Community dance is a broad range of activities that bring dance artists in contact with the public:
- local dance classes – dance in public settings –
- dance with older people – dance and youth –
- dance with caregivers and toddlers – dance artists in schools -
- dance in hospitals – mixed ability dance –
- dance artists-in-residency – master classes – open rehearsals –
- dance as education – dance blogs (!) – dance writing – and more!
Community dance activities reawaken and reinforce all our relationships with dance.
Community dance stimulates creativity. supports personal and social development, and enhances our physical and mental well-being.
Community dance provides necessary opportunities for people to express themselves artistically in kinaesthetic ways, releasing their creativity physically.
For me, community dance is freedom – working with people helps me stay fresh with my practice, makes me think differently about my role as an artist in Canadian society, reinvigorates my own creativity in dance and in other things, and stimulates me to continue to develop dance that has value and integrity.
I also believe community dance helps develop an audience that is knowledgeable about dance and that feels entitled to ask more of dance and dance artists. Community dance invites participation and through this public engagement, dance stays visible in society and improves our perceived value and street cred.
There’s much more to community dance than this.
What is community dance for you?
- R
Oh- my God… this is amazing lady… where do you come from?
Community dance is figuring out where art meets life.
This is an absolutely beautiful blog, it’s about time someone did this! Thank you!!
Hi,
I’m about to finish my B.A. in dance and I would really like to continue on in a master’s specialising in Community Dance. I’m having a very hard time finding a program that fits this, and I was wondering if you had any suggestions on where to look? I’m willing to go pretty much anywhere, but I currently in the U.S. Thanks for any ideas!
Community dance is the space where mutual existence is confirmed through the common language of movement. It is so wonderful to be in the flow of movement with people you might not have otherwise engaged. One needs no invitation to join the dance and the immediate reaction is one of belonging to something larger and greater than yourself. Cultural barriers are more often transcended when people move and dance together. And the interesting truth is that I am even more rooted in my identity when I share mine with someone else. In this way I don’t lose myself by experiencing someone else’s dance, I gain more of me in the sharing. Sweet.