To move your body rhythmically, usually to music; as a noun, an event or style where people do this.
From Old French 'dancier', of uncertain origin, possibly related to Frankish or other Germanic roots. It has long been linked with joy, ceremony, and rhythm.
Dance is your body turning sound into motion. Long before writing or recording, people used dance to tell stories, celebrate, and communicate feelings without words.
Dance vocabularies have historically encoded gendered roles (lead/follow, ‘male’ and ‘female’ steps, expectations about who initiates and who is decorative). Many traditions also sexualized or devalued women dancers while privileging male choreographers and directors.
Use role-neutral terms like “lead” and “follow” without assigning them to specific genders, and avoid assuming dance interests or abilities based on gender.
["movement","partner work (for paired dance)"]
Recognize that women and gender-diverse dancers and choreographers have been central to the development of many dance forms, even when their authorship was minimized or credited to male directors or institutions.
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