Dance Research Paper

I. Dance has always been something that fascinates me. Ever since I was a little girl, my dream was to become a prima ballerina. The way the dancers carried themselves with such grace and finesse in every movement was something I aspired to achieve someday. I began taking up dance when I was four years old at Hudson Valley Conservatory. There, I studied three different types of dance: tap, jazz, and ballet. Ballet, of course, being my favorite, was the one style I focused on the most but my performance capability was not quite there. My interest took a turn when I came to the realization that I am not capable of being as graceful as the ballerinas that I saw when I was younger. In the third grade, I developed an interest in competitive cheerleading. Surprisingly, cheerleading and dance share a lot of the same aspects. Not only did I cheer, but I also learned jumps, positions, and motions. These types of motion were completely different from the ones I learned at the Conservatory. The points of these motions were to be sharp, stiff, and snappy rather than graceful, smooth, and connected. This concept was a lot easier
for me to grasp and I’ve been involved with cheerleading ever since. Although I do not participate in the performance of classical dance any longer, I actively participate in a more modern type of dance with a lasting appreciation for the art. II.
In my opinion, dance is all about perception. How you see and interpret dance is what makes it important. For me, it is necessary for dance to have a feeling or emotion behind the movement. Also, each bit and piece of the dance should be connected. For example, no movement should take place unless it has value and importance to the piece that is being performed. Dance should be to the point and very straight forward in communicating with its audience. One of the things I appreciate about dance is its ability to be performed anywhere at any given time. Impulsive dancing is a type of dance that I love to watch. Hip-hop, for instance, is very high energy that is full of passion and feeling. It is a common type of impulse dance. It captures the audience’s attention, drives their interest and creates a feel-good atmosphere. Dance has no
restrictions. III. Dance is not only movements and body position; it is an art form. Dance is a middle language that is able to communicate thoughts, feelings, and expression through rhythm and movement. All types of dance advocate emotion. Communication is a benefit that comes along with any type of dance. They type of dance that I promote is ballet. Ballet has the ability to promote conflict resolution by illustrating how our own actions affect the lives of others, whether we realize it or not. Dance can help widen the lines of communication throughout the world, regardless of a person’s social and political values. Dance opens the mind and frees the spirit, which allows for open interpretation. Our today affects someone else’s tomorrow. IV. In the future, I believe that dance could be a means of achieving world peace. If everyone is open minded instead of being so narrow, this could possibly be a realistic approach to reach our goals. To promote my message as an individual, I will pass on my beliefs to others who will hopefully spread the word so that one day this way of life can become a reality.