Why does music make us dance?
Festivals, concerts, graduation parties and summer celebrations get many of us up from our seats. But why does music make us dance, and what does dancing actually mean for our health, our sense of community and our experience of music?
Dance exists in almost every culture, but it can carry very different meanings. In some places, it forms part of religious rituals; elsewhere, it is a way of fostering a sense of community, celebrating an occasion or expressing oneself. When thousands of people dance in front of a festival stage, it is therefore more than simply a reaction to good music. According to Susanne Ravn, Professor of Movement, Culture and Society at the University of Southern Denmark, dance is a fundamental human way of connecting both with music and with other people.
1. Why do people dance?
Dance takes many different forms across cultures – to such an extent that we should think of dance, at its core, as culture. Not only do the ways people dance differ, but so do the meanings they experience and attach to dance.
Dance can, for example, serve as a form of personal expression, a way of connecting with one’s ancestors, a joyful way of being together, a set of specific steps to be mastered, or even part of a political display of power.
Bonus
Susanne Ravn’s best advice for getting more out of dance
A good trick is to tune into the way other people are moving to the music and dance alongside one or more dance partners. Tuning in does not mean directly copying someone else’s dance moves. It can involve that, but it is more about tuning into the other person’s – or the group’s – rhythm and way of moving, creating a sense of resonance through movement.
The ability to tune in is something you can practise. If you dance with others who are equally interested in doing this, those magical moments can arise when it feels as though the music and the dance are carrying you along.
2. Why does music make us move?
Dance and music are closely intertwined. Dance can exist without music, but in most cases people dance with, to or in dialogue with music.
In several cultures across the African continent, there is only one word for both dance and music.
Perhaps that is worth reflecting on the next time you find yourself swaying to a rhythm. Perhaps we are a little too quick to divide things into separate elements.
3. What should I do if I want to dance but feel a bit awkward?
Because dance takes so many different forms across cultures, the ways of joining in also vary considerably.
Much of the dance teaching available in Denmark is organised around learning specific steps. The dance is broken down into smaller elements that participants copy and practise. The movements are then fitted to the music.
But you can just as easily start with the rhythm and pay little attention to steps or aesthetics. Bend your knees, sway from side to side, relax your arms and let the music take the lead. Feel the rhythm in your body and give it a little more physical expression – and you are already dancing.
Three great dance tips for your festival experience
- Feel the rhythm and let your dancing develop from there.
- Tune into other people’s rhythm. Join in and play with timing and emphasis in the way you move together with others.
- If you would like some extra health benefits along the way, make your movements bigger and vary them more when you dance – and keep dancing for a long time.
4. Why does it feel good to dance with other people?
As human beings, we are remarkably good at finding a shared rhythm and sense of timing when we move together.
Think about the last time you went for a walk with a close friend. Without even realising it, we physically tune ourselves to one another’s rhythm and timing, whether by walking side by side or adjusting our gestures and pauses during conversation.
In recent years, fascinating research has shown that even when we are sitting down listening to a concert, a degree of synchronisation occurs between people in their physical responses to music.
The combination of movement and music is therefore uniquely powerful when it comes to creating a sense of togetherness – the feeling of sharing an experience with others.
5. How can dance make a festival experience even better?
Dance is also physical activity, and we know with great certainty that physical activity is good for us.
If your preferred style is more of a gentle sway to the music, it may be worth considering – from a health perspective – whether you could make those movements a little bigger and more varied.
The more you move, the more calories you burn, and you are likely to work off some of the alcohol you have consumed. You are also likely to sleep better after dancing yourself physically tired.
Meet the researcher
Susanne Ravn is a Professor at the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics.
In her research, she combines ethnographic fieldwork and phenomenology to explore how movement and social interaction shape our experiences in dance and sport, as well as in health-related contexts.
