The Importance Of Social Dance

Every society has social dances that are interconnected into each culture. However, each culture has a different way of portraying these social dances. In America, as well as other countries, social dances incorporate traditions, power, milestone events, etc. I observed dance in a non-traditional performing environment during a musical festival in urban downtown Austin, Texas. The atmosphere was filled with joy and happiness despite the gloomy morning. This particular day of the music festival, which is South by Southwest, was geared more towards the middle and upper age groups. As I observed my surroundings, the individuals primarily dancing were close to the stage and interacting with the bands. I noticed that these dancers were mixed with

The primary relationship is between the music, the band, and the dancers. Whenever the band starts to get into the music they are performing, the crowd reacts by following the band’s footsteps or the beats in the music. Two particular relationships stood out to me while observing this particular event. The first relationship is between a group of older aged women friends who were dancing very close to one another. Even though these ladies appeared to be far apart, as well as dancing solo, they would interact with one another by smiling, bumping at the hips, and swaying back and forth. The second relationship is between a husband and wife. They were off doing their own thing and not paying attention to the outside world, even often going against the traditional dance style to this type of music. This older couple were gazing into one another s eyes the full length of the song while slow dancing. It was like you could physically feel their love for one another radiating through the skin. The rest of the people were having a relationship with the music as if the music was guiding his or her every

For instance, I did not achieve a particular goal in my life or took away any benefits from this dance experience. This event was just another event I encountered in my life. However, I may have developed more gratitude for the job duties of a dance anthropologist. Maybe the only thing I improved in my life is to observe the world and interact with the people around me. I am usually a homebody, which shows I never like to socialize with the outside world. This experience allowed me to be sociable as well as taught me a valuable lesson, make more adventures in