Interpretations of Dance

What is dance? This is a question I have encountered numerous times in my life as a dance scholar and an artist. It is one of the unanswerable questions, in my opinion. Although countless attempts to define dance can be found in history books and dictionaries and most of these definitions, begin the sentence with "Dance is…".

I find it presumptuous to begin a sentence with these two words, especially when defining dance. Presumptuous to impose that the following words to this sentence can carry a certain responsibility that is accurate in describing dance or a dance. However, even with a maters' and years of professional experience, I thought I knew how to define dance. I, myself, have attempted various times to describe dance mostly for defensive purposes. I thought to be able to describe and identify what dance is, could help validate dance as a respectable field of study. In parties or gatherings, I always prepare a structured answer in case someone was to ask me what dance is. In this way, I do not have to encounter their baffled faces when I am not able to explain it. But the conversation would always end with, "Why don't you come to a dance class or watch a show so you can understand?" Leading to the conclusion that dance cannot be simply discussed but instead experienced. Yet, we strive to describe that experience to at least identify what “it” is.

Returning to academia has exposed me and reminded me of the various approaches and purposes of defining dance. To acknowledge these motives helps us be conscious of the diversity of perspectives. To elaborate on this, I wish to share and analyze three definitions I think can represent different approaches of defining dance:

Dance is an ephemeral art form that gives the viewer a momentary glance at best and then disappears. – (Zimmerly and Lloyd, 2003, p. 1)

Dancing is a primitive expression; Dance as an art is one of the durable strands interwoven into our life as a people to form the fabric of culture. -– (Aquino, 1965, p. I)

Dance, or the human body making rhythmic patterns in time and space for a purpose transcending utility, has been approached by anthropologists as one aspect of human behavior inextricably bound up with all those aspects that constitute what we call culture. – (International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2007)

These definitions are from readings and books I encountered in graduate school. The purpose of my selection is to show different examples of ways dance can be defined. Before I analyze them individually, I wish to emphasize the importance of the origins of these quotations. Acknowledging the source allows us to understand the reason and aim of these definitions.

The first quote is by Lauralee Zimmerly and Marcia L. Llyod (2003) from their article Eyeing Dance: Tools to use in Evaluating Dance Performances. Based on the title, the article's purpose is to give recommendations and guidelines on how to read and write about dance. The audience for the writing is not limited to dancers but also includes spectators, enthusiasts, and critics of dance. Hence, the approach of the description is more for a viewer's perspective.

Zimmerly and Lloyd’s definition has a tone of urgency, emphasizing that to write about this art form, full attention is needed—the usage of the word ephemeral describes dance as a visual experience. The momentary characteristic of dance is also reiterated by the word disappear. This definition, in my opinion, sensationalizes the fleeting images or the existence of a dance. The article seems to impose that the essence of writing dance is to capture the images and forms at present instantly. However, the definition leaves out the questions: What about the impact of the dance? The fact that the dance can still exist in our memory. But again, in reviewing the purpose of this article, the description of dance does serve that purpose.

The second quotation is from Serafin Aquino (1965) taken from Philippine Folk Dances, Volumes 1 & 6, written by his wife, Francisca Reyes-Aquino, that were collections of documented folk dances and songs to bring awareness to the cultural heritage of Filipinos. Serafin's definition resonates with the purpose of the book. The definition stresses the significance of dance as part of cultural identity and its role to community. What captured me was the use of the word primitive which I think was the right choice of word to represent culture, lineage, and heritage.

Lastly is the definition from the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Dance is defined as the physical being, the human body, moving and existing in time and space. The description focuses on the physical body as an object that is capable of performing such activity. Although it briefly describes the purpose and experience of dance, the focus of the definition is the material and the tangibility of dance.

From the aforementioned examples of the definitions of dance, we can see three different approaches: from the viewer's perspective, as having cultural significance, and a more objective approach. Identifying these differences reveals different ways of understanding and looking at dance. Which also leads us to the question, why is dance important to define?

Ludwig Wittgenstein, an Austrian-British philosopher, stated "We name things and then we can talk about them." Naming, identifying, and labeling “things” is our process of comprehension, which I think is triggered by our curiosity. If we want to know more about something, we inquire, we analyze, and we research. Sondra Horton Fraleigh states, "naming things is at root a philosophical endeavor, even though the framework or lens for investigation may be oriented aesthetically, biologically, sociologically, or historically.

The complication in definitions of dance depends on our biases that can cause disagreements biases are influenced by our upbringing, community, culture, and how we see the world. Considering this fact, it is understandable that we do not agree on a centralized definition. The issue also lies in power and hierarchy. We cannot neglect the reality of the past that eurocentrism has shaped our belief systems through colonialism, a system that dictated and influenced our beliefs of what is acceptable from those that are no acceptable.

When defining dance, we have to acknowledge the multiplicity of this word. Dance is a noun that tries to stand as a label for all movement and body-related art forms. Dance is a verb that tries to describe the motion and experience. Dance, I think is best described not for what it is, but rather for what purpose it serves. Reiterating my positionality as a dance scholar, a Filipina, and a woman, I have danced my entire existence, and still, I am not able to land on a single definition. My definition of dance develops as I mature and grow as a teacher, choreographer, and performer. It migrates with me as I wander the earth and immerse myself in different cultures. I allow my definition of dance to be influenced by the subtle and drastic changes I go through.

Dance is different for each body, and each body is different. For now, I see dance as a means of survival. I trained myself to be good at it, in order to profit from it. To others, it is a meditation, a release, or related to healing. To some, it is a method of research, with discoveries, and resolutions. Whatever it may be, however the dictionaries and history books decide to describe and define dance. In the next few years, I look forward to seeing what dance will be for me. I am eager to see the next phase or the face of dance for me.

Works Cited:

Aquino, S. (1965). Philippine Folk Dances, Volume One, p. I. Quezon Boulevard Extension,

Quezon City, Kayumangi Press.

Darity, W. (2008). International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2nd Edition. Macmillan Reference USA.

Fraleigh, S. (1999). Chapter 1. Family Resemblance, Researching Dance: Evolving Modes of Inquiry, page. 3. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh Press.

Zimmerly, L. & Lloyd, M. (2003). Eyeing dance: tools to use in evaluating dance performances, Tirai Panggung, 6 pp. 1-22. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, University of Malaya.

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