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Benjamin Cuque
Edwin Austin
Dance 261 Orientation to Dance
30 March 2016

What I Can Do With Dance

Dance is art, dance is communication. Dance is the art of expressing feelings and
creativity through body and spatial movements in order to connect and communicate with the
inner soul or a specific audience. The art of dance can bring learning outcomes to individuals
either by dancing or by being spectators of the dance.

In the world we live everything has been created with a purpose and motive. The ability
to create has existed from the beginning. Since the first human being who was on earth to
nowadays, creativity has played a vital role for human beings. The first humans had to create
ways to survive in a primitive wild life, creating methods to eat to developing methods of
communication. This essential skill of creating comes from a divine guide, an inspiration, a light
that has influenced the humanity through their life time.
Creativity then is a life principle that is in every human being. However, it can be developed in
different ways and ranges. Some humans develop creativity through trying to find solutions to
life challenges; others develop this principle by expressing their feelings through artistic
methods.

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Creativity has been evident in ancient cultures since the creation of earth. it has been
registered in ancient paintings in caves or on canvases, on costumes, in cultures, and eventually
through other art expressions like dancing.
Dance is creation, dance is expression and it is an art that has influenced the human being since
the beginning of time.

If we look back in time and try to identify the origins of dancing, we can see that dancing
has deep roots in the development of the societies and human expressions. This influence makes
dancing a powerful force in history. For example, in European cultures, before the construction
of written languages, dancing was one of the methods that people used to tell and pass stories
down from generation to generation. As we can learn from history dance has the power to
influence and communicate our inner feelings. And this inner feelings can be expressed by
nonverbal communication. In recent research it has been discovered that from 60 to 80 percent of
communication is nonverbal communication. This means that most of our communication in a
normal day is nonverbal.

The expression through our body movements has influence on others and it can touch our
inner souls and make us experiment and develop feelings without even pronouncing one word.
Ancient cultures danced for their Gods to express their concerns or gratitude. Today we can also
be influenced by a dance piece and have a change in our lives. As dancer I can sing with my
body and communicate a message. When I dance I feel the music going through my veins, I am
singing without pronouncing one word. I move my body and I feel it, I look up at my audience

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and I pray to transmit my feelings to them. This is the reason why I strongly believe that through
the dance I can influence other, and this is a powerful tool.

Dancing is not only about performing high dance technique and developing it in accurate
timing, dancing is about singing with the body. Embracing this philosophy of dancing can be a
big influence for everyone, as dancer and future choreographer, I want to implement it more in
societies and peoples lives that havent had the opportunity to develop this magnificent skill. So,
every person can be influenced by the great values of dancing in their lives.

When I was kid in Guatemala, I studied in a public school. Public schools do not have
great curriculum or learning outcomes like the private schools. However, this particular school
had a unique class, for some reason it had a dance class. I was probably eight years old and I
only studied there for two years so I can barely remember all the details of my classes. However,
I remember how much I loved that class and even that it wasnt a dance technique class we were
all excited to go and move around.

Thinking back to that time, I can visualize how this dance influence helped us as little
kids. My economic situation in this public school was not even close to the reality of many of my
classmates. Some of these kids, did not have a strong family image at home, some of them had to
work in the afternoons after school, some others maybe had not eaten breakfast that day, some
others did not know if they were going to eat that night, but they were there, enjoying this dance
class that brought them better cognitive,, physical, and social outcomes. In the world of the

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dance this is called, creative dance. Creative dance combines the mastery of movement with the
artistry of expression. Glbert Anne, 199.

This is just one of the reasons I strongly believe that dance can influence bringing great
learning outcomes to individuals. Creative dance can bring students new worlds of knowledge,
creativity and self-expression. It opens their minds, strengthens their bodies and feeds the souls
of the students. Creative dance is not only about playing music and letting the students move
around, it is teaching them how to know better their bodies, how to work and cooperate with
others and how to have self-discipline, a better self-esteem, and to be more creative. For this
reason, as a dancer I have as my ultimate goal to build nonprofit art organizations to implement
creative dance and reach many kids lives throughout Guatemala; to help them to receive all
these learning outcomes. This will positively influence their lives and also in their communities.
Dance is more than a beautiful piece on a majestic stage, dance is communication, dance is
inspiration through creativity. Dance has deep roots in the history of the world and ancient
cultures, and is still reaching many peoples lives.

I am a dancer and dancing is a master skill of creativity. I am dancer and I believe in the
power of communication from the inner soul through the expression of body movements. I am a
dancer and I have been influenced by the art of dancing. I am a dancer and I strongly believe in
the learning outcomes that dancing brings to peoples lives and communities, either by creative
dance or by being spectators in a dance concert. I am dancer and I will make a positive change in
society through dance. I am dancer and I sing with my body.

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Works Cited

Gilbert, Anne Green. Creative Dance for All Ages: A Conceptual Approach. Reston, VA:
American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, 1992. Print.

Nathalie Comte. "Europe, 1450 to 1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World". Ed.
Jonathan Dewald. Vol. 2. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2004. p94-108

Blake. Nonverbal Group. Venture 1326 Company Site designed by Blake and developed by
Esoftarena. March 23 2016.