And if you go even further back in time, you can say that about just any kind of music. At one point there was no such think as "classical" music. Many classical instrumental pieces were based on dance forms and others on songs and ballads, many from a folk tradition.
It is good to bring up the connection to dance, tho, in the light of our OP's question. As a fiddler who plays for dancers, I often try to work on phrasing and rhythms that give dancers a lift and try to transfer that same feeling to the mandolin in my playing. In fact I think that intention can be a strong key to the way to impart a strong old time feel to mandolin playing in this tradition.
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