Of the traditional four strands of art (at least as I teach in the education system) which include dance, drama, visual art, and music…in my experience it seems dance is placed lowest in value.
I have been a musician for the past 15 years performing a wide variety of styles including classical, jazz, rock, blues, funk, folk…pretty much everything. I always get very positive approving feedback about my musical pursuits…as in that is such an awesome hobby. I feel I earn respect and prestige points for the pursuit.
In the past year and a half I have begun social dancing. West Coast Swing being my favourite and the dance I’ve worked the most on. I went into dance because I wanted a change in my life and wanted to meet new people. It has delivered on all fronts. I am more fit, happy, have more friends, and have a driving force now in my life that makes me feel life is an adventure again. In short…I love it.
But other people always get weird reactions when I tell them I enjoy dance. Often weird uncomfortable looks with a “thats…great”…comes out of their mouths. I honestly even notice on social media. More people “approve” of the musical endeavours than the dance endeavours.
I suppose I used to feel the same way. But after a year and a half the benefits of dance have been pronounced on my happiness and I can’t deny them. So am I alone in feeling like that dance is not as respected from society at large? Why is this the case? I do want to add there certainly are people who think it’s awesome that I dance…but I don’t feel like publicly adverstising my hobby too often. I should add I am a 32 year old male. I’m sure that may enter the mix somehow.
I want to add in that I could care less about who approves and who doesn’t…I am just trying to get to the root of the issue so I can handle it better in my own life. In fact sometimes I like telling people I dance…as it’s a good screening process to see how judgemental someone else is regarding a person’s hobbies.
IMO it is not a lesser art form, but I do believe it is the least appreciated.
What percentage of people regularly listen to music? A very high percentage.
What percentage of people enjoy film and theatre? Also a very high percentage.
What percentage of people go to art galleries, put art on their walls? Not so high as the previous two.
What percentage of people regularly dance, or go to watch dance? A lot lower percentage.
We all have our burdens. I am a visual artist (and also a programmer). Typically when people hear about the art, they focus the conversation on the ability (or lack thereof) of making money from it. Is that ever the way the conversation goes when my MIL talks about gardening 24/7 all spring, summer, and fall? Or anybody else talks about a hobby? Of course not. I typically don’t get approval for the art unless I can show I am “successful”.
Dance is one of the great arts. However, it is inherently ephemeral and very difficult to pass from one performer to another, and not well captured on film. That makes it a singularly difficult art form to present, preserve, and appreciate.
But the trouble with Sam I Am’s construction is that most people would probably consider visual art the highest form of art, even if very few people enjoy it. I think you would have a very hard time finding someone who would say that a classical landscape painting is not art.
Personally, my take is that there is a lot of misunderstanding as to what constitutes dance. I don’t know your age, but if you are younger people might just be taking dancing to to mean clubbing, and club dancing is to dance as graffiti is to visual arts.
Yes. I take ballroom dance and West Coast Swing. West coast swing is done to a variety of popular music styles…it really incorporates many different styles of music. It can elegant, hip hoppy, sultry, clubby…really almost anything. But it is an educated partner dance grounded in physics. And most of the people at dance I have met are not club types. Lots of people older than fifty! I like the WCS scene for that reason. Some other scenes have been more like meat markets which don’t really interest me. There are competitions and serious professionals with backgrounds in ballet and other traditional dance forms. I enjoy partner dances as I like the teamwork / communication / sharing a musical experience component.
I guess I also think graffiti is art (as long as it’s not illegal). Too bad people don’t realize how much fun dance can be! I do it for the wellness it has brought to my life.
I am a social dancer too and although I have not quite encountered the attitude you have (maybe partly because most of my social media circles are dance friends!) I think I know what you are talking about. For one thing, I think I’m pretty guarded about who I mention this part of my life to.
I think the other forms of art you mention produce something separate from the artist…a painting, a song, even a play is distinct from the actors.
But when you dance, the art is YOU. Especially social dancing, where you are not even doing a performance, you are just dancing. Therefore any judgment of the dance seems like a more a personal judgment of YOU.
Therefore, at least in our culture, dancing seems like a very risky, mockable, personal expression. So a lot of people avoid it, fear it, do it only in private, to avoid the judgment of others. I think maybe the potential for shame THEY feel about it carries over into the attitude they have about anybody dancing.
“Character is a bad dancer but doesn’t know it” is such a standard sitcom laugh in our society, it’s easy to shy away from such a fraught activity.
That’s why the saying is “dance like nobody’s watching”. It acknowledges that in our culture there is a deep fear of being seen dancing.
I’m not sure that dance is an art form at all. Choreography, absolutely is an art form, but the act of dancing, I’d say not. Dance may be more of a sport. We don’t usually consider things that are judged by physical prowess/physical skill to be art. Whatever creative element the dancer brings is so subtle, it can’t be distinguished from sporting “style”. I’m not sure though. Spontaneous dancing (unchoreographed or improvisational) may be a form of art.
Not being art doesn’t mean it’s bad or worthless. Last I heard football’s not an art but a lot of people spend a lot of time learning about and appreciating it’s intricacies.
I’m betting there’s sexism involved somehow, but also the idea that dancing is a social activity more than anything cerebral or “deep”.
I’m guessing that a lot of adults think formal dance class is something that kids and teenagers do to develop “character”, but not dignified grown-ups.
I’m also guessing that culture plays a big role. In my cultural travels, I’ve noticed that white male in particular seem to have disproportionately more negative opinions about dancing. Once I showed this video of David Gregory shaking his groove to a few coworkers when it first came out, and overwhelmingly all the black folks cheered approvingly. But the white guys acted all embarrassed, like David had committed a grave, mortal sin. I still don’t get it.
When I think of someone taking West Coast Swing classes I think “Good for you, the spirit of the 90s is alive and well!” but also “Ok so that is your sport.” Not “That is your art” like if you told me you took pottery lessons or something.
And uh no offense but from what I know of you just from the boards, I would think you are taking dance class to mack on girls. Now, you’ve said that is not why you’re doing it and I accept that. But do other people who don’t know you by the intimate details you write here think you are in class to mack on girls?
Also have you ever heard of “Dancing with the Stars” or “Strictly Come Dancing”? The former is popular enough to be on TV in America for 9 years, and the latter has been on for 10 years, has spin-offs in 38 countries, and is one of the UK’s best-loved shows.
So people don’t seem to dislike dancing but uh…I think they might think it’s weird when you do it. And that they aren’t thinking of it as you expressing yourself as an artist but instead choosing a twee sport.
I sincerely view it as a ‘lesser art form’; I can see it’s great fun for the dancers, and sometimes I can admire the physical prowess on show. But as a non-participating audience member I usually find it annoying, cheesy and often terribly pretentious.
To combine, IMO, the two main reasons stated above:
[ol]
[li]It’s the only one of the arts that is primarily a casual activity for the general public. Few people act, paint, or sing casually as a social activity (I hate karaoke!). [/li][li]It’s also the only one that has no virtual, reproducible form. There’s movies & TV, prints & photography, and of course music recording. But other than the niche of say ballet, dance is both learned and performed one-on-one with a person. This correlates with number 1, why it is still considered primarily a social activity more than an art form.[/li][/ol]
It’s an art that’s still almost completely about the journey, not the destination.
Yes, I do. I consider it lesser for a pretty terrible reason - I, personally, don’t see the art in it at all. I’ve watched plenty of dances, from ballet to tap to hip-hop, and I just . . . find it pretty mundane. I can usually enjoy the music, and I guess the dance is kind of cool alongside it, but no more so than a synchronized light show. Actually dancing can be fun, just like playing tennis or shooting hoops can be fun, but I don’t understand the appeal of watching it. Seeing as it’s considered by most to be an art, I assume the problem lies with me, but . . . meh. I honestly don’t get it.
Yes I agree the dance I do is definitely more in the dance/sport category…my particular dance is pretty far low on the artistic side of the spectrum. I do like expression though and for some reason it really helps create a sense of wellness in my life. Lol. I do get the 90’s reference…though lots of music comes in and out when we meet for dances.
As for thinking I’m macking on girls…I’m not. But at the same time, it’s a double standard to assume guys who take social dance classes are only there to mack on girls… I don’t even know what mack means.
I agree because many times in sport I hear dance related terms like how ones foot should be turned or placed or how to get your hips into a certain alignment and so on. BTW, The great football coach Knute Rockney developed his flying backfield around a series of dance moves.
Now I think the costumes and overall presentation of a dance like a ballet is an art but the individual dancer - not so much.
For many people it’s actually a matter of perception: they’ll know they like watching music videos, or “music movies”, or musical theater, but they don’t connect that with dancing. I have no idea what do they think all those people prancing about are doing… aerobics?
Well yes, aerobics is pretty close. An aerobics instructor will tell a roomful of people, often wearing similar outfits, to do a move and they all do it together in sinc with music. You wouldnt call that art would you? Cheerleaders also do this.
A music video isnt about showcasing any individual talent. Its a group of “dancers” making a choreographed set of moves. I’ve seen groups of soldiers moving in sinc also. Would you call a group of soldiers marching together or doing “right face, about face” dancers?
Well-done aerobics can be pretty close to some forms of dancing, but if you think it’s the same I’d like you to meet my sister in law, who thought she had a good sense of rythm until she tried to learn how to waltz. Turns out that 10 years of one Two three FOUR five Six seven EIGHT doesn’t prepare you very well for 3/4.
Some music videos are ensemble, some are individual, and sometimes ensembles have each dancer doing different moves. Your response sounds as if you can’t tell the difference between Ginger and Fred, Shakira, Britney Spears, the National Ballet of Cuba and a street dance group.