"Dance to Express, Not to Impress"

By Christian Jordan Capili

 We are always given opportunities to enjoy what we have. Whether it’s the family and friends we have or the skills we have taken up during our spare time, whether it be singing, drawing, sports, dancing, arts and many more. In the end, we have learned to appreciate these what we have been blessed with, and not take them for granted. While this focuses more on the emphasis of dance, the phrase "Dance to express not to impress" is one of the many phrases that has grown to become known throughout the internet and in the dance community.

 Dancers dance to express the emotions they have.

Dance to express…. Something that most of us love to do, I for one began dancing because it was my get away from the stresses of life; it was the cure for me. Dancing allowed me to be me, and not have to be afraid of what others saw in me. .

Expressing ourselves has become something hard to do in this time and age, yet we have learned to use sense of expression in other forms such as dance. .

To me dance is one of the grandest forms expression. It’s an attitude or feeling that allows us to share our innermost emotions to the crowd. Making the crowd understand the story we have set on the floor by showing it through dance; and at the same time as we move we begin to feel liberated, free, and further more to a sense of happiness begins to course through our body. We may have different ways of understanding the emotions of the dancer, but in the end we leave the dance floor with a sense of acknowledge because of the effort they have put in their dance. .

A showcase of talent that exceeds our expectations, to tell a story and illustrate the emotions these people portray through the moves they make. Dance is an expression that will always blow our minds:

Keone & Mari project: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FiuIvUvx5Q&feature=fvst

Dancers dance to illustrate their passion, dedication, and motivation .

Dancers dance to illuminate the darkest depths of our heart.

Dancers dance to escape the realities of life..

Dancers dance to unite others with the common goal..

Eddie Uehara’s concept video entitled: Dance to inspire, Inspire to dance. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ALtIwy77RU&feature=channel_video_title.

Dance is not to impress… is something I often see people doing. Not to express, but to impress the crowd around them. We all dance because it stirs a mixture of emotions in us. We do dance battles because it’s to showcase our style and at the same time goes hand in hand with hip-hop culture, but if the sole purpose for someone to dance is to show off and look cool to the crowd then it’s a different story. When I see people showing off, it gives me a horrible feeling in my stomach, maybe because they are abusing the art for the wrong reasons. As dancers we will get praised and acknowledged by other dancers and people in due time, but to show off to people for the sole purpose of looking good is beyond me. But using dance to impress is not the way to be, dance is another art, and it should be given the respect it needs to be given and never abused.

Dancers who try to look cool are those who fail to see the true meaning of dance.

Dancer is a universal language and in a sense people will use it for the wrong reasons.

Dance is to be appreciated, respected, and given credit like any art form. We dance to express who we truly are not to impress the crowd. When given praise we must show our utmost appreciation and humbleness, because when we truly are praised, it isn’t because we dance to just a simple song, but because they can tell the hard work we put into our routine. Never forget that, an art takes a while to form, and once it is completed it becomes a masterpiece that leaves an everlasting mark in someones life.

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