Amy Wong

What is dance? Why do we dance? Dancing has gone on for thousands and thousands

found as fair back as 5300 year old Egypt. Although dance might not have been very difficult

throughout all eras of life, it has evolved and lead the society through the years. This essay will

discuss my own definition of dance, dance as a cultural and historical manifestation, and the of

dance in the 21st century and how it affects the society we live in.

The dictionary definition of dance states that you “move rhythmically to music, typically

following a set sequence of steps.” However, I believe that dance is so much more than just what

the dictionary definition states that it is. Music is a way to express your emotions such as love

and joy, exercise and a sport, a way to have fun and relieve stress, and an art. One of the most

important and valued parts in a wedding are the dances. They show the love between the newly

husband and wife as well as the parents’ love toward their children. Teenagers look forward to

prom to get that one special dance with their date. My boyfriend shows me his love for me by

slow dancing with me at random times of the day. Dancing helps us and many people connect.

Dancing also expresses the joy in people’s lives. One of the classic jokes we see in movies is

people getting embarrassed due to someone seeing them dance from excitement. Athletes dance

from joy when they score points and you can’t tell me that you don’t feel like moving your body

after having a major achievement. Dancing is also exercise as well as a sport. Cheerleaders and

drill teams strive on preparing for their competitions at national, international, and world levels.

Dancing is very tiring known by anyone who does it and takes a great amount of energy. Many
gyms offer classes such as Zumba due to it’s fat burning abilities. You always see the jokes

about mothers dancing in front of their televisions to a dancing class to lose weight. Dancing is

fun and no matter who you are, you can’t deny that at some point in your life, you had fun

dancing. Enormous amounts of people dance just for the fun by going to night clubs on the

weekends, sweet sixteens, weddings, quinceneras, and many more. As children we always

moved our bodies to the music we heard. Dance is also an art as much as it is anything else. If

you were to go to a contemporary dance recital or ballet, you would notice how intricate,

creative, and structured the movements from the dancers are.

Dance has been a big part of culture and history for many years. Historians have traced

dance back to nine-thousand-year-old paintings in Indian caves. Egyptian priest also used dance

for storytelling rituals for religion as well as entertainment. Dance thrived in all areas of the

world such as Africa, different parts of Europe, Asia, and the America’s. Africans had many

tribal dances to sounds of the drums. Even in slave trades, Africans made music and dance a big

part of their lives to get through the hard labor and slave life. It was a way for them to escape

mentally the lives they were living. Dance was very popular among the wealthy in Europe during

the medieval time such as the waltz which was very beloved by Queen Victoria. Most musicians

made their living playing for dances by the court. Ballet than made its up bringing during the

Renaissance. Dance was immensely important to the wife of King Henry II. Operas and Ballets

were being created in places such as France, England, and Russia. Very famous Ballets still

beloved today were created such as Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and Sleeping Beauty. Dance

continued to thrive in places such Spain, Greece, Ireland, Scotland, and many more. It was used

for celebration, gatherings, joining of families and kingdoms. Even animals use dancing as a way

of calling for mates. More years pass and dance becomes a big part of the Americas and Cuba in
places such as Hawaii, Puerto Rico, New York, New Orleans, Mexico, etc. Music and Dance are

ways to connect with people from all around the world without the need to know the same

language. Dance has always been a constant substance of culture throughout all of history for

many different reasons.

In the 21st century, dance in our society is very diverse and has shaped the way we live.

Dance has created a sense of expression through our society. It brings so much light to our

society by giving people an outlet. Dance also a big part of media and entertainment. We see

dance everywhere from movies, commercials, television shows, plays, etc. Dancing is still used

by everyone as a way to relieve stress and have fun especially with a stress educed society as

today’s era. A child from a East Oakland school stated “Dance has made me change my life and

experience what life is about through dancing.” It is a big part of life for people of all ages. If

there were no dancing in the 21st century, there would be very little sense of expression,

entertainment would be very different, and life would be much less colorful. You don’t realize

how much dance shapes our society until you imaging a world with out it. Dance brings joy to

everyone surrounded by it.

I believe that dance is so much more than just what the dictionary definition states that it

is. Music is a way to express your emotions such as love and joy, exercise and a sport, a way to

have fun and relieve stress, and an art. Dance has been a big part of culture and history for many

years. In the 21st century, dance in our society is very diverse and has shaped the way we live. It

has spread all over the world and will continue to grow and become more diverse. It has been

and always will be a big part of life for all.