Is Dance an Expressive Language

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Is Dance An Expressive Language? Dance is a highly expressive art that involves a series of motions and steps, usually performed to music. Dance can be participatory, social, or performed for an audience. It can also be ceremonial, competitive or erotic. Before the invention of written language, dance was one of the methods of passing stories down from generation to generation. Dancers are storytellers who share their stories with their bodies. Through dance, a person can tell others about his or her emotions and feelings. The right moves express one’s feelings when words fail. Body and mind are inter-related. Dance movement effects changes in feelings, cognition, physical functioning, and behavior. It is one form of expressing who we are, how we feel, and the relationship we have with our inner and outer worlds. When you watch someone dance, they are talking to you, but they are talking through movement. It is a language that is so subtle, so smooth and so delicate. And your heart can reach into it or it can reach your heart. Sometimes when they are telling you a story with their movement, it can make you cry. So for me, dance is another kind of freedom of expression. It is about living in a much deeper way instead of a superficial way. That is so important for me, because through dance, I can reach a world that we are not really able to reach when we are in our normal, everyday life. In many cultures throughout history, dance has been used to express the basic needs, struggles and strengths of the individual and community. Dance fosters collaboration and trust by breaking down barriers in a magical way, which is difficult to describe but can certainly be felt by all. As a universal language, dance speaks of joy and a hope that can never be taken away. So, yes, I agree that dance is an expressive

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