what is dance?

Discussion in 'Ballroom Dance' started by chomsky, Sep 26, 2011.

  1. chomsky

    chomsky Well-Known Member

    a quest for perfection

    a quest for rythm

    a quest for beauty

  2. danceronice

    danceronice Well-Known Member


       /dæns, dɑns/ [​IMG] Show Spelled [dans, dahns] [​IMG] Show IPA verb, danced, danc·ing, noun
    verb (used without object) 1. to move one's feet or body, or both, rhythmically in a pattern of steps, especially to the accompaniment of music.



    verb (used with object) 4. to perform or take part in (a dance): to dance a waltz.

    5. to cause to dance: He danced her around the ballroom.


    noun 7. a successive group of rhythmical steps or bodily motions, or both, usually executed to music.

    8. an act or round of dancing; set: May I have this dance?

    9. the art of dancing: to study dance.

    10. a social gathering or party for dancing; ball: Was he invited to the dance?


  3. chomsky

    chomsky Well-Known Member

    thnx! If it weren't for you this thread would have died before it was born...
  4. JBosems

    JBosems New Member

    I've always had my teachers tell me "dance is the visual representation of audio with the use of ones body".
  5. chomsky

    chomsky Well-Known Member

    visual representation or painting I wonder...
  6. davedove

    davedove Active Member

    Other than the dictionary definition, dance is different things to different people. Each person has to determine what it means to them.
  7. chomsky

    chomsky Well-Known Member

    what is it to you?
  8. sigurd

    sigurd New Member

    I would like to share a story here.

    Sometime ago, I was invited to perform a small role in a comtemporary dance performance. The topic is, schizophrenia. The part I am supposed to do, is holding a little flag dancing happily.

    No mention of body shaping.
    No mention of use of standing leg.
    No jump, no flip, nothing more technical then moving to the right place on the stage at the right time.
    No suffery, no discomfort. I am supposed to be smiling cheerfully the whole time.

    I quitted at the end. Not only it challenges my understanding of schizophrenia and what the people has to go through (smiling cheerfully holding a flag? Are you sure?) but it challenges me on this very idea of dance, or not dance:

    So what kind of stuff you can put it on stage, and we can stop calling it dance. Or any type of movement put together with some music (or random noise) in the background implies that this is a dance?

    So let's get back to my thinking. Dance is an expression through movement. The idea we want to express might be just a simple concept, such as elegance in waltz, or arrogant in tango, or very complicated story. Back in the old days dance is always subordinate to music, saying that music comes first and dance visualize the musical story, or rhythm, but I think ideally movement alone should be sufficient to express the idea. Out of your three definition, I think I am more on the side of quest of beauty in movement type.
  9. Griffico

    Griffico Member

    The popular answer around here is "movement to music."
  10. chomsky

    chomsky Well-Known Member

    thanks sigurd, this is the kind of answer I was looking for in people. Keep it coming you guys!:ladiesma:

  11. chomsky

    chomsky Well-Known Member

    I just love philosophical questions...My teacher has "accused" me of being a theoy kind of person...If you are out there T.. MSc, take care, I'm talking about you again...
  12. quixotedlm

    quixotedlm New Member

    with a name like chomsky, how can you not be the theory kinda person? ;-)

    dance can't mean different things to different people. it's a word. it has a set meaning. but that won't prevent people from attributing arbitrarily different meanings to the word, and destroy the value of language as a common medium for information exchange.
  13. danceronice

    danceronice Well-Known Member

    I don't really bother much with philosohpizing. (Quelle suprise, I know.) Dance has a set dictionary meaning for purposes of communication. Individual meanings/emotional assignments are just that, individual emotional responses only meaningful to that individual, so there can't be a right answer, ergo no point in wondering about it. It is. (Which I suppose is a philosophical point in itself.)
  14. chomsky

    chomsky Well-Known Member

  15. chomsky

    chomsky Well-Known Member

    good one!;)
  16. chomsky

    chomsky Well-Known Member

    true, true but at the same time not entirely true...;)
  17. Andreth

    Andreth Member

    I think dance does what music does, but in a physical rather than aural way. Music is a representation of human emotions, and dance is also a representation of those emotions, but with the body, and generally is an expression of music. Without the music, dance gets awfully close to acting, I think. Plato once said, in one of my favorite quotes of all time, that "Beauty is the visible form of the good." I think that dance is the visible form of the music. What I think is so beautiful about it is that, as a dancer, you essentially get to become the music. It's one thing to make music, but quite another to actually be the music. You make the music concrete and give it a physical, material presence. What an amazing thing to be a part of!
  18. dancerdol

    dancerdol Member

    For me - dance is a lifelong pursuit of matching all of the inherent beauty and limitations of human physical movement (we can't fly) with the artistry that comes from a lifetime's experience of tragedy, love, hope, sadness, longing and joy. I can only hope that my dancing with my pro partner will be beautiful enough to emotionally touch someone in the audience. Hopefully a judge with a clipboard.

    (Most recently stretched out right arm during smooth styling in Viennese Waltz run and clocked said judge with clipboard knocking it out of his hand. Still pursuing perfection. LOL)
  19. chomsky

    chomsky Well-Known Member

    OK, you guys, this is no exaggeration, I am sure of it: your quotes are food for thought, they are like poems, they are so so true and at the same time so beautifully put in words. I so so like them... I need to put them on post notes and keep them with me...Thank you for sharing with us!!!
    This is why I so so like DF and I need it everyday...:friend:

  20. chomsky

    chomsky Well-Known Member

    shall I be greedy? Could I ask for more? Hit me, hit me, hit me...Anyone out there? What is dance to you?

Share This Page