Category: Established and Fringe Art

Dance as a language

Ben Harkarvy of Julliard sees dance as ” a language without words”. It might be funny to think that dance is often regarded as a language, but to those who actually indulge in it and have made dance a pivotal part of their well-being, character, and vocation, they see it as their second language. Dance can be seen seen as therapy, it can merely be seen as an aesthetic tool, yet what people don’t know it that there is a point when what you are doing with your body takes on vocabulary of its own. The professional dancer has come a long way. There are so many styles nowadays and a result so much ‘vocabulary’ in dance. Modern interpretative dance although we call it modern, has its roots in the oldest dance styles. Its funny to believe that at one point in history man’s communication abilities relied on body movements and gutural sounds. Man in its primate days-i like to believe- would not be so surprised if he were invited to a Modern Dance company recital. The reason dance has become such a ‘language’ is that dancers describe putting their soul into it. Its an activity that many a times is based on improvisation to come up with a choreography. There are always boundaries that can be pushed as Western Dance experiences Eastern Dance and vice-versa. It is constantly growing and its been millenia that the human race has incorporated dance into its abilities for whichever specific reason. In addition, when choreographers create their thoughts come after their creation. They are create and then revise it. Its almost like writing and speaking. We speak faster than we think most of the time. Once we do so, we can go back and ‘revise’. The use of the human body can be equivalent to use of our larynx to speak. The way you speak is a personal aspect of you, and although someone else may speak similar to you, no one can exactly speak like you. The same goes for dance; imitation is crucial to creating and expanding, but no to dancers dance identically. Dance has it own individuality.

‘Ello There, Do You Speak Dance?

The idea of dance as a language would no doubt surprise most folk seeing as Rosetta Stone hasn’t yet released its “Dance” software. However, by definition, dance can be considered a language, as it is a “nonverbal method of expression or communication” (Oxford). In a literal context, bees perform a dance to communicate to their hives. If you think about it, dance was probably one of the very first human languages, as most elderly civilizations use(d) dance to communicate with the gods themselves, and I’m sure the first stubbed toe was conveyed with a dance to rival Alvin Ailey (as well as the very first swear words.)

Is Rock Climbing A Language?

 Hmmm. Is dance a language?

…you mean the language of dance? That language, that method of communicating one’s emotions and desires and, on frequent occasion, whatever one’s choreographer wishes to convey. Dance can be argued as a universal language among the world of possessors of movement.

Dance is a language because it is a means of communication and expression, and has form and structure.

That is not to say that dancers are the Spanish teachers of the world, but they can offer another perspective into an emotion or feeling or story that cannot be portrayed through verbal or written, or even musical portrayals.

Dance=Romance Languages

JQ

Is Dance a Language?

Dance is a language in that it tells a story. Whether that story is a play or a musical, or a story of the emotions the dancer is feeling.  It is not a language, however, if you define language to be something which means the same thing to everyone who “speak”  it.  Everyone who watches a dance performance, or even those who are performing, have their own interpretations of the dance. For example when we went to see Fall for Dance, in the performance called “snow” the dancer was trying to tell us what snow is to him, and he probably meant to say that snow was important to him, but to me it just seemed like he was some crazy guy lost in the snow. So even in that example we can see that dance is a language because it tries to explain a feeling through movement, but it is not a language because the same “words”, meaning dance moves, do not mean the same thing to everyone who is watching.  Another example of this is the “Dying Swan” performance. I thought that performance was absolutely beautiful and had actually looked like a dying swan, but then about 5 minutes later somebody has told me that they did not like that performance and could not see the resemblance between the dancer and a dying swan. I guess to me dance is not a language, since it does not really give everyone the same impression, but it is more like many languages all combined and expressed in a performance.

Dance is a Language

Dance is a language. But it is obviously not a spoken language. It is similar to sign language in that it can be understood no matter what language(s) u speak. However it is very different because its interpretation can change based on the person. It allows the speaker (dancer) to express his or herself in a way words cannot always do. Also the ability of the dance to be interpreted in many different ways enhances the language.

Is Dance a Language?

Instead of writing actual words, I have decided to express my response in the form of dance:

Please stand up, raise one of arms, slowly bob your head, and then shift your weight constantly between both your feet.

Clearly, there are distinctions to be made when discussing dance as a language. This inquiry, however, is dependent upon how one would define both “language” and “dance,” proving that the answer to this question is relative.

Modern dictionaries contain a myriad of definitions for what “language” really is. The irrefutable intrinsic quality of language, however, is the means of communication. The “heart” of language lies in its ability to communicate an idea, thought, or emotion. Thus, going by this definition, dance can easily be a form of language. Dance is normally thought to simply be composed of various movements in accord to some type of music or rhythmic beat. In a much broader sense, however, dance can be thought of the body’s way of communicating. As displayed by Dante Adela last week, dance can communicate both ideas and emotions. From observing the body’s motions after the “cold shower” exercise, the viewer was able to sense the disturbance brought on by the cold water simply from the way Adela moved; he did not incorporate any sounds or words.

It is important to note that when seen in the context of a language, dance is often very generalized. Yes, it is sometimes possible to see definitive emotions expressed through specific dance movements, such as when Adela expressed discomfort in the shower example. Dance, however, mostly serves as an interpretative means of communication rather than a definitive one. The video regarding the dance between Adela and the woman, for example, was interpreted in a variety of ways by the members of the class. The message extracted while watching the same dance performance can vary amongst members of the audience and depends almost entirely on the viewer. Some dance, however, can be extremely specific in terms of communication. If dance is only defined loosely as “bodily movements,” then sign language may also be rendered a type of “dance.” Another specific type of dance is employed by Western bees. Performing the infamous “waggle dance,” these bees can actually communicate to each other about nearby food sources by dancing.

When going by strict definitions, it would appear as though dance is not a language. But when reason transcends these definitions, I believe that dance is indeed a language because of its inherent ability to communicate emotions and ideas as described above.

Krishan Sharma

Dance: the most interpretive language of them all.

Is Dance a Language?

Language is defined as “communication of meaning” (according to dictionary.com). Does dance communicate meaning? I definitely believe so. Is the communication always clear? No, it is usually up for debate. However, any language is open to debate: if it is verbal, the diction and tonality are just two things that could be subjective. In body language, which dance could be included in, physical stance and movement are examined for interpretation.

Dance is a form of self-expression, therefore the dancers, the choreographers, the directors and everyone else involved in creating dance include their interpretations. Observers then put their own experiences and observations into dance and formulate their own ideas. Each dance also has its own meaning. For instance, a tango may communicate passion or fury between two partners while a classical ballet maybe communicate structure and beauty to an observer. However, these two interpretations can easily be flipped for a different observer. While the interpretations may vary, reactions are still inspired and meanings are developed.

Meeting Dante Adela was inspiring. He showed us that dance was one of his most fluent languages. He was able to use different forms (break-dancing, interpretive, modern just to name a few) to communicate certain ideas. Everyone had different reactions and ideas about the video that he showed us, which is a clear example that dance communicates meaning even if it is not consistent from one person to the next.

Language vs. Communication

Language is communication through symbols that are arranged according to systematic rules. By this definition alone, dance is a language. However, all types of language are used for both “inter” and “intra” communication. Members of the same species use language not only to pass along information, but to think in solitude. If a dancer is able to think in Dance as we think in English, as the French think in French, and as the deaf think in Sign, then that dancer has turned Dance into his language. The classification of dance therefore depends on each individual dancer; if the art is intrinsic enough to him, it is his language. If not, then it is merely a form of communication, such as the chemical communication between deer or the electrical communication between eels.

Is Dance a Language?

Language is used to express oneself and communicate feelings to other human beings. Therefore, dance is definitely a language. Dance is used to communicate emotions in a much more raw and basic level, but that doesn’t make it any less of a language. When a dancer dances with emotion, whether it be hip-hop or ballet, he or she is essentially communicating those emotions through movement. Just because there are no words doesn’t mean things aren’t being said. Messages can be passed in more ways than one.

Even when we talk, we use hand movements and elaborate gestures to explain what we are trying to say in a more detailed way. Dance takes this to a whole other level by removing words and basing everything on gestures that must stem from emotion. This is even more true in interpretative dance. When a dancer successfully manages to touch the audience and explain their emotions without saying a single word at all, that is when dance is successful.

Dance has been a medium of communication for thousands of years now. Along with being a form of entertainment, it also serves this purpose. I think dance is one of the most diverse and beautiful languages that everyone can speak, in their own way, and yet still communicate with the rest of the world.