Dance and Culture, Essay Example

One’s culture can be seen in a variety of ways, such as the way individuals dress, act, talk and the food we eat. The customs of a people is defined by their shared beliefs and values. The continuance of culture is passed down from generation to generation and serves as a guided principle of how a set of people live, think and behave.

One of the most shared aspects of one’s culture is through dance. World and social dance forms are a reflection of one’s values, morals and belief systems as they often represent the social, political and ethnic culture of the group. While dance styles continue to change over time, modern trends have increase the declination of cultural dance; however, because of the social, political and cultural relevance of dance, world and social dance has not been totally abolished.

“A culture is made — or destroyed — by its articulate voices” (Rand).  World and social dance speaks just as expressively as one’s voice. The art of dance can serve as a manifestation of joy, anger, sadness and disdain. However used, dance engenders the beauty and power of one’s spirit and often distinguishes one culture from another.

Although almost every culture shares some related form of dance, dance styles and purpose vary from one culture to the next. When you think of world and social dance, there are two places that probably come to mind. These places are African and Japan. Although they are both known for their highly expressive dances, their styles of dance are very different; yet, its purpose is the same. Africa’s style of dance is often contingent upon the fluctuation of song (African Genesis) while Japanese dances are based on traditional dance forms such as the Kabuki, Noh, folkloric, and Okinawan dance (Ito). Whether in Africa, Japan or other places, most cultures continue these traditions as a means of political and social expression that will provide a better understanding of its history, religious and the social context of its people.

References

Rand, Ayn. Culture. (2008). Web. 9 May 2010. <http://www.relocalize.net/resources/culture>.

Ito, Sachiyo. Japanese Culture Through Dance. (2010). Web. 9 May 2010. <http://www.dancejapan.com/jccd1.html>.

African Genesis. African People & Culture. (2010). Web. 9 May 2010. <http://www.africaguide.com/culture/music.htm>.