Dance Performance

The Dancer believes that his art has something to say which cannot be expressed in words or in any other way than by dancing. ― Doris Humphrey

Who would imagine dance could replace words as a form of expression in some circumstances? I personally would not until I saw it with my own eyes. Dance is an art that goes beyond just body parts moves, it can express people’s deep thoughts and emotions. You might want to know how I discovered that. Read on to share my experience.

Recently, my school had an assembly for the eighth graders where “Collide Theatrical Dance Company,” a dance team, did a skit performance that lasted two class periods. Its purpose was to raise awareness of mental health problems. I was very excited to attend because I had never had such an opportunity to be at a live performance before.

The tale was told using the characters from the story Alice in Wonderland, the Madhatter (Hatter), the Queen of Hearts (called the Red Queen in this performance), the Rabbit, Alice, and an additional character (a doctor). The Madhatter experienced Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), the Rabbit experienced anxiety, the doctor had White Knight syndrome, the Queen of Hearts had a Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), and Alice had phobia disorder.

I thought that would be a difficult story to tell through dance because I assumed it would need words to be entertaining and clear, but I was wrong; the music was interesting and matched the mood, theme and moves. To make the experience more captivating, the dancers even incorporated some classic moves like the Griddy. The dancers started with them being isolated and alone with their own problems and ended with them relying on each other and on their friendships to get through the difficulties.

Martha Graham notes, “Dance is the hidden language of the soul of the body.” Although not everyone enjoys dance, those who do often find it to be a powerful form of expression. It surpasses language barriers and allows emotions to flow freely, creating a connection that words sometimes fail to achieve.

From the experience in the school assembly, the majority of eighth graders, if not all of them, were able to understand the story and the meaning behind its intended purpose, even if they didn’t naturally like dance.

So, if you lack words to express yourself, you can dance. Do not worry about the quality of your dance because Dave Barry says, “Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance,” as long as it is your artistic way to transmit the message.