What is dance? A universal definition is nearly impossible to come up with, but we can generally agree that dance is a form of expression by moving your body to music. It is present in virtually every culture across the globe. We are familiar with dance as a form of entertainment, an extracurricular activity, and a competitive sport. But what about as a form of protest? Or cultural expression? An entire analysis of the place of dance in society would take multiple books, so take this as an introduction with a few provoking examples and thoughts (from a predominantly western perspective).
A lovely Pas de Deux (male and female dance together) in classical ballet
Dance as protest
Many forms of dance evolved from socio-political resistance to the status quo - It has been argued for example that the NYC underground ballroom scene was born from Black/Latinx LGBTQ+ communities as a radical act of resistance against racism, homophobia, and transphobia, creating chosen families, self-expression (voguing, fashion), and empowerment in a society that rejected them, offering sanctuary, leadership, and a powerful platform for social advocacy and cultural critique despite mainstream appropriation and ongoing struggles for recognition (Soto, 2022).
Dance and other forms of art are often used in protest of oppressive governments. For example, young women in Iran are risking arrest by dancing on the street without their mandatory hijabs. According to Mahbubeh Moqadam, a sociology scholar, they are doing this in direct resistance against unjust gender-based laws and cultural norms that disenfranchise women (Moqadam, 2025). Another study described Lindy Hoppers dancing in public as an act of resistance to Chilean state violence since 2019 (Giacoman & Torres, 2021).
Dance has no place in oppressive regimes - they need everyone in line, behaving predictably, constraining mobility. Stripping away freedom. Nazi Germany labeled modern dance forms like jazz and swing as "degenerate art" (Entartete Kunst) and "Negermusik," banning them for being non-Aryan and corrupting. The USSR demanded state-controlled, "wholesome" folk ensembles. Spontaneous, erotic, or individualistic styles were suppressed. Even regimes today, like the Taliban have outlawed many forms of entertainment and pastime including dance, where penalty includes facing a potential beating or jail time. Musical instruments have also been confiscated and burned (The Telegraph, 2024). It is therefore not irrational to use dance as a form of protest. After all, every social movement begins in moving bodies; it is through the rhythm of bodies in motion that the movement itself is set in motion. - M. Moqadam
An epic Waacking battle (a street dance developed in underground NYC)
The Body as Canvas: Dance as Cultural & Historical Expression
Dance, like any creative act, is at its core human expression, through which we can observe sociological states and developments. For example, classical ballet evolved from the Italian Renaissance courts (15th-16th centuries) as aristocratic entertainment. The dance style emphasizes control, elevation and symmetry, aligned with royal and classical ideals. Meanwhile, outside the courts, people gathered in song and dance in less-structured styles where everyone was welcome to join in movement. One could get a pretty good idea of differences in the values between the different classes just based on seeing the people dance.
The development of modern dances and street dances may also reflect modern values. Ballet was the first dance institution, where one could train to become a professional dancer and a teacher. For a long time, to become a dancer you had to be thin, white, and able to move your body in quite unnatural ways (not that ballet isn’t beautiful). Nowadays, anyone of any shape and size and color can generally aspire to become a professional dancer, thanks to the various styles that exist. This absolutely reflects modern society’s values: inclusivity of all people to the dance world, diversity in all forms of human and cultural expression, and the dismantling of rigid, exclusionary artistic standards.
One can also observe the evolution of partner dancing since classical ballet - from men and women being kept quite a physical distance from each other with big dresses and gloves to cheek-to-cheek social dancing becoming normalized from tango to sensual bachata to brazilian zouk (see the next video).This reflects a parallel social evolution: the gradual shift from rigid, formalized gender roles and public propriety toward a celebration of intimate connection, individual consent, and the expressive freedom of the body. Similarly, the underground ballroom scene also reflects the free and feminine values that American youth were embracing in society at that time. Today, dance classes are offered in so many styles - it’s so hard to choose! But it’s a choice that previous generations did not necessarily have.
A beautiful Pas de Deux, modern ballet
Final Thoughts
In the age of AI, it’s more important than ever to recognize our humanity in dance and artistic expression. The freedom exercised through dancing is a political right that many still today fight for. Through the history of dance we observe how dance reflects societal evolution and plays a part in it - often ahead of the culture. What are some ways that your preferred dance style reflects today's culture? What are limitations we can still overcome, in dance or in society through dance? What might the future of dance look like?
Brazilian Zouk - sensual, natural, connected
References
- Giacoman, C., & Torres, R. (2021). Dance to resist: Emotions and protest in Lindy Hop dancers during October 2019 Chilean rallies. Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies / Revue Canadienne Des Études Latino-Américaines et Caraïbes, 47(1), 46–66. https://doi.org/10.1080/08263663.2022.1996696
- (Cover image): In vogue: How photographer Chantal Regnault captured the Harlem ball scene’s rise to fame. (n.d.). https://www.itsnicethat.com/features/chantal-regnault-voguing-and-the-house-ballroom-scene-of-new-york-city-1989-92-photography-281021
- Moqadam, M. (2025). ‘I’m the common pain; dance with me’: Fractality, affect, and embodiment in circulation of resistance. Critical Sociology. https://doi.org/10.1177/08969205251359979
- Soto, J. I. (2022). "They’re never gonna know the real ballroom”: Mainstream culture, the ballroom scene, and a social politics of liberation [Wesleyan University]. https://doi.org/10.14418/wes01.1.2581
- The Telegraph. (2024). Taliban leaders filmed in Afghanistan dancing despite ban. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/07/14/taliban-islamic-law-music-dance-ban-afghanistan/
