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Question:

Why do performers bow after a performance?

How and why did it start?


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Historically, bowing has always been a sign of humility.

Most likely the practice comes from royalty. When a person was introduced to someone of superior status and power, that person would bow or kneel.

By exposing one's self in such a vulnerable and submissive manner (exposing the back and neck to attack) it helped assured the more powerful or "important" person that they were not a physical threat. As in "I am at your mercy, my Lord."

This primal etiquette is so commonly found in ancient cultures, it only makes sense that it would evolve to a more metaphoric level. Like the stage. As in "Thank you for your applause. I am humbled by your approval."

If you want to go far back enough, animals do the same thing. Dogs show submissiveness by bowing down beneath a more dominant dog in order to show them that they are not a challenge or threat. A sign of humility.