (sage, green mage whatever). So before I say anything on Dancer, just stating I hope for this job to be one of the "maybe" three jobs. Though, I doubt I'll ever see this job in ffxi, had to say it.

As for Dancer, I never really cared for it in tactics...so hope they take a different approch to the job here in FFXI. Will it be for females only? Will they release a Male only? It dosnt matter, we wont have to wait long for that info, and even if they decide to do a female only, I can tell you now males will be given something equal too if not better. Just remember SE is a company with alot to lose on a really bad expansion (or one that makes the majority mad). When you want to know what SE is up too, just think money. :D

Quote:
Here's a different perspective... How is SE going to make more money? If you introduce single sex jobs, gamers that only have one character or those that have multiple characters but of the same sex would be driven to purchase another character and the monthly rent to try these new sex-specific jobs out.


Had to put in an Edit here, I see amdgsrt allready beat me to the "SE Money" Idea. What he says makes a good point. Money Rules every world...Even SE Fantasy Worlds lol

Edited, Oct 24th 2007 8:17pm by Kaythin
Viking = MegaTank/DD
# Oct 24 2007 at 10:28 AM Rating: Decent
{Viking}

{Please}
speculation
# Oct 24 2007 at 12:13 AM Rating: Good
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61 posts
Speaking of that. Again i'll mention the cat creature standing next to the paladin in one of the atomos scenes. reminds me of good old caitsith.

But to make this post fit the current topic better.

OMG did you see that cat thing! it must be the new male only job.
Ill bet you can tranform into all kinds of different creatures! But only guy creatures. yeah thats it........

ill stop there..

but i do like the viking idea i keep hearing. That would be sweeeeeeet.
Big old hat with horns for AF. Special abilitys would include "shout" commands. kinda like in tactics. would benifit you and near members for short periods of time. big axes. i dunno.. i just think it could be a cool job.
wtf
# Oct 23 2007 at 2:42 PM Rating: Decent
you gotta be kidding me right? watched the trailer for WotG and all you people can ***** about is Dancer, speculation whether it is male and female or just female only job. ***** that, what about the possibility of Atomos being a boss fight or a new summon...that is way more exciting to me than the speculations and wishes for new jobs...

Edited, Oct 23rd 2007 5:49pm by Duzell
heh
# Oct 23 2007 at 1:22 PM Rating: Decent
Even if you are a male who plays dancer you will always be "maiden" to me ^_^
Started by maidens.
# Oct 23 2007 at 8:13 AM Rating: Good
Hmmm i think this might not be a sex specific job, it says the practice was started by maidens, but it never says it was only ever practiced by maidens. if you read by the bottom it refers to a "Gauklertanz" that resembles the word galka just a little doesnt it? i am praying that it isnt a female only job, but i have only seen females wearing the AF, but at the same time the scene in the tavern with the two men dancing back-up gives me hope...
Started by maidens.
# Oct 23 2007 at 9:20 AM Rating: Decent
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96 posts
Gauklertanz is German. It's literal meaning is "Juggler's Dance".

The more you know!
Started by maidens.
# Oct 23 2007 at 11:23 AM Rating: Decent
I was aware of that... but if you step outside the box to the easiest relevant word gaukler could be associated with "galka" then it would have been funny... but you killed the joke by having to introduce fact.
Started by maidens.
# Oct 23 2007 at 8:28 AM Rating: Decent
the galkatanze could just be a fat-man's impression of the hula... better yet, think kevin james in Hitch
different perspective
# Oct 23 2007 at 6:40 AM Rating: Good
Here's a different perspective... How is SE going to make more money? If you introduce single sex jobs, gamers that only have one character or those that have multiple characters but of the same sex would be driven to purchase another character and the monthly rent to try these new sex-specific jobs out. Not a lot of work on their part to increase game revenue.
---If there were to introduce a male only job... i have been campaigning for a mounted cavalry unit. The chocoknight. We have seen mounted units in many of the teaser videos since FFXI was originally released, granted these units looks like the dregs of the army instead or the greatest... really, wouldn't you wanna lop off the head of a quadav with a nice level stroke versus a lopsided upward slash? Wouldn't you take a sadistic joy in running down mandies or lead a trampling charge over your most hated rival in ballista. Think about it... females become the femme fetale with grace and style... males get unprecidented agility, aggression, and possibly and new tanking job
--but don't mind me i didn't stay at a holiday inn express last night
.....seriously ppl
# Oct 23 2007 at 12:46 AM Rating: Decent
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61 posts
Ok.. seriously.. the arguing is ridiculous...

This is a female only job. SE even refers to them as, and i quote "Dancers, Maidens of the Battlefield" keyword incase you didn't catch it is M-A-I-D-E-N-S.
Yes thats MAIDENS. That just happens to be a word that refers to female type ppl. Im not trying to insult anyone or get on anyones nerves. But, to argue the subject is meaningless. It seems to me that ppl are debating it just to get the chance to argue with someone. It just baffle's me to see ppl argue this. Again i quote SE form the official FFXI site... "Dancers, Maidens of the Battlefield". It is a settled case in my humble opinion. About the post before me, The animation is done using a genaric model figure, then a skin is added to that model it would be insanely easy for them to make a male char. do those motions. Just think on the lines of .DAT swaps that some players use. Not trying to sound rude. But that was a moot point. Anyways that is my opinion. If you reaaally wanna continue to argue about if dancer is female only or not.. feel free. But it seems to be a fact that it is female only.

Goodnight have a good day tomorrow.

Edited, Oct 23rd 2007 4:49am by Deminious
.....seriously ppl
# Oct 23 2007 at 5:00 AM Rating: Decent
20 posts
Honestly, this has been kinda troubling me as well...if this is a female only job, its safe to assume that SE will make a male only job too...however, i just dont like the sex specific job idea! Some people have already mention that dancer could just be a rehack version of Bard, so if that's the idea...then they might introduce Viking as the male only job since its similar to that of Warrior. But who knows...all I can say is that Dancer is seriously racking up points in being a female only job by the way they are introducing it "maiden of the battlefield", only female characters in dancer af shown thus far, etc etc.
Male Dancers
# Oct 22 2007 at 10:41 PM Rating: Good
31 posts
If you watch the expansion video, you'll see male dancers, complete with dancing animation. Its in the first clip of the new job. You'll see one prominent female dancer, accompanied by two male dancers behind her. The AF of course is completely different. SE has spared us sparkly red Galka's in skirts. Instead, the AF appears to be very plain blue long sleeves, and pants. Anyways, i highly doubt they'll create an animation for male dancers, and not actually use it in game play.
Male Dancers
# Oct 23 2007 at 5:03 PM Rating: Good
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178 posts
Quote:
The AF of course is completely different. SE has spared us sparkly red Galka's in skirts. Instead, the AF appears to be very plain blue long sleeves, and pants. Anyways, i highly doubt they'll create an animation for male dancers, and not actually use it in game play.


in case you didnt notice, in that video that is not the AF for males at all. he is wearing a blue cotehardie (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Blue_Cotehardie) and those pants are ones using the model of noct brais. so there is no evidence of male AF
Male Dancers
# Oct 23 2007 at 2:23 PM Rating: Default
37 posts
Old topic that has already been soundly rebuffed, and all well before you posted this.

Please read the thread before you squawk BS.

Sigh
# Oct 22 2007 at 9:22 PM Rating: Good
You ever see a Flamingo Dancer, they are both male and female. So just because you didn't see a male AF doesn't mean there is no male dancer. The vid may have been showing you a star proformer in the middle and you don't want to dress so that you direct attention away from the star of the show.

>:O
# Oct 22 2007 at 9:12 PM Rating: Decent
first, id like to say that ill be incredibly disappointed if dancer is female-only, ESPECIALLY if a male-only alternative isnt introduced as well.

secondly, why do some of you have to hate on dancer? just because YOU dont like it doesnt mean it wont fit the game and/or ruin it. it actually fits the game better than some of the other job-suggestions ive seen.

and lastly, im even more sick of seeing people rag on male characters for wanting to be dancer. dancing isnt even feminine really, its just a social construction that we have in america that dancing is considered "girly" and if a guy does it, its considered "gay". sorry to punch your masculinity, but get over yourself.

i can see a lot of possible harassment in-game if males can be dancer, too.

"male dancer? no thanx, too gay to join my pt"
Any othere jobs?
# Oct 22 2007 at 8:18 PM Rating: Default
I hope there will be other new jobs. This Dancer job makes me want to seriously consider quitting now
Any othere jobs?
# Oct 22 2007 at 10:29 PM Rating: Good
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96 posts
eagledude wrote:
I hope there will be other new jobs. This Dancer job makes me want to seriously consider quitting now


You want to quit because of a new job being introduced? Emo much?
Dancer
# Oct 22 2007 at 1:56 PM Rating: Decent
There are male dancers too, just watch this vid around 1:18.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAcKI-tbKOo
/sigh Pay attention people.
# Oct 23 2007 at 5:25 AM Rating: Decent
If you pay attention to the guys in the video they are wearing the Blue Cotehardie or something very similar, not a male version of AF. AF tends to look unique compared to the regular armor allowed just for the sake of standing out. I highly doubt they would make male dancer AF look almost identical to a regular piece of equipment. While it doesn't mean guys won't be able to be dancer as of yet there is much more proof to say it will be female only. Pay more attention to the video before you say ohh that's Male Dancer AF. k thnx.
Dancer
# Oct 22 2007 at 4:02 PM Rating: Default
I see no Male AF, therefore I see no video proof of male dancers.. merely an /emote
Dancer
# Oct 22 2007 at 3:35 PM Rating: Excellent
37 posts
Don't sound so assured. That isn't proof, it's a hint. You have no facts.

If anyone has more hints than that as to the existence of male dancers, please post them!

But if you stack the amount of 'hints' that it's female-only vs the 'hints' (one so far) it's both genders, the landslide winner is still that it will be a female-only job. -Landslide-, given all the material that's come out about the job since it was announced.

The merits of even creating a female-only job is another topic entirely.
Doubt Its female only
# Oct 22 2007 at 1:46 PM Rating: Good
18 posts
Quote:
In wake of its success and popularity during the blight, the Kriegstanz became a well-established school of dance, the study of which was such a grueling task that finding successors to carry on the tradition became quite a chore in its own right.


Yes, says earlier that the ones that went into battle were female dancers, but between the school thing, and difficulty finding successors, could very well be that the males stayed behind to teach, or learn. After all, if its so difficult to find successors, why use only half of an available population.

And I dont think of it as a 'guy' job for a guy either anyway. Going by part of the description earlier, sounds kind of like a Blade Dancer (cross between Brd and Nin in a weird way), 1-2 small bladed weapons, lots of quick and distracting movements at random times (iow, moving in such a way that you end up where an enemy least expects). Which could very well lead to buffs/debuffs to party/enemy due to hope/confusion.
male dancer
# Oct 22 2007 at 1:35 PM Rating: Decent
male dancer
# Oct 24 2007 at 3:23 PM Rating: Decent
42 posts
yea my ***** just exploded
male dancer
# Oct 23 2007 at 12:09 AM Rating: Decent
That male dancer pic is disturbing i hope its a joke lol
Maybe, Maybe Not...
# Oct 22 2007 at 12:15 PM Rating: Good
***
1,271 posts
I don't know if that is exactly true or not... in the Winds of the Goddess trailer available for download on 360 there are 2 male dancers on a stage with a female. The males are in blue and the female in the red outfit seen above.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see...
Males
# Oct 22 2007 at 12:14 PM Rating: Decent
37 posts
Then males need Viking...or Lumberjack :p

Edited, Oct 22nd 2007 4:14pm by uncblue
o.o
# Oct 22 2007 at 12:06 PM Rating: Decent
I find this line very interesting.

Quote:
Using magic to animate the remains of the deceased, throngs of the hopeless and grieving would choke the streets in processions of living and dead...
Might not just be Female Dancers.
# Oct 22 2007 at 12:05 PM Rating: Good
40 posts
Well, in the description of the mountain Gustaberg dancers, they never mentioned sex. Only mentioned sex in the first part where they were "buffers" like bards. Didn't mention sex at all in the sections dealing with their healing ability or fighting. Still could have male dancers along the lines of either Shaman type dancers of native americans or Island warrior dancers.
For the ladies.
# Oct 22 2007 at 11:57 AM Rating: Default
Even if not female only, I wouldn't play the job... it's "too" female oriented, so I hope it's female only. I just can't see a galka in that AF set, can you?!

hmm
# Oct 22 2007 at 11:55 AM Rating: Decent
26 posts
tho i still truly doubt a job that males cant use as to be it you would have to make a new char. and if ffxi started doing that it creates **** ppl. but anyways the description of it kinda hints towards being skilled in evasion and enfeebles.
They even got close to maybe having party effects too. maybe a from of erase raise or re-raise. well only time will tell.
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