We have come this far. We have so many more opportunities now as dancers than we would have had 100 years ago.
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We can be artists, expressing our thoughts and emotions just like a painter or writer. We can be artists separate from following the directions of a choreographer. We can make our own art.
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We can be athletic, building muscle and using our strength to be powerful performers.
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Dance has struggled to fit the label of either art or sport because it originates from neither. It is a case of convergent evolution. As dance has changed over the years it has become more of an art and more of a sport, but it had to fight for its place as either one. People tend to resist change, and there is still a battle between what audiences want and what dancers want. Whether it's conscious or unconscious, audiences tend to want to be awed and see beauty at a dance performance.
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They resist anything too artistic, because often the creative dance is unconventional and lacks classic beauty or rhythmicity. It can be difficult to understand, making it less easily accessible.
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They resist anything too athletic because they expect dance to be effortless. They want the work and the struggle to perform physically to not be visible.
Audience's interest is limited when dance goes too far in either direction.
Acknowledging that dancers have the freedom to be as artistic or athletic as they want requires considering that doing so will result in a smaller interested audience.
This entire project has been spent arguing for dancers to be considered artists or athletes, but that doesn’t change the fact that what viewers of dance want is essentially the same as it has always been:
Elegance
Beauty
Grace
So what does this mean for the dancer? Should we keep giving the audience what they will always want?
That’s not possible. Dancers often want to be doing more than just creating something that is beautiful to look at. I didn’t fall in love with dance because of the beauty of it, I fell in love with the physical exhaustion I feel after dancing and the way I can pour my emotions into it in a way that’s not possible with anything else.
Without asking dancers to compromise, what is the solution?
If we can’t change how people will always perceive dance, maybe instead we should change how important the audience’s opinions are to the dancer. Why should dance be tailored towards giving the performance that is expected? If dancers moved their bodies how they wanted they would still hold the interest of the people who understand the difficulties and intricacies of what they are doing, which is really all that matters.
My parents and I after a dance show during my sophomore year of college
I grew up with a supportive family and friends who came to every single one of my dance shows and competitions. While I know they always enjoyed watching me dance, most of their praise was for my smile and How happy I looked up there. Rarely did they comment on how creative the choreography was, or how brutally difficult some of the moves looked. They didn’t know enough to have the capacity to appreciate more.
If we’re going to change one thing about audiences, it should be what they know about dance. Not just knowledge from facts, but knowledge from doing. It’s not possible to read this website or hear from others arguing for dance and fully comprehend why it deserves the respect that it does. The only way to truly get it is to dance.
One of my close friends who still comes to my dance shows is a dancer herself, and her comments are always different than the rest. She gets it, she knows how difficult the moves being done are, and she’s tried enough dance to understand how hard it is to come up with new and interesting choreography. Her experience allows her to see dance in the way it should be seen.
Have you ever gone to a museum and wandered around looking at the paintings, all the while thinking to yourself, “I could do that”?
Have you ever watched a baking show or a Tasty video on Facebook and thought, “That looks easy”?
What happens when you actually try these things? You realize how difficult they are. You realize how much more skill goes into being an artist or a chef than you would have thought. You couldn’t have given the proper credit before you tried it, because there’s just no way to comprehend what it takes to make something that looks beautiful.
Why shouldn’t the same be true for dance? We want our children to appreciate art and music, so we put them in choir and give them a violin and a paintbrush in elementary school. Regardless of if they continue practicing these skills, they have a better appreciation and desire to take in music and art.
If my family had tried dancing, they would be more likely to understand why I find it to be a much better workout than going to the gym. If more people danced, more people would realize why dance is so clearly a physical sport and a mental expression.
The best way for people to appreciate the work put into something is to give it a shot. Rather than trying to tinker with audience expectations and change the concept that dance must be beautiful, we simply should encourage more people to dance so they can learn it for themselves.