Dance: An Art beyond movement

Dance as an activity is more than its literal and physical aspects. It is, therefore, beyond movement. You don’t necessarily have to be a professional ballerina performing in front of a crowd of thousands to connect with dance. If you love it, enjoy it and feel an emotion every time you get off your bed, swaying your arms and moving your body, the dance would have touched your life in many ways.
We will all agree to have experienced the ease and comfort merely by dancing to our favorite music. Every thought, energy, and action is channeled in a positive direction. Apart from being a very good physical exercise for the body, it functions as a tool to calm the mind and helps express emotion immensely.

Dance brings wellness in all physical, mental and emotional aspects. It improves a person’s cardiovascular health and brings balance. According to studies by The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, dance helps in preventing heart diseases in particular. Through various muscular and physiological processes it brings about strength, endurance and fitness to both the body and mind. It is mentally aiding because it boosts cognitive processes and acts as a mental exercise. At an emotional level, it is the best activity to let out emotions without even speaking. It boosts confidence and self-esteem and helps to create a good self image. It also has no restrictions and therefore is an inclusive activity. It helps you meet people of diverse groups and improves your social skills.

Often people while talking of dance focus on its technical and literal aspects like form and movement. The others merely consider it an exercise helping in physical fitness. However, dance is considered powerful not only because it makes you stronger, smarter, socially active, and confident, the bigger power of dance lies in its expression. The creativity that lies in the art form is worth taking note of. Without even speaking, a dancer is able to convey different messages to the audience in a limited period of time. According to the 7-38-55 rule, 7 percent of meaning is communicated through spoken word, 38 percent through tone of voice, and 55 percent through body language. There are a lot of research studies which show that often the receiver tends to process and understand much of the information by the sender through non-verbal parts of it. Dance is therefore a powerful and creative tool of expression. It helps you achieve self-expression by opening your arms wide and gives you a sense of freedom. Dance as an art form has its own vocabulary and meaning. It liberates you from disturbing elements and unites you more to your deeper self. Friedrich Nietzsche said, “Dance when you're broken open. Dance, if you've torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you're perfectly free.”
You’re powerful if you are able to express and serve on a platter, everything that you deeply feel inside. Dance gives you this power and helps you heal. Engaging in this creative movement not only helps you in critical thinking and problem solving but changes your outlook of the world, it helps you view things differently, helps you make deeper connections with yourself and with the world.

The next time bad thoughts and stress come gushing into your mind or if you hesitate to talk, get off your bed, stretch your arms, bend a little, rise and glide or jump and dart take a few turns.

By -Alankrita Tiwari