When we hear the word “language”, we usually think of information and ideas being exchanged through words. I’ve come to think of language as a communicative way of being able to exchange ideas and info with a person or with people through any means. If an idea is presented and understood between two parties, communication is made. With this being said, I believe that dance is a viable form of language that can be understood by anyone and everyone.
I have been fortunate to have take both American Sign Language and Choreography courses throughout my 4 years of high school. I initially thought the ASL class would be just a crash course in learning to converse with the Deaf. But I’m glad to say that the skills I’ve learned in the class not only helped me become fluent in the language, but also help my choreography skills as well. For example, not all signs require intricate fingering skills. Most rely on facial expressions, body language: emotions that play on the person as a whole. You cannot sign “sad” with a smile and upright posture. Your body must sag inward, your face must drop, your hands fall under your eyes to signify crying. Its a total-body experience.
The same goes for dance.When interpreting lyrics or a melody for dance, you must get lost in the song. You have to feel the words, not just listen to them. You have to extricate beats, break down harmonies for interpretation, listen out for certain instruments, and then convert the message that you received into movement not only for your body, but also for your face. It’s a long (and sometimes frustrating) process. But most people can pick up on the tones of performances; they can see where the dancer is going with their piece, even if the meaning is unclear.
We usually get multiple interpretations of dance from people because everyone takes away a different experience (this was proven with the reactions Dante Adela received when he showed one of his pieces to us last week). Things get “lost in translation”. But this is common in written and oral language as well; in English classes, students take away different meaning from the same passage of a book often. Its one of the many parallels between word and movement. But either way something was communicated, something was exchanged, and something was interpreted. We see it with words all the time. Dance is no exception.
