Why Dance is More Than Just Dance
Lately I have been reflecting about the role dance plays in society and what role dance can have in social change. In a large part in Western, white, and often Eurocentric dominated culture in the US, dance has been relegated to an art that is judged and critiqued and that only a small subset of talented performers can do. In that context, dance becomes something to be consumed and enjoyed by a few. . .rather than something that is enjoyed by many people and has the power to connect and transform. In a society that fears social change and wants to continue the status quo, there may be reasons to keep dance relegated to the privileged few and “talented.” As a dance therapist, I see how profoundly healing dance can be, not just in an individuals but also for communities.. Here are some of the ways dance can elicit change. . .not just for the individual. . .but for society as a whole.
Ways in Which Dance Promotes Change
1) Dance connects us to ourselves and our emotions. Our current society benefits from people engaging more with their phones and less with themselves and what they are feeling. If we were actually to stop and pay attention to ourselves and our bodies, instead of the images that we are being fed, we might actually notice that we feel more anxious when we consume certain content. Our fears and insecurities are stoked and that makes us susceptible to outside influence, more so than if our nervous systems were regulated. From that place of feeling off-center and uneasy, we are easy to manipulate and encourage to buy things, which in a capitalist society is the goal of many a company. And don’t think for a second that billion dollar companies are not using phone addiction to make a profit.
2) Dance connects us to each other. The objectification and trivialization of dance in White western culture strips us of the use of dance as community building. Dance in many cultures has always been done in community—people have traditional dances imbued with meaning that have been lost in anglo US society. Whether it be salsa dance or tango or a folk dance or a Native American jingle dress dance, these dances are rarely performed solo. When we engage in dance and come together, we see the power we have as people: the power to resist, to connect, to change. It is notable that many brown and black people, who have historically been unable to rely on the government or the status quo to protect them, remain more connected to dance and its power. Inherent in collective or communal dance is the message: “We are here. We exist. And we matter” and perhaps most relevant to today’s society “we are not going anywhere.”
3) Dance has the power to heal. As a dance therapist that specializes in working with mental health, I have seen first hand how profoundly using movement can change someone’s life. More than other somatic therapies, dance therapy connects us to essential rhythms and allows us to communicate nonverbally when words fail. Although dance therapy is one facet of using dance to heal, it would be naive to think that using dance for healing is new or unprecedented. While dance therapy uses movement and psychotherapy in a specific way, communities have long used dance as a healing modality. Some examples of healing dance rituals are the Native American jingle dance, Sufi whirling or the San trance dance.
4) Dance connects us to something beyond ourselves. The beauty of art and the continuity of dance traditions from generation to generation can connect us to something larger than ourselves. Be that a sense of the spiritual or the divine or simply how art elevates our lives, dance has the capacity to connect us to more than our respective selves and individual concerns.
5) Dance reminds us of our own agency and ability to navigate the world. Dancing, moving our bodies in a way we choose to a rhythm we choose, whether with on our own or with others, reminds us that we are alive and have choices. We can choose how we move our bodies and how we navigate the world. Every movement is a choice and those choices define our lives.
If you appreciated this blog and have questions about dance, dance therapy, or dance’s role in social change or in improving psychological health, please feel free to contact me at lisa@lisamanca.com