Final answer:
The dancers believed that as long as their ritual dances continued, no calamity would befall them, highlighting the significance they placed on such rites for protection.
Step-by-step explanation:
The dancers claimed there would be no calamity so long as their rites continued. This context often arises from historical accounts of rituals and religious ceremonies. In the past, such practices were believed to ensure protection from various forms of disaster or misfortune, whether through the favor of the gods or by the binding of community together in shared cultural expressions.
Reports and records from various civilizations show that dances and rituals were integral to society's efforts to keep order and ward off the specters of chaos and destruction.
The tragic historical account detailed in the prompts speaks to this belief, as unarmed dancers and singers were slaughtered amidst what they presumed was a protective rite. This incident starkly contrasts the hope for peace and continuance that such ceremonies typically embodied.