Dance and Activism

Dance contributes to social change, civic engagement, and activism in multiple ways. Dance can be the antithesis of the values of modern-day capitalism, providing a vehicle for building community and understanding across social boundaries, resisting oppression by contributing to the cultural continuity of oppressed peoples, asking questions and reflecting on sociopolitical discourse through choreography, and embodying social change, simultaneously creating and reflecting social movements toward equality.

The history of dance is somewhat difficult to document, given the ephemeral nature of the form. Dance leaves traces only in pictures, in written and oral descriptions, and by being passed on from dancer to dancer through generations. It can be hypothesized that dance has existed in every culture throughout history, and has served social, religious/spiritual, and artistic functions. In many ways, dance maintains the status quo. In social dances, gender roles and rules of acceptable social behavior are defined. In court dances of all cultures, the aristocracy or monarchy is heralded and praised. Religious/spiritual dances pass on traditional modes of worship. The presentation of dance on proscenium stage, and the development of dance as an entertainment, divided spectator and performer and developed a particular elitism in the art form, connected to the development of physical virtuosity and highly selective skills that segregate dancers from the general public.

However, dance is used in many ways to challenge and change the status quo. Dancing is rooted in physical activity of the body and therefore produces physical awareness. This body consciousness is a counterpoint to the body/mind separation of Western culture. The body/mind separation subordinates kinesthetic knowledge in a hierarchy of knowledge that privileges logical reasoning and concrete evidence instead of the knowledge that is located in the body: emotions, intuition, and physical skill. Dancing subverts this hierarchy by affirming the body's knowledge and its importance, with the potential to develop a morality that is based on emotional responsiveness. Furthermore, dancing inherently resists the lexicon of capitalism. There is no product to buy or sell. Once a dance is over, it is gone. It cannot be effectively captured or purchased. The act of producing dance defies capitalism's emphasis on efficiency, using time and resources for an end result that is transitory and impermanent. Dancing creates [Page 420]community and cross-cultural understanding, unifying participants and offering a transformation that is viscer-ally experienced. From head-banging to ballroom dancing, movement produces a physical release that counteracts the weight of oppression and cultivates joy. Through dancing, people connect with each other. Additionally, learning the steps of another culture's dance contributes to cross-cultural understanding. Although movement is not a universal language—different cultures have different symbolic systems—the body is a universal instrument that every human can relate to. In this way, physicality is a uniting force, a common ground for creating community. When harnessed to form solidarity and inclusiveness, dance can be a powerful tool for ending social isolation and segregation.

Dancing contributes to cultural continuity, playing an important role in resisting colonialism, imperialism, and cultural obliteration. Only one of many examples, African slaves used dance to maintain their cultural traditions and identity, during (and after) slavery in the Americas. This continuity can be seen in contemporary settings in hip-hop and reggae dances, which carry the same emphasis on polyrhythms and body part isolations. People of the African diaspora also use dance to continue their religious traditions, which use dance and music as a means of worship. The continuation of African-based religious practices in the Western Hemisphere demonstrates the power of dance as a means of resistance to cultural obliteration.

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