According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, the definition of the word “language” has various meanings. Among the many definitions, one of them states that language is “the suggestion by objects, actions, or conditions of associated ideas or feelings.” In this sense, it is undeniable that dance is a language. When a dancer performs and moves around the stage, he or she is doing so with feeling; a dancer does not dance without emotion. The feeling of the dancer is radiated to the audience, who make their own conclusions about what the performance is truly about. As a result, even if the audience is not told what the show is about, most of the time the audience will be able to decide for themselves what was going on during the performance based on the dancing.
It is true that dance is not a language in the usual sense, for dance is not done with words. However, we say that animals have their own languages, but do they speak with concrete words? If a dog barks at another dog to let him or her know something, does this not count as language, simply because there are no words involved? The same logic applies to dance, which communicates without words. Just like the common saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” dance may be worth millions of words depending upon the person experiencing it. For some it may have a profound effect, while for others it may have none. Nevertheless, the fact that is has an effect at all is enough to make dance a language.
It was undeniable to see that dance is a language when we met with Dante Adela. It was very easy to see how much passion Dante had for dance. When he showed us a video of one of his performances and asked the class what they thought the piece was about, there were many different answers. Dante listened to all of them and allowed us to decide what the piece meant to us, as a result allowing us to use his actions to draw a conclusion, which is in line with the definition of a language. In addition, when Dante showed us some simple dance moves, he was in effect teaching us the language of dance, just as one learned English in school. By watching Dante dance in front of us, it was very easy to see just how much passion he had for the art of dance.
