Sarah Ward: Dance-Ritual Participation or Personal Enjoyment?

Dance has always been an important part of our culture from Native American ritual dances to modern day leisure dances. Dance, as an art form, is the most universal forms of art that surpasses any language or cultural limitations. It captures music, art, drama, and song and incorporates them into one universal form of art. In order to dance, one needs no physical object. Every individual has a natural rhythm embedded into their body in the form of a heart beat. Man can produce rhythm which provokes the body to naturally move and dance. Although dance is a natural form of art, how do we define a line between ritual participation for one's own personal experience and performance for the entertainment of others.

In many instances, dance that is done for personal participation can also serve as a presentation to others. Dance is a unique form of art that requires beautym expression and emotions, only found when one digs deep into the soul and allows the emotions to flow through their body. There is a continual friction between ritual participation and presentation, but in dance, they often overlap, which makes the art form so unique. Although there is a fine line between participation and presentation, the two work in perfect harmony to create the aesthetic form of art known as dance. The interpretation of dance as a ritual participation or performance depends on the viewpoint of the dancer. Many artists percieve dance differently, but the tension between encountering art through ritual participation versus experiencing art as performance or presentation ultimately lies within the hands of the beholder.