The Place of Dancing within Culture and Society and Its Relationship to Health and Wellbeing - Coursework Example

The Place of Dancing within Culture and Society and Its Relationship to Health and Wellbeing Introduction Dance can be defined in various ways depending on cultural and social norms. However, for the purposes of this paper, the subject will basically be defined as the movement of an individual’s body in response to music. In most cases, the movement is rhythmic. Dance is performed in almost every culture and is done for various reasons including: to express ideas, entertainment, social interaction, to express emotions, exercise, and for spiritual purposes (Markula 2006). Apart from the above functions, in some communities, dance is used a means of communicating non-verbally between animals or animals. There are various genres and styles of dance including tango, ballroom, break, step, and slide (Daly 2002, p.64), the list practically being non-exhaustive. While people remain uncertain as to the origin of dance, some scientists claim that it was designed by natural selection processes as far back as the initial stages of hominid evolution (Markula 2006). This paper will discuss the place of dancing within culture and society and its relationship to personal health and wellbeing. Health in this case, relates to the level of metabolic or efficiency in humans. It also implies freedom from pain, injury and illness. For the purpose of this paper, wellbeing will relate to the positive experience of a person in terms of medical state. The Place of Dancing Within Culture and Society Dance holds a special place in various cultures and societies. In this case, culture is a people’s way of life. In fact, archaeologists suggest that during prehistoric (before the invention of writing) times, dancing was part of human culture as depicted by the Egyptian tomb and ancient Indian paintings that contain dancing figures. It has been a vital part of rituals, entertainment, rituals, and ceremony. Dance in many cases is often accompanied by music and may involve an individual, 2 people, or a group of people. In other cases, it is performed without music as in the case of the tap dance. Dance is often associated with costumes which are elements of culture. Costumes in this case relate to the distinctive dressing style adopted by a particular group of persons. For example, in some traditional communities, dancers wear skirts made of sisal fibre and head gear made of bird feathers which is are elements of culture. Culture as a people’s way of life includes dance. As previously noted, dance can be performed for different functions like during ceremonies, as a performance, and during social and religious events. Dance is also done during sport and meditation such as in the case of the kata as noted by (West, Otte, Geher, Mohr and Johnson 2004). In India and Pakistan, for example, the Bhangra is a popular dance that is associated with harvests, patriotism and love. With the world becoming globalised, dance has played a great role in bringing integration and mutual understanding as people engage and compete in the activity. TV shows today present dancing as an activity that is worth doing as a profession and pass time activity while at the same time popularizing the activity at the international scene. As a result of the prominence of the cultural activity, there are many careers that people may engage in related to music and dance (West, Otte, Geher, Mohr and Johnson 2004). For example, many people work as professional dancers and get hired to make presentations during various performances or shows. Others work as choreographers, teaching others the art of shaking to the tune of music. At a personal level, participation in music and dance has the capacity to institute personal identities. Dance, according to Risner (2009), has been used by some individuals as a form of expressing their cultural resistance to norms. Yet again, it has been used as a way of sharing common humanity. In addition, it is a useful and effective way of expressing the dominant ideas that surround masculinity and gender in the society. Community participation can be understood in terms of dance. In the modern setting, youth dance as practiced in discos and as people rave. Youths also engage in teenage solo dancing which normally is done at night clubs. Dancing has been associated with various cultures including hip-hop and rap (Lehikoinen, 2005). While discussions relating to dance normally focus on teenagers and adults, children also participate in dance. To them, the activity is part of play and is understood in the context of work as it revolves around subjectivity of gender, sexuality and identity. Young children engage in dance also to explore boundaries and to realise the links that exist between the world and themselves. With many styles of dancing being in existence today, people tend to learn various dances with respect to their socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds (Lehikoinen, 2005). As people gather to dance or to learn how to dance, their practical differences and diversities are witnessed. As a result, individuals learn to appreciate bodily difference. Culturally, dance is seen as a way of expressing resistance by boys as they apply expression and movement in sharing a common humanity (Lehikoinen, 2005). Through dance, dominant notions regarding masculinity, privilege, sexual orientation, and gender and how they shape people’s lives, especially boys, is realised. A study conducted in 2007 involving dancers revealed that one out of every two male dancers in the USA is not heterosexual. In fact, many cultures view dance as a male activity that is welcome. While this is the case in many cultures, the culture of Western Europeans holds dance as a form of art practiced by females. In the west, therefore, dance has been feminised to the extent that men who engage in the activity are not considered real men. Participation in dance classes by learners is greatly affected by social constructions and gender which impact on learners’ attitudes toward the activity. Dancing has been done during happy and sad times by various communities from ancient times as noted. This has not changed in the modern setup. During and after war, people, engage in music and dance. During war, for example, soldiers anciently sang war songs and danced to them for courage and motivation. In the modern set-up, fighter pilots may listen to music and engage in dance such as by nodding their heads as they engage the enemy in the battle field (Pieslak, 2009). When solders emerge victorious from a battle and are in celebration mode, they often engage in dance as in the case of the American soldiers after wining the war against Iraq (Pieslak, 2009). There are various areas in which dance have been used to teach. For example, people have used dance to teach others about foreign cultures and societies. It is noted that the role of schools is to nurture students into appreciating racial diversity and tolerance and increasing self esteem among other functions. When people learn about other people‘s cultures, they develop an appreciation for the (foreign) cultures with the result being reduced prejudice against them. Furthermore, learning about other cultures results in better communication and higher self esteem among members of society. Dance gives learners the chance to appreciate their inner selves and air out their feelings about situations, individuals and objects (Wesley 2003, p. 665). As a result, it helps learners in three main developmental areas including cognitive, affective and psychomotor development. People also get to communicate their feelings through dance. Children, for example, can apply their creativity and uniqueness in expressing themselves and thereby appreciate their personal differences. While dance can be done in any setting, common places that feature dances in the modern environment include dance floors, discos, churches, schools and streets. The dances that apply during different situations and in different cultures may differ or be similar in one way or another. Similarities in dancing styles may be attributed to their origins or purposes according to Mannheim and Weis (2006). Dancing is also commercially applied in advertising or marketing products as in the case of road shows and therefore finds a place in the business field. With technology taking centre stage in almost every aspect of life, dancing has also gone high-tech with the development of interactive video dance. Relationship between Dance and Personal Health and Wellbeing As noted above, dance is associated with various functions and in most cases is multi-functional (Burkhardt and Rhodes 2012). Many scholars have pointed to the health benefits of dancing noting that it is a universal means of cultural expression. Being something that people can do as a form of entertainment while expending some energy, dancing is encouraged to increase the levels of physical activity, reduce obesity, and improve mental status (Burkhardt and Rhodes 2012; McDaid, Knapp and Medieros 2008). The activity is known to have the potential to excite both the young and the old and therefore is effective in improving wellness across all ages. Medical experts define wellness as the healthy balance of spirit, body and mind that leads to an individual feeling well (Zimmer 2010). The benefits of dancing come about by the fact that it involves physical activity, emotional expression, social contact, as well as creativity all al which have been proven by research to have health benefits individually (Burkhardt and Rhodes 2012). In fact, it involves feeling, doing, sensing, memory, and thinking (Wulff 2005, p. 59). As a physical activity, dancing may reduce the risk of heart disease, arthritis, sexual dysfunction, and diabetes among other health conditions if findings that link moderate and regular physical activity are anything to go by (p. 191). Emotionally, physical activities such as dancing are associated with improved moods and less anxiety and depression as noted by Penedo and Dahn (2005). A study conducted by Brauninger in 2012 in relation to dance movement therapy (DMT) revealed that dance is quite effective in relieving emotional stress (West, Otte, Geher, Mohr and Johnson 2004, p.115). Brauninger notes that many cultures have in fact applied dance as a means of increasing tolerance against stress and promoting emotional wellness. DMT, according to Mannheim and Weis (2006, p.65) has served as an effective measure against stress experienced by cancer patients. Other studies have also shown a positive correlation between dance, and improved life energy and reduced movement pain among fibromyalgia patients (Brauninger 2012, p. 443). In the United Kingdom, the elderly are encouraged to dance to the benefit of their health. The dancers engage in the activity that involve muscle stretching and strengthening, posture and balance development as well as deeper breathing. The dancing sessions have seen elderly participants appreciate the noticeable health benefits of dancing. For example, some of the elderly participants noted that unlike previously, they could climb stairs without losing their breaths (Houston 2005, p. 18). As such, dancing is important for improving both static and dynamic balance and posture for the elderly going by past studies. Furthermore, the activity is noted to have helped patients with cardiovascular health problems recover from their conditions or witness an improvement in their health statuses. Yet again, those who participate in dancing are less reserved, self-focused, and more interactive compared to their counterparts who engage not in the activity (Houston 2005, p. 18). Many researchers have also pointed out the importance of physical activity such as dancing to lower mortality rates. Apart from the benefits of dancing mentioned above in regard to health and wellness, studies weakly indicate that dance may help reduce falls among the elderly as their muscles and bones grow stronger with physical activity. Furthermore, there are indications that dancing can heighten the bone-mineral level in the lower part of the body which has positive effects on personal health. Occupational health is a healthcare profession whose objective is to promote good health by enabling persons do purposeful and meaningful activities. During occupational therapy, the patient’s or therapists goals are well outlined even as the client remains at the centre of the whole process (Molineux 2004). Studies indicate a close link between physical and mental health and wellness. This means that when a client is mentally and physically healthy, there is a high chance that they are well. One of the activities that occupational therapists apply in improving the conditions of their clients is dance. Dance is applied in this case considering its capacity to help reduce stress, improve thinking, and reduce the risk of infection by certain diseases (Molineux 2004). Conclusion Archaeologists and many other experts have noted that dance is an activity that has been done by man and other animals since prehistoric times. Dance, which involves the movement of whole or part of the body, is an activity that has been done for various reasons and purposes. It is an activity that transcends generational and gender differences with many notions and benefits associated with it. Dance is done during ceremonies, at spiritual events, in class, during and after war, and for entertainment purposes. The activity is done as a form of entertainment, to educate, to foster learning and to build mutual understanding between people of different cultures. Dancing as an activity is done in some societies at a professional level with financial or material gains being a main motivating factor for the performers and their trainers. The setting s for dancing in the society are as varied as the purpose of the dance. People can dance at home, in the streets, in dance halls, in places of worship and in theatres among other places. Politically, dance has been done since time immemorial with political leaders sometimes applying dance reinforce their authority. Today, modern dances are known to borrow some aspects from their traditional counterparts even as other new styles are invented by choreographers and dancers (Jordania 2011). With many different dancing styles being in existence, a person has a full range of dancing options to choose from depending on the occasion, mood, and their emotional status. Dance has been noted to help improve personal health and wellbeing. In terms of personal health and wellness, dancing helps reduce fatigue, stress, and depression. On the other hand, it helps lower risks of heart disease, cancer arthritis, and diabetes among other health conditions that are associated with physical inactivity (Jordania 2011). As can be seen from the discussion above, dance is an important part of life today much like it was important ages ago. Almost every aspect of life is associated with music which is often accompanied by dance. While there are several advantages of dancing in regards to health and well being, there are also some disadvantages associated with it. For one, one may sustain injuries such as strains during dancing. A dancer can also injure their ankles as a result of a bad move. Yet another disadvantage of dancing is that it causes fatigue. Dancing according to Trautner (2005) has also been applied in exotic dance clubs in which case the theme is sex and sexuality which many people perceive to foster immorality in society. During a dance, there are high chances that participants are exposed to high levels of noise and rosin with the latter being capable of causing hearing loss over time. 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